"The stock response from most politicians reacting to opinion polls is to say that "the only poll that matters is the one on polling day". But the Anti-Austerity Alliance/People Before Profit grouping had a very different response this afternoon, writes Conor McMorrow of our political staff.
Instead of playing down the significance of opinion polls, the AAA-PBP organised a press conference to celebrate their showing in the weekend polls and point out that "for the first time ever, the socialist left has overtaken the Labour Party in an opinion poll".
Friday’s forecast for the Labour Party is stormy and the AAA-PBP intends to seize upon it.
Dublin South Central candidate Bríd Smith said the fact that the AAA-PBP is polling ahead of the Labour Party puts Labour in "deep, deep trouble".
Dublin South West candidate Paul Murphy added that it was the alliance’s experience that when canvassers called to doors, householders hoped they were from the Labour Party so that they could vent their anger.
He said the two things that angered people most about the Labour Party were the infamous 'Tesco ad' in the 2011 general election and Pat Rabbitte admitting "Isn’t that what you tend to do during elections?" when talking about breaking campaign promises.
Dublin West candidate Ruth Coppinger also predicted: "The Labour Party is going to be punished severely at the ballot box on Friday."
Meanwhile, Richard Boyd Barrett, a candidate in Dún Laoghaire, said that this election offered the exciting prospect of a break from civil war politics, predicting the monopoly on power held for decades by Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Labour would be broken.
So if Labour, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil will not be in the new government, will the AAA-PBP back Gerry Adams as Taoiseach?
Mr Boyd Barrett said: "The only people we will not vote for as Taoiseach would be Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Labour Party."
"We are willing to discuss the formation of government with others who have espoused an anti-austerity agenda."
On the Adams as Taoiseach question, Paul Murphy offered: "We are about policies and principles and putting people’s needs before profit. We will discuss how a left programme for government could be agreed."
Mr Boyd Barrett added: "We will not trade the key policies and commitments we have. Personalities are not the issue for us."
"There is no guarantee Gerry Adams will be the leader of the biggest group on the left... It is not about parliamentary arithmetic or personalities."
And on water charges, he said: "Every single party except for the government has been forced to say they would get rid of water charges.
"Fine Gael and Labour will not be returned so that means that it is now highly likely that whatever government is elected is going to have to scrap water charges."
