FF slips to third place behind Labour

BRIAN COWEN was staring into the political abyss last night as Fianna Fáil slumped to third place in the polls just a week out from elections that could break his premiership.

The Taoiseach’s party hit a new low of 20%, as Labour surged above it to 23% and Fine Gael held a commanding 16% lead despite registering a slight dip in support. The snapshot survey of the national mood pointed to Fianna Fáil facing a triple calamity in next Friday’s Euro, local and Dáil by-election showdowns.

Fianna Fáil looks to be heading for a wipeout in Dublin where it is likely to lose its MEP as well as the two Dáil contests and up to half its seats on the city council. Voters across the country appeared to have ignored the Taoiseach’s pleas not to use the elections as a referendum on his handling of the economic crash, and if Fianna Fáil were to do as badly next Friday as the poll suggests, it would intensify opposition demands for a snap general election in early July on the grounds the Government no longer had a mandate to govern.