‘Botched’ budget sees surge for opposition

A STRONG voter backlash against a “botched” budget has seen the combined support for Sinn Féin and Fianna Fáil pull level with the Coalition.

The surge in support for the parties vying to emerge as the main opposition challenger to the Government followed a generally poor reception for the €3.8 billion worth of spending cuts and tax hikes unveiled earlier this month.

Fine Gael support slumped seven points to 30%, while Labour lost nearly a third of its appeal, tumbling to 11%, according to the latest snap-shot of voting intentions.

This left the Coalition on 41% as Sinn Féin climbed two points to 21%, and Fianna Fáil jumped from 15% to 20% to achieve a combined total equal in standing to the Government’s, the Behaviour and Attitudes poll for the Sunday Times revealed.

The dramatic drop in backing for the Coalition was clearly payback by voters for a badly received budget. Despite claims by ministers that this would be a new “transparent” type of budget, it was preceded by the usual scare-mongering by off-the-record briefings, and followed by another humiliating U-turn when Enda Kenny “paused” cuts to disabled youngsters which were to hit 46% of benefits.

Barely a quarter of voters now believe the Government is doing a good job as its satisfaction rating plunged ten points to 26%.

Almost seven in ten people think the Government is performing badly, just nine months after it was elected on a wave of optimism.

The often embattled Fianna Fáil leader, Micheál Martin emerged the main winner in the poll as his personal satisfaction ratings rose along with his party to hit 40% — putting him ahead of Labour’s Eamon Gilmore for the first time. Mr Martin’s approval rating is now just four points behind the Taoiseach Enda Kenny, whose post-budget support slumped from 58% to 44%.

But Sinn Féin’s Gerry Adams is the most popular leader with 48% — down two points.

Coalition tensions were highlighted by the survey which showed supporters of both parties deeply at odds over how they see their leadership performing.

While two-thirds of Fine Gael voters are positive about how things are going, six in ten Labour supporters are unhappy.

The bad poll numbers came against a backdrop of a continuing row over how the Taoiseach personally intervened to ensure a pay cap was breached when a €35,000 wage rise was awarded to a former Fine Gael aide who is now an adviser to Enterprise Minister Richard Bruton.

Documents released under freedom of information show Public Reform Minister Brendan Howlin repeatedly tried to prevent the aide, Ciarán Conlon, from being given the €127,000 salary as it was way above the agreed €92,000 cap.