Funferal

Rabbitte’s poll results

How Pat Rabbitte has managed it, I don’t know. Even as he continues to damage the standing of the party he ‘leads’ his personal satisfaction is going up. Yesterday’s poll in the Irish Times has other interesting nuggets – such as that 7% of Green Party supporters would prefer to see the present government (FF/PD) remain in power than any other combination – including any that involves the Green Party.

[rant]
I’m somewhat surprised with Rabbitte’s results – satisfaction has risen from 44% to 49%, and dissatisfaction is down from 26% to 25%. Of course, this is satisfaction among the electorate as a whole (or at least that portion represented in the poll sample) rather than among Labour supporters. However, I know from talking with friends and acquaintances in Galway last week – and Galway may, for obvious reasons be atypical here – that they see Rabbitte’s recent actions as having bolstered Fianna Fáil’s chances at the next election.

Personally, his statements about having had an ‘understanding’ with Michael D. regarding the presidency were unhelpful, unnecessary, and inexplicable – whether or not he felt them to be truthful. