Coalition alternatives still running very close, says Rabbitte

LABOUR leader Pat Rabbitte yesterday said he was not at all perturbed by the findings of the Irish Examiner/Lansdowne opinion poll which showed his party with support levels of 10%.

Mr Rabbitte said the trend from 34 polls conducted over the past two years had clearly shown the Government and the alternative government of Labour and Fine Gael running neck-and-neck.

“Polls come and polls go,” he said on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland yesterday.

“You are one point up and one point down.”

He said that this poll was “out of synch” with other polls published in the past year, which had shown higher support levels for both his party, and also for Fine Gael.

The Irish Examiner poll showed an 11-point gap between the Government parties of Fianna Fáil and the PDs and the Mullingar Accord parties, Fine Gael and Labour.

Mr Rabbitte said he was convinced that both alternatives were running very close.

“I remain to be persuaded that that does not remain the position, notwithstanding the fact that the Taoiseach has put Dáil into recess for the summer and opposition TDs did not have a platform,” he said.

In other reaction, Sinn Féin Dáil leader Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin said it confirmed the main issue of public concern is the state of our health services and that the people have no confidence in Health Minister Harney and in Government health policy.

“Today’s Irish Examiner poll confirms what we in Sinn Féin have been hearing on the doorsteps and in meetings throughout the country during our campaign for healthcare rights. The state of our health services is the main issue of public concern,” he said.