In Northern Irish politics unionist positions are associated with the right, sometime even the extreme right, whilst nationalist parties Sinn Fein and the SDLP are left-wing. There are exceptions like the Social Democratic Unionist Party, but they tend to be pretty fringe. How can we switch that around, or, if that isn't possible, at least have the nationalist/unionist divide cut across the political spectrum.
Off the top of my head I understand that Labour had quite a bit of support amongst dockworkers in Belfast who tended to be Protestant unionists, and their decision to not stand candidates in Northern Ireland in order to avoid splitting the vote with the SDLP ended up alienating a lot of them. It may not be much but, if Labour decided to keep standing candidates, it could be a potential starting point for a left-wing unionist voice.