The findings of The Irish Times/MRBI opinion poll, the second part of which is published today, highlight a new political agenda for the electorate from which the Government is seriously divergent. The figures provide the strongest evidence to date that the public wants the transparency in politics promised by the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, and the Tanaiste, Ms Harney, since they entered office as a minority coalition almost three years ago. Voters want a level playing field, an end to stroke politics and the acceptance of criteria of merit in all fields of public life.
This is clearly the context in which the public delivered such a harsh judgment on the political establishment in the latest opinion poll. Despite the constant drip-feed of allegations and counter-allegations about payments to politicians from the Moriarty and Flood Tribunals, the electorate has come to the point of drawing a line in the sand over the nomination of Mr Hugh O'Flaherty to the post of vice-president of the European Investment Bank. Some 68 per cent of voters - including 61 per cent of Fianna Fail and 83 per cent of Progressive Democrat supporters - believe that the Government was wrong to make the nomination. This is followed by today's finding that 75 per cent of the electorate - among them 70 per cent of Fianna Fail and 77 per cent of PD voters - support the substance of the case being taken by Limerick lecturer, Mr Denis Riordan, that the appointment should be subject to public competition.
The Taoiseach admitted yesterday that the public was right to hold the views it did on the nomination but "that decision is made and the Government has taken a hit for it". However, there was no acknowledgement from him or the Tanaiste that the Government could still undo the wrong. There was no appreciation of the fact that, after three years of scandals in the political domain, the voters view the nomination as a current decision over which the Government has complete control rather than a hangover from the seedy past.
A similar attitude seems to have been adopted by voters to the internal inquiries carried out by Fianna Fail and Fine Gael into payments made to politicians involved in the planning process. Almost three-quarters of respondents, 73 per cent, believe the inquiries have not exposed the full extent of planning corruption, among them 67 per cent of Fianna Fail, 77 per cent of Fine Gael, 78 per cent of Labour and 93 per cent of PD supporters. Two-thirds of voters, 66 per cent, are dissatisfied with the action taken as a result of the inquiries.
The public has sent a signal to the major parties that they expect political leaders to pay more than lip service to the new political agenda. The message from voters to the political establishment is clear. Fianna Fail and Fine Gael have lost support arising from the nomination of Mr O'Flaherty and the handling of their internal payments inquiries over the past two months. The Labour Party may hold its head up higher but only just. As the third largest party, it gained just 3 percentage points from the cumulative 10 points drop in support for Fianna Fail and Fine Gael. The big winners in the latest poll are the anti-establishment parties and Independents, the Green Party, Sinn Fein and Others who have increased their support by a combined seven percentage points. The political establishment would do well to heed the results.