Sunday Business Post Red-C Poll: Fianna Fail and Fine Gael make gains

The trend since the election has been the return of the 2+ party system and this poll does little to dispel that impression. Following closely on the Irish Times poll midweek, there is good news for both of the big parties in today’s Sunday Business Post poll. Fianna Fail are up four to 36% while Fine Gael are up one to 32% - their highest ever showing in a Red C poll and about six months late

The gains come at the expense of current and putative coalition partners; The Greens, Progressive Democrats and Labour and Independents. Sinn Fein are the other gainers up by 2% to 9%.

Also 54% of the respondents do not believe Bertie Ahern’s evidence to the Mahon Tribunal however only 46% do not trust him to run the country-still a long distance from the volume you would need to get Fianna Fail to dump him.

The trend has been emerging for a while now but it seems that we are now entirely back to the days of the big-two parties and the series of adjuncts that might secure them power. Labour will be disappointed that the have not managed to hold gains made in the wake of the election of Gilmore and his notes to the executive need to be well heeded to halt the decline. The PDs are also all over the place but then holding steady at 2% in the midst of that is not an altogether large disappointment.

The other interesting fact is that Red C poll is far more conclusive on the EU Treaty than today’s Irish Times poll. Almost 50% of respondents will vote on the treaty and 45% will support it against 25% who say they will vote ‘No’ and 31% who are undecided. However considering almost half would have responded that they won’t be voting it is probably a little to much to read into this current poll as apathy is still running strong this far out.