Gilmore kills off rumours of FF pact

SPECULATION over a post-election pact between Labour and Fianna Fáil has finally been killed off by Eamon Gilmore.

“There will not be a Labour-Fianna Fáil coalition after the next general election.

“We want Fianna Fáil out of Government. They have been in Government for 20 out of the past 23 years and they have brought the country to the brink of ruin,” he said.

Mr Gilmore was buoyed by an opinion poll showing him to be the most popular party leader, with a 51% approval rating, despite Labour dropping four points to stand at 20% in the Irish Times/TNS mrbi survey, which showed Fine Gael, on 38%, with a historic 17 point lead over Fianna Fáil.

With only 10% of voters expressing satisfaction in the Government, Justice Minister Dermot Ahern said this was the “price” Fianna Fáil was paying for taking tough economic decisions.

“If the price of getting Ireland through this very tough situation is making tough decisions that court unpopularity then so be it.

“Our priority is saving the country – we are going through a crisis at the moment,” he said.

Green leader and Environment Minister John Gormley, whose party slipped one point to 3% in the poll, said the unpopularity was due to “irrational” anger.

“There’s no doubt that there is considerable anger out there. But anger sometimes can be quite irrational,” he said.

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny, whose personal rating rose three points to 33% in the survey, said he would not be “triumphalist” regarding the commanding lead his party now has over Fianna Fáil. “People are really angry at the way Government has misused their money, wasted opportunities, destroyed careers and dashed hopes,” he said.

Labour’s Joan Burton put at least half the 6% surge recorded for Fine Gael down to the massive publicity surrounding RTÉ pundit George Lee’s decision to stand for the party.

Taoiseach Brian Cowen brushed aside the disastrous poll findings, insisting he planned to cling to power until the last possible date for a general election in 2012. The Taoiseach was campaigning in Donegal, where Fianna Fáil has had to draft-in Pat “The Cope” Gallagher as a candidate at the last minute to stand any chance of holding its Euro seat in the North West.

Mr Cowen’s personal satisfaction rating dropped to an all-time low of 18% in the survey, as did Mr Gormley’s to 25%.

Almost nine out of ten voters, 86%, said they were dissatisfied with the Government’s performance.