THE REV Ian Paisley was in confident, assertive form yesterday. Not only would his DUP emerge as the biggest unionist party in this election, but it would also win the greatest number of votes, he predicted.
"I am going to beat John Hume on Thursday, and if I beat John Hume on Thursday David Trimble's party will be in third place", said the DUP leader.
The main focus at yesterday's DUP press conference was not on the nationalist opposition but on denouncing the DUP's main unionist rival, the Ulster Unionist Party, led by Mr Trimble.
Dr Paisley accused Mr Trimble of being prepared to negotiate the Government of Ireland Act - "the title deeds of Ulster's position within the United Kingdom" - at the all party talks, which was tantamount to renegotiating the Union.
He further claimed that the UUP leader was "weak" on decommissioning. "If this is what Mr Trimble does before he goes to the talks table what will he surrender when he gets into talks?"
Dr Paisley acknowledged that his comments would be perceived as denoting a major split in the unionist camp, virtually on the eve of polling. But, he added, the fault lay solely with the Ulster Unionists.
"The split has come to unionism because Mr Trimble and Mr Taylor have split away from traditional unionist philosophy", Dr Paisley said.
And personalising the attack, he added that he met a unionist while out canvassing at the weekend: "And he told me, `Mr Paisley, go home, you don't need to canvass, for every time Trimble opens his mouth he gets you thousands of votes.'"
Dr Paisley said there was no formal pact or understandings with Mr Robert McCartney's UK Unionist Party. "But we have good relationship." (At the week end Mr McCartney's two candidates in West Belfast "stood, down" in favour of the DUP candidate, Belfast's lord mayor, the Rev Eric Smyth.)
Dr Paisley said the SDLP was running a "stop Paisley" campaign. It was imperative that unionists realise that if the SDLP and Mr John Hume were to be prevented from topping the poll, they must support the DUP.
"I am the only unionist who can beat John Hume and top the poll. I appeal to unionists of every class to unite behind me, and give John Hume a bloody nose, and teach nationalists that they are not going to get a united Ireland", he said.
"I am the only candidate who can put John Hume and Gerry Adams into their proper place," Dr Paisley added.
