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SUPPORT FOR FIANNA FÁIL has fallen following the recent Dáil voting controversy, according to the latest Sunday Business Post/Red C opinion poll.
The poll, published this morning, shows that Fine Gael is the most popular party at 32%, giving it an eight-point lead over Fianna Fáil, which has fallen four points to 24%.
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Support for Sinn Féin also dropped by one point to 11%, while Labour also fell two points to 4%.
The Green Party, which saw a surge in popularity during the European and local elections this year, remains unchanged at 7%.
Meanwhile, the Independent Alliance is up one point to 4%, while the Social Democrats are also up one to 2%.
Independents and others are unchanged at 13%, as are Solidarity-PBP at 1%.
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For the first time, Aontú have registered in the poll at 1%, up one point since the last poll was carried out last month.
The survey of 1000 voters was carried out over an eight-day period up to last Thursday, and the margin of error is plus or minus 3%.
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So it looks like we the people are very content with the current state of affairs- we seem to have accepted all the current matters of concern as reasonable, unavoidable or not worth changing a vote for!
Based on that opinion poll, and others the only difference after an election will be if the independents have a government role or not-
If would seem more honest for FF and FG to formally merge and allow the other parties to be the opposition.
@Martin O’Rourke: Once any other party gets on the main opposition bench, it’s game over for FFG. They know that so they’ll never make their marriage official
@Martin O’Rourke: I would agree. The majority are content with circa two thirds of the voters voting for FF, FG and genepool independents. Issues such as homelessness and waiting lists do not concern homeowners and people with health insurance and that is a reality.
The opposition, excluding FF, simply do not have a vision for Ireland that the populace are interested in. Calls for the two big parties to merge are a sign of desperation on behalf of smaller parties who have no clue how they are ever going to be elected.
@JusticeForJoe: if FF and FG should merge then, for the sake of concisently, the call should be made for Labour and Soc Dems to merge. Workers Party, PBP, Rise and Solidarity likewise. (Provisional) Sinn Fein, Republican Sinn Fein, Continuity Sinn Fein should kiss and make up too.
@JusticeForJoe: they would have to if we the people saw them as a unit and voted according- it would appear that the majority of us prefer centre right parties. While we might play lip service to the health crisis, homelessness and other social issues of concern they do not apparently impact upon how we vote.
If the majority of us really wanted a different system, and were prepared to vote for it political representatives would fill that void.
@Paddy J: total rubbish Paddy. First of all what has consistently got to do with it? Secondly The SocDems, unlike Labour, FF FG are not an establishment party with a long track record of self serving behaviour in office.
Ridding ourselves of the old parties of the establishment is the single most important thing the electorate could do for the country.
@Martin O’Rourke: Yes the time for a merge is long overdue. They are getting more morphed by the day and more and more are realising it. Until that happens you feel we can’t move forward with a credible democracy.
@Martin O’Rourke: So “the people are very content with the current state of affairs”?Yes indeed, why bother having a general election at all when we can have one of these narrow and politically biased “opinion” polls run by local media and their financial and political backers. Who needs the people at all? Sure, what do they know? These media moguls really know best and undoubtedly have the people’s true interests at heart, don’t they? My ar$e.
@Martin O’Rourke: when I see that it always it sounds like the other parties want an easy path to be the opposition. Whatever happened to earning enough support to be the main opposition, or even go into power. If the other parties are stuck on low percentages, there’s a reason.
@Peter Cavey: I take it that you didn’t bother informing yourself on the reasons for the motion being rejected. Many of us don’t agree with our naval forces being an integral part of people trafficking and assisting dodgy ngo’s
@Thomas Sheridan: I did read it. It was a draft. I can’t pretend I understood it all as I’m not a politician but ultimately, if you read it, you would know how obvious it was too vote Yes.
@Thomas Sheridan: except that’s not why they are claiming they voted No to the proposal, if it is, they should have at least the courage to say they are reflecting the will of the electorate. But, the term ‘many of us’ would suggest even you can’t put a figure on just how much of the electorate don’t agree with the navy saving lives, I could just as easily say ‘Many people believe in unicorns’
People give out about the blind allegiance that NI Unionists have to Foster and the DUP. People in the ROI do exactly the same with FF. Martin and FF should be consigned to history.
@Patrick O Connell: awww afraid they might get some support cos your precious FFG clown circus can’t seem to run a bath never mind a government…..cheer up
Ignore any and all polls, they are designed to influence rather than give a reflection of the electorate.
Saying that its alwsys good to see ff down, hopefully fg follow
@Nuala Mc Namara: You must have missed that all important word *broadly*. The polls broadly reflect elections. Polls pick up on trends like the direction a political party is going overtime. Sometimes they don’t quantity it correctly like the extent of collapse in the vote share of Sinn Fein and PBP in the local elections. We all knew the two parties were in trouble from the polls but nobody thought it would be that bad, not even the parties themselves.
@Paddy J: likes of yourself is why the country is in the shambles it is, im doing grand and mammy and daddy told me to vote fg/ff so thats what ill do. The fact is fg/ff members should be embarrassed to show their face in public, theyve presided over health crisis, ilegal biometric data collection, 30,000 plus homeless, wasting public funds to enrich vulture funds, private companies and certain rich individuals, dubious insurance claims and i could go on, in most countries they wouldnt have jobs, in other countries they’d be in jail and in certain other countries theyd be lynched!! So support away with your fg/ff but if you come on public forums spouting your pro this shambles crap youd want to take a long hard look at yourself.
@Paddy J: Sure,in the previous local elections FG lost 100 seats and only regained 30 seats of those in last local elections but of course not highlighted by some commentators here!!!
