Adrian Kavanagh (18 July 2010) Recent polls from RedC and Irish Times/Isbos-MRBI have focused significant attention on the Labour Party and point to significant gains being made by that party, as tantamount to a “Gilmore Gale”. But the extent to which these significant shifts in support levels towards the party can be translated into seat gains…
Adrian Kavanagh (17 June 2010) The geography of Fine Gael support offers some insight as to why Enda Kenny survived the challenge to his leadership today. The party’s strength in rural, and especially western, parts of the state, relative to its weakness in Dublin, saw high numbers of Fine Gael TDs, MEPs and Senators being…
By Eoin O’Malley (17 June, 2010) Enda Kenny won today’s confidence motion, it is said by a margin of six votes. So he will be relieved and Richard Bruton disappointed. But might the happiest people as a result of this be Brian Cowen and Eamon Gilmore?
by Michael Gallagher (16 June 2010) If FG asked the PSAI for its opinion on whether it should change its leader, would Irish political science be able to offer any evidence-backed advice? There are (as usual) arguments on both sides. Someone alternative such as Richard Bruton may be in some sense a ‘better’ leader
By Elaine Byrne Since 2007, the Irish Times and Sunday Business Post polls suggest that a fundamental shift in the Irish party system is occurring. Any analysis of electoral volatility often focuses on the left/right divide. But are we asking the wrong question? Is the ongoing earthquake within the Irish political landscape also because of…
by Peter Stafford (June 14, 2010) The current debate about the Croke Park public sector pay deal reveals much about the state of the Irish economy, but it also reveals something new about the state of Irish policy-making. Firstly the venue of the pay talks is significant. Whereas previous pay deals have been negotiated long…
by Eoin O’Malley (13 June, 2010) Coming up to and in the wake of the reports on the economic crisis in Ireland there was a gradual shift away from the Lehman Brothers defence and admissions that mistakes were made by Brian Cowen and the governments between about 2002 and 2008. This culminated last week with…
Today’s Sunday Independent provides some skimpy details of a fresh survey by Quantum research. Unfortunately, they have not provided much if any details, apart from that the sample size was 500 respondents. The main issue that is assessed is what the voters think of likely alternatives to Cowen and Kenny.
Liam Weeks The current government parties have 77 seats. The combined opposition of Fine Gael, Labour and Sinn Féin have 75 seats. The balance of power in the Dáil is thus held by the 10 independent TDs, who include 2 ex-PDs, 4 former FF TDs (one of whom has resigned from the party), one FF…
Adrian Kavanagh (11 June 2010) The Irish Times/Ispos MRBI poll, published in The Irish Times on Friday June 11th (also discussed here), rates Labour as the most popular political party in the state at present and also suggests that Sinn Féin will win that party’s highest share of the national vote since the 1920s. The…
Irish Politics Forum 