Majority want election by end of year

MOST Irish voters want a general election before the end of the year, with barely a fifth prepared to return Brian Cowen as Taoiseach.

As both Mr Cowen and Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny last night faced open parliamentary revolt amid Labour’s surge in popularity, a new poll suggests only 21% want to see the Fianna Fáil leader back in office.

The 1,000 voters polled on Tuesday and Wednesday were not asked whether they would favour Labour’s Eamon Gilmore as Taoiseach but 40% said they did not support either Mr Cowen or Mr Kenny.

The Ipsos/MRBI poll on behalf of the Irish Times found no clear choice for the next Taoiseach, with 30% opting for Mr Kenny.

Asked if they would like an election this year, 57% voted in favour with 35% against and 8% undecided.

Questioned about the three pending by-elections, 60% said they should be held now, 24% did not want them held immediately, and 16% had no opinion.

The latest findings will put further pressure on both the Taoiseach and the Fine Gael leaders.

The Taoiseach’s leadership of Fianna Fáil was openly questioned by backbenchers as a further slump in support hit his grip on the party.

The poll putting Labour in first place also sparked tension at the top of Fine Gael as finance spokesman Richard Bruton admitted he felt he could make a better leader than Enda Kenny.

When asked if he felt he could do a better job as leader than Mr Kenny, a smiling Mr Bruton told TV3’s The Vincent Brown Show: “In my pillow I have those sort of views.”

However, Mr Bruton moved to express continued support for Mr Kenny.

With the Government facing a Dáil vote of confidence next Tuesday, Cork TD Noel O’Flynn broke cover, insisting FF was facing electoral “wipe-out” and must consider whether Mr Cowen was still fit to lead the party.

“His (personal) rating is down to 18% – surely now we as a parliamentary party have to look at the future of the leader?” he said, though insisting he would back the Government in the looming Dáil showdown.

Concern swept through Fianna Fáil backbenchers after the party collapsed to a record low of 17%, as Labour shot into the lead on 32% and Fine Gael dropped back to 28%.

In further signs of internal FG strife, Meath East TD Shane McEntee said Fine Gael should “refocus”, and that senior members of the party needed to be more “helpful” as he criticised the deputy leader Mr Bruton for not being “vocal” enough in recent weeks.

Influential backbencher Bernard Allen stressed Mr Kenny had the necessary “charisma” but warned he had allowed a “sense of complacency” to take over and Louth TD Fergus O’Dowd said Mr Kenny came across as “a little bit wooden”. Potential leadership contender Leo Varadkar made a public show of support for Mr Kenny, insisting the latter would lead the party into the next election.