Polls showing support for Micheál Martin

Liam Byrne

One question. Why ?

Does a proportion of the electorate not realise that he was in government for the past 10 years and is complicit in the disastrous decisions that ruined the country, as well as those taken since which have completely skewed all accountability and fairness ?

flutered

it is just all the media attention, how he is the new broom + the shiney penny.

bleg

He has the Daniel O Donnel factor ... "sure isn't he lovely."

feicim

Its really becoming clear how Ireland dug itself into its current mess (and all the messes before this one).

31% of the electorate are complete morons.

With idiots like this loose in the country Ireland is permanently doomed. Unfortunately people this thick are also too stupid to emigrate so we are stuck with them.:eek:

ilovesleep

Jesus christ! Thats unreal. Whats wrong with people who would consider voting for FF maggots.

Silentcorner

feicim wrote: »

Its really becoming clear how Ireland dug itself into its current mess (and all the messes before this one).

31% of the electorate are complete morons.

With idiots like this loose in the country Ireland is permanently doomed. Unfortunately people this thick are also too stupid to emigrate so we are stuck with them.:eek:

Bit harsh don't you think, I can understand it myself, tho I wont be voting FF I can understand his superior popularity, it is more a case of Enda "tell us how you want us to govern" Kennys unpopularity due to his lack of ...well everything really, remember his own front bench turned on him only a few short months ago, he had a terrible week this week, and as for Eamonn "I'll say anything you want me to" Gilmore he will find it tough over the coming weeks as Labours policy will come under attack...

My vote is up for grabs but no one seems to be grabbing it!!! Perhaps that makes me and idiot and thick....

Liam Byrne

Silentcorner wrote: »

Bit harsh don't you think, I can understand it myself, tho I wont be voting FF I can understand his superior popularity, it is more a case of Enda "tell us how you want us to govern" Kennys unpopularity

"Tell us how you want us to govern" is a hell of a lot better than "we'll do whatever we damn well like and we'll screw you in the process".

What's wrong with a democratic discussion as to how we want to be governed ?

Mr.Micro

Sneery Martin will be very disappointed with just a jump of 2% as this is within the margin of error and may be just a reflex reaction and even that 2% may vanish.

bmaxi

Silentcorner wrote: »

Bit harsh don't you think, I can understand it myself, tho I wont be voting FF I can understand his superior popularity, it is more a case of Enda "tell us how you want us to govern" Kennys unpopularity due to his lack of ...well everything really, remember his own front bench turned on him only a few short months ago, he had a terrible week this week, and as for Eamonn "I'll say anything you want me to" Gilmore he will find it tough over the coming weeks as Labours policy will come under attack...

My vote is up for grabs but no one seems to be grabbing it!!! Perhaps that makes me and idiot and thick....

Thick enough to vote FF though? We've heard all the stories about Enda Kenny and his unpopularity and Labour's supposed lack of policy, it's going to be a case of suck it and see with them.
The difference is, we know what FF have done and we know that Martin was at the cabinet table during the whole debacle and this is why we ask the question . How can anyone contemplate voting FF and how can anyone absolve Martin of his sins? He may not have been Taoiseach or Minister for Finance but he's guilty by association.

Mr.Micro

bmaxi wrote: »

Thick enough to vote FF though? We've heard all the stories about Enda Kenny and his unpopularity and Labour's supposed lack of policy, it's going to be a case of suck it and see with them.
The difference is, we know what FF have done and we know that Martin was at the cabinet table during the whole debacle and this is why we ask the question . How can anyone contemplate voting FF and how can anyone absolve Martin of his sins? He may not have been Taoiseach or Minister for Finance but he's guilty by association.

Exactly, FG/Lab could not do worse. With FF its a guarantee that it will do worse.

Rubik.

It is only a 2% increase, it's hardly a bounce. A 16% share of the vote in the General Election would still be a fairly catastrophic result for FF.

sligopark

Martin achieved nothing past the smoking ban which any right thinking person would have been in favour of

Given he couldn't organise a coup against fat boy fat from offaly with the dischord within ff first time round instills little or no confidence in him doing much in the opposition other than colluding with fg to a minority government without labour...

what a weakling leader - the result of non leadership within ff ....

Mr.Micro

sligopark wrote: »

Martin achieved nothing past the smoking ban which any right thinking person would have been in favour of

Given he couldn't organise a coup against fat boy fat from offaly with the dischord within ff first time round instills little or no confidence in him doing much in the opposition other than colluding with fg to a minority government without labour...

what a weakling leader - the result of non leadership within ff ....

If there had been anyone else amongst the 4 Fianna Failures that was slightly better then martin would have not got a look in. It was to get Biffo out and a 2% bounce is pathetic after the wholly inappropriate blanket coverage RTE FF channel gave then its truly disappointing for FF.

