Jim Dixon has announced that he will not now be standing in the forthcoming general election. The United Unionist candidate for Fermanagh South Tyrone suffered severe injuries in the Enniskillen bombing in the 1980s. Mr Dixon confirmed in a statement today that, over the past few days, friends and family had approached him asking that he reconsider his position. Mr Dixon said that they believed that his health would be unable to cope with a rigorous electoral campaign. He has decided not to stand as a result.
Mr Dixon, who has adopted an anti-Agreement approach, was seen as a threat to the UUP candidate James Cooper's hopes of winning the seat. The seat has being held by Ken Maginnis until now. A split vote within Unionism may have allowed Sinn Féin's Michelle Gildernew or Tommy Gallagher from the SDLP to capture the seat for Nationalists. Maurice Morrow had decided not to contest the election when Mr Dixon announced his candidacy, but all eyes will now focus on whether the DUP Assembly Minister will reverse his decision in an increasingly bitter campaign between the Ulster Unionists and the DUP.
