Red C Poll

The numbers game: Sinn Féin slips but coalition faces election date dilemma

The opposition party has seen its lead erode as government’s belief in its chances of re-election grow

The three main party leaders are moving closer to a general election

The closer a general election comes, the more attention politicians and their parties tend to pay to political polls.

As the odds on a 2024 election continue to shorten, both the immediate standing of the parties and the longer-term trends in party support are taking on a new salience, feeding into everything from constituency strategies to candidate selections to speculative coalition options.

The prospect of an election next year is the public’s preference, as per ...