General Elections are different than Local Elections as there will be reprecussions for failures to adequately tackle urgently the National emergencies in homelessness, housing and health,etc.etc
@Nuala Mc Namara: The health service has been a catastrophe for a lifetime. It will have little effect on a GE unless there is a crisis which occurs at the same time as GE. Generally speaking however the public don’t care. Same goes for homelessness.
FG votes are all housed, Jobs, mortgages. No interest in helping homeless people whatsoever.
Expect independents to take the brunt of the failures of government. FFFG will
Take 50% odd of the vote.
@Shazam37: I assume the 1m people (or/and their families =2m at least!)can vote!
I assume the 140,000+ on social housing lists can vote plus those on transfer lists.
I assume the 1.7m workers on €30,000& under who struggle with rising rents, rising childcare etc costs can vote plus those on higher salaries unable to get mortgages and forced to pay rents double to treble what mortgages would cost,etcetc
@Nuala Mc Namara: I don’t think you read the post Nuala.
The HsE has been a disaster since it’s inception. The Health Service a mess for my whole life. Yet FFFG always in government. So clearly people voting don’t care about it as an issue. And they won’t in this GE.
Current polls consistently have FFFG at 50% of the national vote. One of them will lead the next government. Both with a reprehensible record in government.
Lab/Sf are getting hammered in the polls. SocDems on 1-2%. The only non economic issue currently getting traction is the environment. Not Health or Housing.
People care about and vote for – themselves. Not others. Homelessness and Health – wider public simply don’t care.
@Shazam37: I absolutely understand your posts and I agree with alot of what you are saying! Remember this is a Minority Government so change is happening.The public hear so much spin& deflection,spin putting one section of society angry re another section that their attention are not on policy failures, see so many frequent scandals that they may become desensitized, the dehumanising/blaming,’complex’ spin re people affected by ongoing National emergencies in homelessness,housing and health that maybe people don’t believe they don’t deserve a better society and better services!But we do&our children and grandchildren,do deserve better society and services!
You saw in 2016 GE that 2/3rds of TDs elected based on their pledges re IW&IW charges.With Taoiseach saying last month, 28/9/19 Indo, that water charges will probably come back as 2017 water legislation stated that the threshold can be lowered after 5 years,maybe public will note that and use their votes at next GE to emphasize point made in 2016GE!
Right to Change platform was about more than Right to Water it also encompassed homelessness, housing, health,etc.
@Nuala Mc Namara: Sorry Nuala – right to water proves my point. People marched because water charges would hit THEIR pocket. But few If any are marching because OTHER people are homeless.
The water charges movement was a joke and shows exactly how self interested the public are. Water charges a pretty basic idea used all over the world and should have been brought in.
Voters care about themselves. And we deserve the elected officials we get. Corrupt lazy and incompetent. What does that say about us as a people?
Well have another centre right neoliberal government that serves vested interests, unions and the wealthy above society as a whole.
@Shazam37: That’s a simplistic view of water protests, Research was done on large protests so look it up! People had no problems paying through taxation measures then and taxation measures now!
Of course the public are self interested but especially care about their families, communities and services because policy decisions impact on their lives and the lives of their families!
Water services were paid through taxation and the world’s leading expert on water and sanitation provision and former UN official,Maude Barlow sad :’The Irish system of paying for water and sanitation services through progressive taxation and non domestic user fees is an exemplary model of fair ,equitable and sustainable service delivery for the entire world.’!
@Nuala Mc Namara: uh huh. Then how is it that system Isn’t used anywhere else and, coincidentally, our water system Is a wreck? Half of Dublin on boil notices for the last few days.
Few people care about services as water, and health proves. The recent bus connects fiasco is just another example.
@Clifford Brennan: Maybe F.F. T.Ds. could hold a vote why they have dropped in the polls? No need for all of them to turn up… just a few .. they can vote for the rest of them.
@Donal Desmond: Very true. FF took a whoopin’ as outlined in the article. Why do you think SF have been on a steady decline since McDonald took the helm?
@Clifford Brennan: in fairness to her, I think it’s clowns like Matt carty who do more damage. Listening to him yesterday on radio blathering On about this that and the other was pure torture. But what does it matter. FG FG and sf are all the same. Free market parties. When is the left ever going to get its act together here
@Clifford Brennan: worst poll result for Provisional SF since September 2011. Plus in both the local and European elections in May, PSF vote was 40pc lower than in the same elections five years earlier. The scale and significance of these reversals clearly proves Peak Shinner has happened
@Stephen Kearon: Certainly bad day at the office concerning last election results…, but you build up and carry on. Just look at F.F.. A party that facilitated the gangsterism of the banks and developers who brought this country to it’s knees. Or the blueshirts riding high on the backs of so called Labour party. Now the blueshirts rely on the party that brought this country to it’s knees to stay in power . Funny old world is it not.
@Clifford Brennan: well the irish seem to vote like deluded unionists or north koreans, it’s the same corrupt, clueless clowns every time……we don’t need a warlord dictator to force people to vote for someone……in Ireland they do it willingly
FF and FG are the same never did anything for the ordinary p.a.y.e .working person in the private sector. they represent the well off and the public sector and ether one or the other will be in government next time around, If there any chance of a party to create equality in this country then it will have to come from the private sector.
Had FF gombeens at my door canvassing for their man in the upcoming by election. I told them that if he wants my vote he can come to my door and discuss the bank guarantee. Still waiting…..
Its only ten years since Martin sat at the cabinet which bankrupt this country through their corruption ..FF deserve to be outcast for all eternity and even that wouldn’t be long enough.
The Irish electorate proving again, that even sheep and brainless zombies have more will power…..we laugh at the blind loyalty of unionists and tory supporters even after all the damage their parties have caused and yet here we are, the same clapping seals too afraid to look at alternatives voting for FFG again…..bravo folks bravo
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