Bertie Ahern 'Heartened' by poll
The Taoiseach has said he is 'heartened' by the improvement in satisfaction ratings for himself and his Government in today's Irish Times opinion poll.
Since being returned to office in the last General Election, Bertie Ahern and his team have had to face tumbling opinion poll ratings. But the TNS/MRBI poll, the first since September, appears to show a reverse in that trend.
Satisfaction with the Government is now at 38%, while 55% are dissatisfied with the Coalition. Bertie Ahern's satisfaction rating is also up 11% at 47%, while all other party leaders also enjoyed increased satisfaction ratings.
However, the Taoiseach acknowledged that ratings can go up or go down, and too much should not be read into one poll.
The Labour Party said the poll suggests that if an election were held today, the Government would lose 20 seats and be replaced by the opposition.
Fianna Fáil support is also up by three points to 33%; Fine Gael is down one at 21; Labour is down 2 at 17; and the PDs are also down 2 at 3%. The Greens at 5% are up one, while Sinn Féin continues its steady rise, up 2 at 12%. Support for others, at 9%, is down one.
