Sunday Business Post/RedC Poll (for June) : FF and FG down 2% on General Election of 2007

• FF 40% (No change)


• FG 25% (-3%)


• Labour 10% (No change)


• Sinn Fein 10% (+1%)


• Greens 7% (+2%)


• PDs 2% (No Change)


• Independents 6% (No change)

Changes since the last poll are in brackets.

Both FF and FG are down 2% on their General Election results. FF has lost a referendum so 40% is quite a good result for it. Successful spinning by the FF Party leader Brian Cowen where he alleged unfairly that FG had not worked hard enough in the campaign has partially insulated FF. In addition Cowen is still in a honeymoon period.

FG has taken a hammering in the media especially in the Irish Times. In addition on last Monday nights Questions and Answers programme FF supporter Noel Whelan launched an unfair verbal assault on FG MEP Maighread McGuinness in relation to the referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. This had an impact on public opinion. Also FF had two speakers on Questions and Answers.
In addition stupid comments from FG MEP Gay Mitchell on TV served to deflect blame onto FG and away from FF for the referendum defeat. Mitchell needs to think before he speaks. He ended up doing FF’s dirty work for it. Many FF front benchers kept a low profile on the referendum issue.
FG leader Enda Kenny has suffered from a prolonged media assault.

Sinn Fein has benefited from its role in the No campaign and is up 3% on the General Election.

The Greens are up 2% on their General Election result benefiting form support for the Lisbon Treaty and from Patricia McKenna’s opposition.

The PDs at 2% are down almost 1% on their General Election result.

Independents at 6% remain unchanged since last Sunday Business Post poll.

Answers to opinion polls appear increasingly influenced by spin. It will be interesting to analyse the impact of the developing recession on Party fortunes. Unemployment has risen over the 200,000 mark last month whilst a huge deficit is opening up in the exchequer finances. Will the resulting pain for the electorate swamp spin from the Government spin machine?
The poll also confirms that the No voters in the referendum were strongly influenced by the abortion and neutrality issues. Also fear of the loss of influence and threats to Irelands taxation regime were major reasons for the No vote.

Questions and Answers debates Irish Agriculture

Maeve Dineen Editor of the Farming Independent and Presenter of RTE’s rural life programme Ear to the Ground was the star panelist. She was articulate and direct in her answers. She displayed a clear insight into farming problems and the threat posed to Irish farming by the WTO.

Journalist Eamon Delaney is apparently a strong supporter of Brian Cowen. He emphasized that Ireland has benefited immensely from free trade. This is fine as far as it goes. He obviously supports free trade in food. Unfortunately he failed to refer to the dangers posed by imports -of food products such as beef from Brazil- which often lack traceability. Is he not concerned with the health implications? Is he not concerned at EU hypocrisy on the environment? Apparently the EU is determined to reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions. Yet it is prepared to increase beef imports from Brazil. Much of these will come from the destruction of the Amazonian Rainforests. The burning of the forests will increase the levels of CO₂ in the atmosphere. Eamon Delaney's support for free trade in food fails to take account of the necessity to ensure security of supply.

Padraig Walshe of the IFA emphasized the dangers poised by the WTO. He stressed that 50,000 farmers would disappear and that a further 50,000 off farm jobs would go.

Eamon Gilmore and John Gormley were largely supportive of Irish farmers. Will John Gormley push for the use of the veto if necessary? Will the Government use the veto to rein in Peter Mandelson who appears to have gone beyond his brief at the WTO.