A Sunday Times/Behaviour & Attitudes poll put Fianna Fáil on 32% of the vote with Fine Gael behind on just 20% support.

The poll of 923 voters, which has a margin of error of 3.3%, also suggested that Sinn Féin support is down 1 to 19%, while the Green Party is up 1 to 7%. Labour is down 2 to 4%, the Independent Alliance is up 1 to 3%, Solidarity/People Before Profit is down 1 to 2%, the Social Democrats are unchanged at 1%, Renua is up 1 to 1%; while Independents and others are up 1 to 10%. Important to note this poll was done before the election was called.

Something that is lacking in the election coverage from the Irish Times and I am unsure as to why. It might feature in the paper tomorrow as the poll was only published at 12 last night.

Both the Green Party and Sinn Féin really need to make changes within their respective parties. Eamon Ryan needs to go as his green policy’s are out of touch read here, there are interesting candidates such as Saoirse McHugh who will have difficulties because of statements like this , while the Green Party deals with its past.

Sinn Féin continues to run into its messaging issues something I’ve mentioned before, there are alternative use them!

Some interesting reads to better understand what has shaped Irish politics:

A conservative revolution? : electoral change in twenty-first-century Ireland by Michael Marsh, David M. Farrell, and Gail McElroy

This book explores examines underlying voter attitudes in the period 2002-11. This book looks with a particular focus on the 2011 election – an election held at a time of deep economic crisis.

How Ireland Voted 2011: The Full Story of Ireland’s Earthquake Election

This book covered the election that followed saw Europe’s most successful ever party lose more than half of its vote and almost three quarters of its seats.

and

How Ireland Voted 2016: The Election that Nobody Won

This book covers how that election saw the rout of the government that had presided over a remarkable economic recovery, and marked a new low for the strength of the traditional party system, as smaller parties and independents attracted almost half of all votes. 

Both books by Michael Gallagher, Michael Marsh (eds.).

Those reads are important to understand what’s going on with left leaning political parties in Ireland. Labour’s last time in Government was a disaster for the party that has had lasting effects and divides that has seeped into the other politically left parties.

Read more on that has cause the Socialist party to split read more here and here, and again the Socialist Party has split read about that here.

Categories: Politics

Tags: #elections, #interestingreads, #ireland, #news, #read, Politics