Sir, – Stephen Collins should be commended for his heroic efforts to demonstrate that every opinion poll – no matter how dire the results for the Government – is in fact evidence that the Government can be re-elected. In his latest column, he says that “the clear message from the poll is that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael supporters have now bonded and regard Sinn Féin as the common enemy” (“Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael supporters have bonded in the face of a common foe”, Opinion & Analysis, October 6th).
It is hardly surprising that those voters who currently support the Government parties want the Government to be re-elected, but surely more thought should be devoted to the voters who have deserted the Government parties, and what can be done to bring them back?
When they entered coalition, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil had the support of a combined 50 per cent of voters, according to the Irish Times/Ipsos poll of June 2020.
In the most recent poll, their combined total has fallen to just 38 per cent.
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Fine Gael support has halved in that time, falling by an astonishing 19 per cent to 18 per cent, with Fianna Fáil’s support having risen by 7 per cent over the period. Independents have also benefited greatly from Fine Gael’s collapse in support, rising from 10 per cent to 18 per cent.
If Fine Gael is to recover that support, it can only do so by offering something distinctive and different. Doubling down on its involvement in this Coalition, or on the deeply unpopular Green Party policies which it is implementing, is not the route to do so. – Yours, etc,
BARRY WALSH,
Clontarf,
Dublin 3.
