Noonan coy over TV debate performance

Despite the air of understated jubilation in Fine Gael head office this morning, the party leader was coy in his assessment of last night’s TV debate with the Taoiseach.

Mr Michael Noonan acknowledged that his performance - widely regarded as a victory, albeit an inconclusive one, over Mr Ahern - would be "a great fillip" to the final days of Fine Gael’s election campaign.

However, he insisted that "it’s up to the viewers to decide" who emerged better from the often heated exchanges, although he accused Mr Ahern of using "bluster and evasion" to avoid his questions on the issues, particularly on "cronyism and corruption".

Asked whether the debate would be enough to sway voters, only 21 per cent of whom intend to vote for Fine Gael, according to today's Irish Times/MRBI poll, Mr Noonan said his final canvass would focus strongly on the "Don't Knows".

There are 12 per cent of the electorate who have yet to make their minds up, he said, and Fianna Fáil’s election machine "aren’t as good as they used to be". His team would now focus on ensuring a full turnout among supporters.

Mr Noonan said he was confident the outcome "will be very different to what the conventional wisdom is suggesting".

"If I had taken notice of the polls I would not have started campaigning. The polls still show a high percentage of don’t knows and if we get a slice of that it is all we need," he said. "We’re still in a good position."