UDAWINNER

u know how bad things are, when micheal martin is the leader of fianna fail. Never thought i'd see the day. But then again, only a few months ago the media were glorifying Brian Lenihan and how times have changed.

deanh

a 2% gain is pretty pathetic considering the level of press coverage over the past month. Maybe Martin has something of a 'Febreese' effect - He temporarily gets rid of the bad smell, but its still the same manky old carpet.

Silentcorner

Liam Byrne wrote: »

"Tell us how you want us to govern" is a hell of a lot better than "we'll do whatever we damn well like and we'll screw you in the process".

What's wrong with a democratic discussion as to how we want to be governed ?

You're missing my point, the fact that Martin is more popular than his opponents is a sad endorsment of Kenny and Gilmore ( Martin can't be held responsible for that )

As for a democratic discussion as to how we want to be governed...would you not agree that it is catch all policy that has done us tremendous damage...an oversized / overpaid public sector ....unregulated banking / property sector...all in the name of catching as many votes as possible to maintain power...

Maybe if we had parties who actually stand for something ( I'll give SF and ULA their dues, even tho I don't believe in their policys I do admire their conviction ) we might have a reason to feel optimistic for our future...

And while the Dail has been controlled by FF the local councils have been controlled by FG and Lab ( all of whom weren't complaining when they were being appointed to the different quangos ) so in my opinion makes the somewhat culpable...

We need policitical reform ( reduce the number of TDs, reduce their wages / expenses, we need to move away from civil war political divides, we need government who actually want to help all strands of society, not just the ones who vote!!! But I haven't heard one party discuss this, we have heard that the Senate is to be abolished but why? if has proven be powerless then lets get rid of the Local councils so...

Anyway my original point was it is a bit harsh to be calling people idiots...but then I'm the thick one!!!

sligopark

the fact the best they had to put up was martin was the most damning indictment of ff perhaps to date

peasant

bmaxi wrote: »

how can anyone absolve Martin of his sins?

...but,but, but ...he's apologised, don't you see ...

Ahh pollo djized ...that's almost as good as a confession ...and this still IS a catholic country after all.

Either that or one third of the country really is a few sandwiches short of a picnic

Liam Byrne

Silentcorner wrote: »

You're missing my point, the fact that Martin is more popular than his opponents is a sad endorsment of Kenny and Gilmore ( Martin can't be held responsible for that )

No, the fact that Martin - who was part of a party who ruined the country, and was part of all of those decisions - is popular is a sad indictment of a section of the electorate who are being manipulated.

I can't comment on your being a fool, because I don't know you. And I refer to that and mean it sincerely, not as a personal comment, but as a fact, and based on your mentioning it yourself

But anyone who overlooks the fact that Martin was part of the gang that led us into this mess and part of the gang that ensured we all paid for the crimes of the few is probably a fool alright.

I don't know what "catch-all" policy you're suggesting did us damage, because I know of no-one who actually wanted to bail out Anglo other than FF, and no-one who wanted NAMA other than FF.

There are improvements to be made, sure; but the most despicable and damaging decisions were by no means catch-all.....they were to placate and enrich vested interests in property, land and development.

ISAW

Mr.Micro wrote: »

Sneery Martin will be very disappointed with just a jump of 2% as this is within the margin of error and may be just a reflex reaction and even that 2% may vanish.

Indeed but you cant have ot both ways. If the margin of error is 3% then the 2% jump could be 5 % and the last poll could be wrong by 3 % as well so it could be 8%
Where the "could be" element is clarified is by the next few polls.

selfobsessed

Why wouldn't it.

He is handsome, intelligent and polite and a fantastic debater. The ladies love him.

The Raven.

Liam Byrne wrote: »

One question. Why ?

Does a proportion of the electorate not realise that he was in government for the past 10 years and is complicit in the disastrous decisions that ruined the country, as well as those taken since which have completely skewed all accountability and fairness ?

The remaining Fianna Fail supporters don't seem to be particularly interested in the damage their party has done to this country over the past ten years. They want to believe that a new leader will fool the rest of the electorate.

The current surge in popularity of Micheal Martin has been fuelled largely by RTE. Some people get carried away by the hype and start using inaccurate and exaggerated descriptions such as 'statesman' and 'orator' etc. Nothing could be further from the truth. Think of the choices they had. In the village of the blind, the one-eyed man is king, and they will superimpose these qualities on any new FF leader regardless of their integrity and skills.

Micheal Martin is behaving as if he is Taoiseach, but the reality is that he is king of a soggy sand castle about to be demolished when the tide comes in. The sooner the better.

Liam Byrne

selfobsessed wrote: »

Why wouldn't it.

He is handsome, intelligent and polite and a fantastic debater. The ladies love him.

He can't be that good a debater if he didn't state our case in terms of the bank guarantee or NAMA.

