Voters predict FG-Labour alliance almost as effective as present Government

VOTERS believe a Fine Gael-Labour government would be almost as effective as the present Fianna Fáil/PD coalition.

While the current Government scores higher with voters, it is perceived as only marginally more effective than the alliance between the main opposition parties.

The Government scores 5.3 for effectiveness on a 10-point scale, while a Fine Gael-Labour alliance scores 5.2.

These two options are viewed as the strongest and most feasible options by voters, ahead of a rainbow option involving Fine Gael, Labour and the Greens (4.9) or a coalition between Fianna Fáil and Labour (4.8).

The three choices viewed with least favour are alliances between Fianna Fáil on the one hand, and any of the three remaining smaller groupings, the Greens, Sinn Féin or independents.

Unsurprisingly, there is very strong backing for the effectiveness of the coalition from Government supporters, who give it a rating of over 6 points.

Likewise, potential FG, Labour and Green voters give similarly high approval ratings to the FG/Labour link-up and also view the Rainbow between the three parties as tending towards very effective.

However, it is in the less talked-about combinations intriguing divisions emerge.

Labour leader Pat Rabbitte has declared he will not go into coalition with Fianna Fáil, a stance strongly endorsed at his party’s national convention last year.

Notwithstanding that, potential Labour voters tend towards the view that a link-up with Fianna Fáil would be more effective than ineffective, marginally more so than Fianna Fáil voters.

There is a similarly strong showing for a coalition with Fianna Fáil among Green supporters, though that view is not shared by FF supporters who deem it more ineffective.

Fine Gael has signalled that it will raise the spectre of Fianna Fáil relying on Sinn Féin as an election issue. However, there is little appetite among FF supporters for such a coalition.

Conversely, Sinn Féin supporters are more enthusiastic, giving this combination an effectiveness rating of seven.

Another finding shows that the tussle for blue collar support between Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin in marginal seats will be an election battleground.

However, when age profiles are parsed it seems that both parties are drawing support from opposite ends of the spectrum. Sinn Féin scores highly among 18 to 24-year-olds and among males, while Fianna Fáil commands a support level of 50% among the over-65s.