Madam, - It is small wonder Northern Ireland politics remains so entrenched when the parties seeking to move us out of the trenches consistently receive limited and misleading coverage. I am afraid it appears The Irish Times is no exception in this regard.
In March last year, before the Stormont elections, this paper forecast a loss of three or four seats by Alliance. In the event, we gained a seat to finish with seven, each secured comfortably.
On Saturday, February , a photograph and caption accompanying an article on the Dromore by-election failed to identify the Alliance candidate David Griffin, and gave the impression he was a supporter or member of the hardline TUV.
A cursory correction appeared in the following Tuesday's paper.
Last Monday, an article commenting on the by-election ignored Alliance completely, even though the party finished ahead of Sinn Féin, the SDLP and the Greens on the first count. The party's haul of 10 per cent of the vote was more than double its best ever poll in the area, and would secure the party a seat in Dromore if repeated in the next full council elections.
I would hope for better from a paper with such a strong reputation for balanced political coverage. - Yours, etc,
GERRY LYNCH, Executive Director, Alliance Party of Northern Ireland, Belfast.