FF elephant in the room still there, but we have the memory of a goldfish

GOLDFISH are supposed to have memories that last just three seconds. Do many Irish voters suffer the same trait?

How else can you explain the rise of Fianna Fáil, according to the latest opinion poll, that places its support at 26% of the electorate, a near doubling in its support since April last year?

Would just over a quarter of the electorate vote to put Fianna Fáil back into government, if given that chance? Do these people really think that Fianna Fáil has been punished sufficiently for its failings during its last lengthy period in government? Do they have confidence that Fianna Fáil, if returned to power, would have learned from its mistakes so well that it wouldn’t make them again? Party leader Micheál Martin is being cautious, and well he should be. Fianna Fáil rarely gets as many votes in an election as opinion polls indicate it will. Some people seem to pause and reflect just as it comes to casting their votes. He knows that the local and European elections next year will tell the real tale, assuming of course that circumstances don’t bring about a surprise general election in the meantime. He doesn’t want to be talking things up for his party at this time, as he enforces a disciplined approach to rebuilding. He suspects that the poll findings would have been different had it been taken days later than it was, after the announcement of the Anglo Irish Bank promissory notes deal (though I suspect that any benefits to the Government in that are going to be limited and short term) “From our perspective, we have a lot to do to regain the trust of the Irish people,” he said this week. The appearance of humility will have to be maintained.