Sir, - Tim Pat Coogan (Opinion, June 27th) is right that the nationalist vote is rising but he is incorrect to assume Sinn Fein is gaining the lion's share. The facts speak for themselves:
In the 1998 Assembly Elections the SDLP received 177,963 votes, the highest number of votes for any party in the election and the first time the SDLP had eclipsed the Ulster Unionists.
In the 1999 European Election John Hume and the SDLP received 190,731 votes, the largest number of votes the Party has received since our foundation in 1970. SF votes fell by 17.5 per cent from 1998 to 1999.
Furthermore, an opinion poll conducted in May 2000 for the BBC's current affairs programme Hearts and Minds was equally positive for the SDLP.
The poll showed the SDLP had 22.4 per cent, UUP 20.7 per cent, and SF 13.5 per cent.
Among nationalist voters only, the SDLP polled 59.9 per cent and SF 36.1 per cent.
John Hume received the highest approval rating of all the leaders of the political parties in the North. Seamus Mallon had the highest rating of all the Ministers during the 10 weeks of the Executive.
These facts show that the SDLP is going from strength to strength. - Yours, etc.
Tim Attwood, Director of Development, SDLP, Ormeau Road, Belfast.
