Fine Fáil enjoy post-Ahern popularity

PUBLIC support for Fine Fáil continues to rise since the announcement that Bertie Ahern would step down as party leader and the subsequent appointment of his successor Brian Cowen.

The latest Red C tracking poll published in yesterday’s Sunday Business Post shows support for the party at 40% — up 2% on last month and up 6% from the start of the year during a period of political turmoil caused by Bertie Ahern’s evidence at the Mahon Tribunal. This represents a 5% increase in popularity for the party since Mr Cowen was officially appointed as the new leader. The poll was taken on Monday and Wednesday of last week — the same day Taoiseach Brian Cowen used the F word in the Dáil and a day before he apologised for his use of bad language. Fine Gael’s support stands at 28% — a drop of 1% for the fourth consecutive month. The party is still 1% more popular than it was at the general election last year.

The poll comes one year on from the general election and shows that if a vote was held today, the results would be more or less the same as in May 2007. Fianna Fáil are down 2% from the 2007 election, Fine Gael are up 1% while Labour (10%), the Green Party (5%) and Independents (6%) remain the same. Sinn Féin has 9% support, just one point behind the Labour Party at 10%.

Support for Sinn Féin has increased from 7% last month and 7% in the last general election. This is being attributed to the fact that Sinn Féin are the only Dáil party backing a no vote in next month’s Lisbon Treaty referendum.

Red C attributes the drop in support for the Green Party to the party’s “lack of obvious presence” during campaigning for the Lisbon referendum. Further analysis shows a fifth of those who voted for the Green Party in the last election are now undecided on how to vote.

The Progressive Democrats have 2% support, one percentage point down from their disastrous general election and unchanged since the appointment of the new party leader, Senator Ciarán Cannon, last month.