DIRE DIAGNOSIS ON PERFORMANCE OF HEALTH MINISTER
Poll reveals public fury as Donnelly gets zero rating from a quarter of those surveyed... while his leader lags behind Leo
A QUARTER of people scored Health Minister Stephen Donnelly zero out of ten when asked to rate his job performance, according to a new poll.
Overall, Mr Donnelly’s performance was rated at just 2.9 out of 10 in the Ireland Thinks poll for the Irish Daily Mail and Irish Mail On Sunday.
Minister Donnelly’s score reflects another finding of the poll – that more than half of voters have no confidence in the Government’s ability to fight the coronavirus.
Green Party leader Eamon Ryan had the lowest rating at just 2.7 out of 10, while Taoiseach Micheál Martin scored just 3 out of 10.
Overall, the poll shows a major drop in support for the coalition party leaders since a similar poll was released on July 19, just three weeks after the new Government was announced.
The latest Ireland Thinks poll, which canvassed 1,000 people for their opinion of Ireland’s political leaders, found that Tánaiste Leo Varadkar came out on top with a rating of 5.3 out of 10, followed by Higher Education Minister Simon Harris on 5.1, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald on 4.3 and Labour leader Alan Kelly on 3.5.
The survey of 1,000 potential voters was taken last Friday and Saturday, less than two months after the Government’s Cabinet was announced on June 29.
Many of the coalition ministers are still getting started in their new departments and the poll is likely a reflection of their performance as party leaders or their previous roles in government.
While Stephen Donnelly’s results are disappointing for a minister dealing with the coronavirus, the zero score from a quarter of those surveyed may reflect public frustration with the pandemic.
The poll points to declining support for the coalition since July 19.
Mr Martin dropped from 4.1 out of 10 to just 3. Mr Varadkar dropped from 6.2 to 5.3 and Mr Ryan from 3.4 to 2.7.
Labour leader Alan Kelly dropped from 4 out of ten to 3.5.
Only Mary Lou McDonald held her position among political leaders, remaining on the same 4.3 rating she scored on July 19.
Education Minister Norma Foley is on 3 out of 10. Like Stephen Donnelly and Simon Harris, her rating wasn’t measured in the previous July 19 poll.
The latest research was conducted on a nationally representative panel from 9.30pm on Friday until 5pm on Saturday.
The profile panel was matched to a 2020 general election exit poll and weighted according to age, gender, educational attainment, past vote, religious adherence and political interest. The sample size was 1,000.
As revealed in the Mail on Sunday last weekend, the poll also showed that three-quarters of respondents want Supreme Court judge Séamus Woulfe, and EU Commissioner Phil Hogan, to resign following their attendance at Wednesday’s highly controversial golf event in Clifden.
It also shows a surge in support for Sinn Féin, up 4 percentage points to 30%, with first-place Fine Gael falling 3 to 35%, and Fianna Fáil languishing on 11%, down 1 p[ercentage point.
Labour is on 5% (+1), the Soc Dems also on 5% (+1), Greens 3% (-2), Solidarity-PBP 2% (-2),
Aontú 2% (no change), others 1% (no change), and Independents 6% (+1).
Just over half (55%) approve of the Government’s latest coronavirus restrictions, with stringent measures remaining in place for Co. Kildare, and new restrictions nationwide also, with 40% disapproving.
On the return to school, 58% said they did not have confidence in the current plans, with 27% saying they were confident.
Just over 75% of people polled in the wake of the event in the Clifden Station House Hotel said that both Mr Hogan and Mr Woulfe should resign.
In comments by those polled, one word repeatedly comes to the fore: ‘Shambles.’ Just 14% did not think they should leave their posts, while 4% had no opinion.
The golf society dinner in honour of the late Fianna Fáil TD Mark Killilea has caused fury among the public and major embarrassment for the Government which is already reeling from several recent gaffes, along with frustration over fresh coronavirus restrictions.
A Cabinet minister said on Saturday night: ‘It has been a terrible two months, and it’s not as if we were having a good week last week before this dinner debacle.
‘But at least Dara Calleary showed some sense by standing down. He knew his position was untenable. Usually in this kind of thing, after a resignation, the anger abates.
‘In this instance it only seems to have intensified. And as long as Séamus Woulfe and Phil Hogan remain in their positions the anger will remain,’ the minister said.
‘Anger has seemed to intensify’