And if he didn't manage to convince people and then voted against his convictions, he's not much use.

Either that, or he wasn't interested in representing the people of the country, in which case, again, he's not much use.

Mr.Micro

ISAW wrote: »

Indeed but you cant have ot both ways. If the margin of error is 3% then the 2% jump could be 5 % and the last poll could be wrong by 3 % as well so it could be 8%
Where the "could be" element is clarified is by the next few polls.

You have to apply the same margin of errors to the other Parties as well then so poor Martin gets 2% for now after all that. People will see he has nothing to offer other than vacuous double speak after years in the cabinet. He must be disappointed.

hallelujajordan

Liam Byrne wrote: »

One question. Why ?

Does a proportion of the electorate not realise that he was in government for the past 10 years and is complicit in the disastrous decisions that ruined the country, as well as those taken since which have completely skewed all accountability and fairness ?

Perhaps a proportion of the electorate are more interested in the future than the past . .

Liam Byrne wrote: »

He can't be that good a debater if he didn't state our case in terms of the bank guarantee or NAMA.

So the fact that he didnt debate your position makes him a poor debater ? Have you considered that perhaps he supported both the guarantee and NAMA ?

Wide Road

M Martin 31%
E Gilmore 26%
E Kenny 19%.

I imagine an obvious question would be "why" Enda is only on 19%?

Fitzerb

feicim wrote: »

Its really becoming clear how Ireland dug itself into its current mess (and all the messes before this one).

31% of the electorate are complete morons.

With idiots like this loose in the country Ireland is permanently doomed. Unfortunately people this thick are also too stupid to emigrate so we are stuck with them.:eek:

Is there any possibility that 31% are right and the other 69% are the morons ?;)

Wide Road

Fitzerb wrote: »

Is there any possibility that 31% are right and the other 69% are the morons ?;)

Or the possibility that Enda's 19% are right or the other 81% are morons?

puffdragon

Please Please tell me that the Irish are not going to fall for it AGAIN!! How many times do you need to be rearended before someone calls a halt, I do realise that in some areas Fianna Fail can still convince silly vulnerable people that something bad will happen to them if they dont vote for them but we as inteligent individuals here on a decent political forum have a responsibility to inform everyone we can that Fianna Fail are finished, gone, defunked and will have no power to intimidate anyone after the election,


You know at this stage a vote for Sinn Fein is safer than a vote for FF and thats saying something, my local FF councillor wont even venture out of the house for Gods sake ! How in gods name is he going to represent anyone!! They use a sort of sleazy "i'll get your son or daughter a job" tactic sometimes or even better "I'll see if I can get you into the Guards" thats a good one , the best I witnessed for myself was during the SW By-election, I was sitting in my sisters house when the phone rang, some guy from Galway ringing up to tell my friends that a vote for Brian O Donnell ( the defeated FF candidate) was a vote against abortion and he was the only candidate willing to publickly oppose the issue!!

Now this was the lowest of the low for me, I was absolutely disgusted that some desperate sleazeball was ringing round my county from Galway trying to intimidate and harass voters !! A disgusting pack of vipers and the sooner gone the better, tell your friends, they wont be able to hurt you in the future or get your friends a cushy job or fix your road , BECAUSE THEY WONT BE THERE!!

K-9

Maybe some think he can reform the party and move it away from the Bertie/Haughey corrupt years?

Biggins

Liam Byrne wrote: »

One question. Why ?

Does a proportion of the electorate not realise that he was in government for the past 10 years and is complicit in the disastrous decisions that ruined the country, as well as those taken since which have completely skewed all accountability and fairness ?

There was always going to be an initial bump in the numbers given now that he is seen as a fresh leader face.
That said, after seeing his face for three (+) long weeks that will subside and his honeymoon will be over.
The upcoming debates alone will quickly remind the people of Ireland just how bad Fianna Fail has been and I'm sure the opposition will no doubt during the debates, bring up Mr Martins own bad decisions for the public to be reminded too.

Wide Road

Fitzerb wrote: »

Is there any possibility that 31% are right and the other 69% are the morons ?;)

Biggins wrote: »

There was always going to be an initial bump in the numbers given now that he is seen as a fresh leader face.
That said, after seeing his face for three (+) long weeks that will subside and his honeymoon will be over.
The upcoming debates alone will quickly remind the people of Ireland just how bad Fianna Fail has been and I'm sure the opposition will no doubt during the debates, bring up Mr Martins own bad decisions for the public to be reminded too.

How can Enda's 19% be explained?

alphabeat

good old ireland , youve done yourselves proud again .

what would it take for FF to hit rock bottom ?

concentration camps ?

Wide Road

If Eamon knew about Joan's outbursts in advance of her hitting the front page of Sunday's paper, he might be battling it out with Enda.