A Frank look at the Irish mood

AS a means of testing the public mood, opinion polls have been the only show in town. Until now that is.

Just when things were beginning to look desperate for Fine Gael and Labour, salvation may be coming their way. It comes in the unlikely shape of a bearded and burly American called Frank Luntz.

Luntz is a whizzkid pollster who has taken the concept of focus groups to a new plane. His reputation and influence are partly about new techniques and his pioneering use of technology.