Fine Gael stumble into a two point gain

star gazer

As to the state of the parties, the TNS/MRBI survey found that Fianna Fáil are at 30%, down 2 points on the last poll carried out in May.

Fine Gael are at 22%, up 2; Labour 19%, down 3; Sinn Féin 10%, up 1; PDs 5%, up 1; Greens 4%, unchanged; and Others 10%, up 1.

taken from
http://www.rte.ie/news/2003/0926/poll.html

Well, like it or lump it Fine Gael plus labour equals 41%
Fianna Fáil plus PDs equals 35%
We may be seeing the outline of a new alternative government and when you think of all the politically difficult issues to come for the government (Laffoy, Mahon costs, Health reform, smoking ban, budget (stealth taxes), etc.) things aren't going to get better for them any time soon.
Enda Kenny for Taoiseach?

solice

the best thing to come from this poll would have to be the fact that adams has gone down. hopefuly this trend will continue.

sorrento

An opinion poll a few years before the election.

How exciting.

solice

actually there are two, possibly three elections next year. local and european elections are on in june and the presidential election (if opposition goes forward) will be on in november.

an opinion poll like that is fantastic news and great timing for FG with their national conference in galway (i think) on the 5th of october. plus with local conventions nominating for local elections this will hopefully start some momentum going.

this poll came at just the right time

bloggs

Ahhh FG, get rid of Enda, he is a liability. But Richard Bruton incharge! Personally i think a FG/Labour government would be much, much better. Actually, my Fr Dougal Maguire running country would do a better job than the current government.

star gazer

An opinion poll a few years before the election.
How exciting
sorrento

Politics doesn't stop because there isn't an election this year.

Ahhh FG, get rid of Enda, he is a liability. But Richard Bruton incharge!
bloggs

Enda will surprise us all yet! If he can climb Kilimanjaro, maybe he can make to the Taoiseach's office.

Cork

Originally posted by star gazer
Politics doesn't stop because there isn't an election this year.



Enda will surprise us all yet! If he can climb Kilimanjaro, maybe he can make to the Taoiseach's office.

I think that openion polls are soft news. We are years off a general election.

They are pretty useless. People make up their minds will an election is called. Openion polls while scientific are a pretty brief snap shot.

Floater

They (FG) haven’t said or done a lot over the past few years.

If they can stumble into two points on account of Kenny’s mouthing on “benchmarking”, and keep it up on a weekly basis they might be going somewhere.

The present government has been more than generous in leaving so many targets around the place for opponents to shoot at. Health, roads, integrated public transport, driving tests, insurance costs, the new dictatorial bureaucratic police state, government induced inflation, the absence of reform of the legal, education and administration systems, the imbalance between the capital city and the rest of the country that is putting strains on both, and the bad value for money the last two FF controlled(?) governments have achieved for the citizen. Never before has anyone had so much and got so little in return.

They should be driving the agenda by focusing on is the substance of each issue – rather than the cosmetics. The messages have to be clear and continuous until the next election. Is Enda up to it? Perhaps if he stayed in Kilimanjaro and the party might stumble into a few more points come the next poll too?


Floater

Cork

Never before has anyone had so much and got so little in return.

They did however bring down personal taxation for the PAYE worker. This was warranted for years.

A lot of money was put into roads. The roads network is pretty good down in Munster.

But money was indeed mis-spent.

Floater

Originally posted by Cork
They did however bring down personal taxation for the PAYE worker. This was warranted for years.

Yes, but they were still left with huge sums of money to spend after the tax cuts.

A lot of money was put into roads. The roads network is pretty good down in Munster.

Are they? Last time I looked at a roadmap there was no end to end motorway connecting any of the provinces - other than Leinster to Ulster (almost). It takes longer to get from Leinster to Munster today than 20 years ago.

Two motorways would suffice to connect all the provinces -

a) Rosslare - Waterford - Limerick - Galway - Sligo - Derry
b) Cork - Dublin

a and b would intersect somewhere in Tipperary. To get from Dublin to Waterford or Limerick use b to tipperary and then a.

This would deliver journey times of about 2 hours on the vast majority of long distance trips that take place by car and cut the road fatality rate on the same journeys by probably 75%. It would make it a lot easier for companies to locate outside the Dublin area - reducing the pressure cooker effect on that region that greatly diminishes the quality of life for its residents and visitors

What should that be saying to the "opposition"?



Floater

star gazer

They did however bring down personal taxation for the PAYE worker. This was warranted for years.
Cork

maybe but they have replaced it with government fuelled inflation and have done so little to stop the slide in the quality of life (traffic bottlenecks, the cost of living, proper housing planning and development, deteriorating health services etc)

Is Enda up to it? Perhaps if he stayed in Kilimanjaro and the party might stumble into a few more points come the next poll too?
floater

He has climbed one mountain, i think he'll climb the second as well. he is more likable than Noonan and more media friendly than Bruton, not to mention he isn't talking about a coalition with Fianna fáil like alan Dukes. He may be from mayo, but one shouldn't hold that against him.
Once people realise that Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin could be in coalition together after the next election, both camps will empty quickly. the last opinion poll would show SF+FF at 40% and FG+lab at 42%, It's neck and neck!

gom

If Enda gets lost on that mountain and is found frozent o death in a glacier then maybe FG will get another 2 points in the polls and a better leader to replace him(hopefully Richie Bruton)

solice

thats good but with your man in sweeden being killed and still the euro was rejected so i dont think that we can say that sympathy is not a vote getter

fact is when you read the poll you see that fg is up and ff is down. enda is up and bertie is down. ask why is that so.

outside of the whole this is a terrible govt that has destroyed this country you have got the whole off shore bank accounts, drink driving resulting in injury and keeping brothels.