33% of FG supporters ‘favour’ Gilmore

ONE in three Fine Gael supporters believe Labour’s Eamon Gilmore would be a better Taoiseach than their own party leader, Enda Kenny.

The surprise finding comes in a new opinion poll, which shows Mr Gilmore remains the most popular leader in the country by some distance.

Overall, 45% of respondents said they believed Mr Gilmore would make the best Taoiseach.

Mr Kenny was next on 24%, with current Taoiseach Brian Cowen on just 11%.

When party preference is factored in, the poll makes uncomfortable reading for Mr Kenny as it indicates that a third of Fine Gael supporters don’t have sufficient faith in him.

In all, 51% of Fine Gael supporters surveyed said they believed Mr Kenny would make the best Taoiseach. But a substantial minority of 34% of party supporters — roughly one in three — opted for Mr Gilmore ahead of Mr Kenny.

Labour supporters, by contrast, were much more loyal to their leader, with 79% of them saying Mr Gilmore would make the best Taoiseach and just 13% opting for Mr Kenny.

Some 45% of Fianna Fáil supporters said Mr Cowen would make best Taoiseach, followed by 21% selecting Mr Gilmore and 20% Mr Kenny.

When the latter two percentages are combined, it means two in five Fianna Fáil supporters believe either Mr Gilmore or Mr Kenny would be a better Taoiseach than Mr Cowen.

The poll was conducted by Red C for the Paddy Power bookmaking firm. It was carried out in the latter half of last week, with 1,008 adults polled by telephone.

Meanwhile, Fine Gael party chairman Padraic McCormack has become the latest TD to announce he will step down at the election.

Mr McCormack surprisingly failed to win a place on the ticket when Fine Gael held its selection convention for Galway West this month, with Cllr Brian Walsh and Senator Fidelma Healy-Eames winning the two nominations instead.

Mr Kenny offered to add him to the ticket, but after considering the issue, Mr McCormack has instead decided to retire.

“I have dedicated my whole life to politics and I now thank our party leader for the confidence he placed in me by giving me the option of having my name added to the candidates selected.”