Study: Fixing potholes is what makes voters tick

BERTIE AHERN’S influence on Fianna Fáil’s election fortunes may have been greatly overstated, a new study has suggested.

The study also confirms a long-held view of TDs: namely that getting potholes fixed in their constituency is much more valuable to their re-election hopes than any crucial legislative work they may do in the Dáil.

The analysis of Irish voters was carried out by academics at Trinity College Dublin, University College Dublin and Queen’s University Belfast, who surveyed more than 2,500 voters following the 2002 general election.