Opinion poll shows drop in support for both Fianna Fáil and the party leader Taoiseach Charles Haughey.
The opinion poll suggests that support for Fianna Fáil is down by 11 per cent. Charles Haughey has predicted that the decline in support for Fianna Fáil will be reversed as soon as investigations into recent controversies are completed.
Today's poll provides the first indication that recent controversies in the semi-state sector have reflected badly on the government.
With disputes within the Fianna Fáil party still fresh in the minds of party members, Mr Haughey is sceptical of the results and rejected suggestions that the opinion poll is an indication of the shape of things to come. He is confident that when investigations are complete, the party will again take its high standings among the electorate.
One of four dissident backbenchers, Noel Dempsey, did not share Mr Haughey's optimism. He says that the poll results reflect the message they are getting on the ground that people are dissatisfied with how the government has handled issues. If this level of dissatisfaction continues, then the Fianna Fáil party will be in serious trouble in the next election.
Both Charles Haughey and Noel Dempsey were speaking at a ceremony to mark the centenary of the death of Charles Stewart Parnell at his former home in Avondale, County Wicklow.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 6 October 1991. The reporter is Mark Little.
