Richard Colwell: Fianna Fáil enjoys the upward side of the see-saw of government support
Fianna Fáil has done well throughout the winter. Now almost 70 per cent of those who voted for the party at the last general election say they would vote for it again. However, this state of affairs may be rebalanced after the handover of the role of Taoiseach at the end of this year
While Sinn Féin continues to dominate the political landscape in Ireland, there is an interesting subplot that has been running for some time. It revolves around the two biggest government parties, and which of them is either gaining or losing support.
At the last election, the government parties secured 50 per cent of the first preference vote. As you might expect, that overall level has been slipping as we move through the term of the coalition. After the first year, and once the rally-round-the-flag effect from the pandemic crisis had dissipated, their share of the vote fell to 45 per cent. Another year on and it’s fallen again to 42 per cent as illustrated by today’s Business Post/Red C poll.
