Taoiseach vows to fight on as support slides

TAOISEACH Brian Cowen vowed to fight in the face of falling poll numbers right up until voting begins next Friday.

Today’s poll has shown a 1% drop in support for Fianna Fáil and this news was delivered to him before he tried to gee-up loyal supporters at a rally in Loughrea. He said the party was not satisfied with its 20% position in the TNS MRBI survey but this would not deter activists from trying to deliver seats in local “mini-elections” across the country.

“I am up for the fight and I am going to continue on right up to the end, as I have done since my public career started.

“We have a week to go and we are going to continue with that approach. We are going to keep fighting for every seat in every part of the country,” he said.

Minutes earlier the Taoiseach pitched his most aggressive assault yet at the leaders of the opposition.

In shades of Minister Noel Dempsey’s speech to the Fianna Fáil Árd Fheis Mr Cowen said Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny and Labour leader Eamon Gilmore had “put their own narrow political interests above the national interest”.

“I intend to focus on all that is positive about this country in contrast to the opposition who are trying to capitalise on misery and fuel despair,” he said.

Mr Cowen said his counterparts were manipulating the facts of the economic recession in a way which damaged Ireland’s reputation abroad.

“Enda Kenny and Eamon Gilmore are the Spinning Jennies. People are too smart to believe these simple bogey man stories. The people know it takes more than guff and bluster,” he said.

On either end of his speech he broke off to deliver an impromptu and impassioned plea to Fianna Fáil members. “This party will not go away and this party will go out and deliver our case directly to the people,” he said.

Last night the Opposition bit back at the Taoiseach’s attacks.

A Fine Gael spokesman said: “Just because Brian Cowen isn’t listening doesn’t mean the public isn’t tuning into Fine Gael’s policies.”

A Labour spokesman said this was the same drum Mr Cowen “has been beating for months and people are much more interested in seeing who is going to turn the economy around”.