The fact that the North's First Minister, David Trimble, is missing much of the Euro campaign has raised a few eyebrows, except perhaps in the UUP itself. Last week he was in the US, for an honorary doctorate at Boston College, and Canada, and this week he goes to Israel where another doctorate will be conferred upon him, at Ben-Gurion university.
These absences were not anticipated when the Taoiseach and the British PM gave the Northern talks a little break, despite the looming June 30th deadline, so the participants could canvass. Indeed, a source close to Tony Blair asked if it was true that the PM was shocked by the First Minister practically opting out of the campaign, replied "it is not the way things are done in the Labour Party".
So why is Trimble making himself scarce? There is the obvious temptation of important invitations abroad, but also speculation that it is a tactical move. Until a couple of months ago it was expected that the three incumbent MEPs - John Hume, Ian Paisley and Jim Nicholson - would be returned. The first two will romp home (only the order will be the issue here), but the UUP's Nicholson faces two handicaps. First, the recent revelation of his extra-marital affair has not gone down well among prudish Presbyterians, and has even led party rival John Taylor to say he shouldn't run, second, he is a pro-agreement candidate seeking votes in a community which is increasingly anti-agreement.
Indeed Nicholson's only hope is to get the unionist vote out, otherwise transfers from Hume could elect Sinn Fein's Mitchel McLaughlin. Paisley's transfers will go to Bob McCartney, so Nicholson has to be near the top on the first count. Snide commentators say his best chance is if Trimble stays out of the country so his pro-agreement stance won't be emphasised. The recent UUP rejection of the latest Downing Street plan means unionists are alert to betrayal, and it's not a good time for a pro-agreement unionist to be seeking votes.