Ryan: Govt must 'deal the cards we're dealt'

The Energy Minister Eamon Ryan has said the Government is willing to continue to tackle the current economic downturn "in the public interest".

Minister Ryan was responding to the latest opinion poll which shows satisfaction with the Government now stands at 11%.

The Millward Browne Lansdowne poll for TV3 also shows that Labour is the most popular party in the country, with further drops in support for Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.

The poll puts voter support for Labour at 35%, with Fine Gael at 30% and Fianna Fail at 22%.

Minister Ryan said difficult decisions have had to be made and these had made the Government unpopular.

"If you were picking a time to go into government, you wouldn’t go in when you have to clean up the banking mess that was there…but you have to deal with the cards you were dealt with…We are willing to do that in the public interest," he said.

Meanwhile, Fine Gael's spokesperson on Community, Gaeltacht and Rural Affairs Michael Ring defended his party's performance in the poll. He said: "This is not a General Election; this is only a poll at a particular time."

However, Labour's Ruairi Quinn said: "This is not a rogue poll. There have been others." He predicted Labour would secure at least 40 seats in the next General Election.