FF support crashes in Irish Times /TNS mrbi poll.

• Fianna Fail 27 (-15)
• Fine Gael 34 (+11)
• Labour 14 (-1)
• Sinn Fein 8 (+0)
• Greens 4 (-1)
• Independents 13 (+7)

"The level of dissatisfaction with the Government is now a massive 76 per cent, while 61 per cent of people are dissatisfied with the way Mr Cowen is doing his job.Satisfaction with the Government is now just 18 per cent, a drop of 28 points since the last Irish Times poll in June, while satisfaction with Taoiseach Brian Cowen has fallen to 26 per cent, a drop of 21 points." The poll puts Fine Gael ahead of Fianna Fáil for the first time ever in an Irish Times opinion survey.

Source: Irish Times

Whilst all polls are just a snapshot in time this particularly survey is sure to shock even the most ardent FF and Green Party supporters. Unpopular government decisions on the medical card for over 70s and severe education and agricultural cutbacks have sapped popular support for the government. Unemployment in Ireland has reached a 10 year high of 6.7 percent and has grown by 60 percent over the past year to more than 250,000. The decision to defer the cervical cancer vaccination programme for young girls has further angered voters.

With a deficit projected at 7% more unpopular cutbacks and rises in unemployment are in the offing. Can the government withstand the inevitable outcry, which will ensue? The next general election is not due until 2012. Ireland faces at least two very difficult years on the economic front. Next year it is anticipated that unemployment may reach 350,000. This will further strain government financial resources whilst efforts must continue to bring the deficit down below the 3% level required by the EU.

In any general election situation FF support would quickly rise to 40%. Much of the support lost to FG would probably return. FF supporters have an amazing capacity to rally behind their party.

FG has benefited strongly in this poll. However the party must learn to consolidate this rise in support. Richard Bruton -FG spokesman on finance- has starred in the economic debates and the party has benefited accordingly.

Labour Party support is also well up on its general election showing in 2007.

The poll is a warning to the Green Party that its support has begun to wane. Indeed the Greens may become the new PDs. The PDs acted as FFs mudguard and have now voted themselves out of existence. The Green Party is trapped. If it pulls down the Government the electorate will hammer it in any ensuing election. If it remains in government it must tolerate more unpalatable measures. FG and Labour can now mop up Green Party support.

Burma: On the ground in the Irrawaddy Delta -The general and current situation of Laputta hit by Cyclone Nargis as seen by an Eyewitness

"The whole town was devastated and all the buildings were falling down without rescue. The majority of locals living in Laputta lost their homes and businesses and everything belonging to them. As well there are shortages of food on a daily basis.

A few days after the storm, the victims who lost their families and villages in closed area of Laputta town began arriving in Laputta to rely on rescues and demand their needs in the refugee camps. Some victims have walked across along the farming fields filled with dead bodies for two or three days.

Seriously, when arriving the Laputta, there are no proper places- for the victims -prepared by the authorities. Presently, there are three main refugee camps recognized by the local authority. At least, more than ten thousands victims are staying contemporarily there, sleeping on the wet ground under the miserable roofs in the camps of the monasteries and pagodas areas and some victims are staying outside in the rain. They have no proper toilets and enough water for drinking and cleaning up. People don’t have vaccination forthcoming-soon diseases like diarrhoea. Most of the victims are patients who are suffering with diseases infected before.

The volunteering clinics have not enough medicine for patients. Only the hospital is full with the patients and it can't accept next new patients because of lack of medicine and free beds. Volunteer doctors are concerned about the victims because of the air, ground and water pollution because the toilets are pouring with human waste and flowing near by local areas. So they want to build the healthy toilets to prevent the diseases.

Each victim just gets a little rice for a day from government. Most of the children (Orphans) need to get nutrition, enough hygienic foods, cooking pots, plates, spoons, clothes, mosquito-nets, temporary-roof and toilet."

(Taken from MBA student with thanks)