North Belfast is the only seat held by any unionist that could be lost to Sinn Féin. It allows the larger party to warn unionist voters that supporting the UUP could enable a Sinn Féin win. If it warns them they could let Sinn Féin in, they are likely to respond “so what?” To them, Finucane is no worse than Dodds. Calls for a Border poll are ramped up with every Sinn Féin gain. Sinn Féin gaining a seat or the DUP returning to Westminster without learning a thing?

Source: The Irish Times October 31, 2019 06:00 UTC