FG party poll ‘shows up to 50% support rating in Dublin’
FINE Gael’s private polling is showing the party has 50% support in some parts of Dublin, whetting the appetite of many in the party for an early general election.
Ministers have discussed among themselves the prospect of Fine Gael seizing a second seat for the first time in a number of Dublin constituencies – but only if the party can ‘cash in’ on current publicity.
‘Fine Gael TDs and ministers were openly talking about a snap election last week,’ said Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin yesterday. ‘Some don’t want it but did acknowledge to me some of their colleagues were gunning for an election.’
It was revealed yesterday that Fine Gael has even road-tested some potential slogans for a campaign, such as ‘Let Leo Lead On’ – emphasising Mr Varadkar’s undimmed popularity as Taoiseach.
The Taoiseach declared in a speech yesterday he had been thinking about John A Costello’s two terms as taoiseach and on his own first year in office. His mention of two terms came at a commemoration for Iar-Taoiseach Costello at Deansgrange cemetery in Dublin.
‘Costello returned to the law when he left office as taoiseach. I think I’m too long gone now to ever go back to being a GP,’ Mr Varadkar quipped. He also noted the declaration of a Republic by John A Costello as taoiseach in 1949, adding: ‘I’d like to mark the 75th anniversary in 2024.’
But Mr Martin accused Fine Gael of trying to ‘manufacture a general election.’
He said there was ‘phony talk about an election and attempts to manufacture it by both Fine Gael and Sinn Féin.’ He said there had been ‘hype’ about a Sinn Féin motion of no confidence in Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy last week as if it would bring down the Dáil.
The Taoiseach had deliberately fed into the speculation at his parliamentary party meeting last week, he added. ‘We would not have supported that Sinn Féin motion of no confidence in Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy,’ Mr Martin said, adding his party intends to see out the Confidence and Supply Agreement that props up the Government until after the Budget.