Severe drop in Irish support for US action

IRISH public support for US foreign policy has dropped sharply since the days after the September 11 attacks, an opinion poll shows.

Three out of four adults are unhappy with President George W Bush’s handling of the Iraq situation, according to the Milward Brown poll commissioned by a Sunday newspaper.

Just 18% said they approved of Mr Bush’s performance, compared with late 2001, when 54% applauded his stance on international terrorism.

These findings were revealed on a weekend when more than 8,000 anti-war protesters joined a peace march through Dublin city centre, in the latest of a series of demonstrations calling for an end to the military action against Iraq.

The demonstration was organised by the Irish Anti-War Movement and backed by SIPTU, the Labour Party, the Green Party, Sinn Féin and the Socialist Party. It went off without incident, but there were two public order arrests, both of people who were believed to be opposed to the march.

Public opposition to Ireland’s involvement in the war in Iraq was reflected in the opinion poll, which included questions about the use of Shannon Airport by the US military.

Less than half of those questioned (43%) approved of the US using the airport, while 49% disapproved. While 54% believed the use of Shannon compromised Irish neutrality, the same number said it was in Ireland’s economic interest to support the US in its actions against Iraq.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern’s handling of the issue was rated ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’ by 42% of respondents, while just 32% rated his performance ‘good’ or ‘very good’. Mr Ahern’s personal satisfaction rating was 41%, down from 69% in the days prior to last year’s general election.

Fianna Fail’s rating is also down from a pre-election 45% to just 31%, and while the Progressive Democrats’ approval rating has not dipped, satisfaction with the coalition government has fallen from 58% to 33%.

The poll is unlikely to worry the Government, however, as their losses do not appear to have provided gains for the opposition. Support for Fine Gael and Labour is static compared to six months ago, while approval for Sinn Féin and the Greens has fallen slightly.