The Irish political landscape is currently as clear as mud. Even though the economy is performing well, combined support for the two government parties is at just 37% (based on the most recent Ipsos B&A poll carried out for The Irish Times). But, having peaked at 36% in 2022, support for Sinn Féin is now languishing at just 24%. Six other parties (Social Democrats, Greens, Independent Ireland, Labour, Aontú and People Before Profit) score a combined 24% with assorted independents on 16%.
One issue that the recent poll did not address is whether there is a distinct bloc of potential support to the right of the two main government parties, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. These parties have often been labelled “right-wing” by the mainstream media. But that is lazy thinking which overlooks FF’s origins as a radical party of the small man and FG’s flirtation with social democracy under the leaderships of Garret FitzGerald and Alan Dukes. FF and FG are best seen as strategic opportunists happy to move into any significant electoral gap that opens up. And, in a democracy, who can object to that?
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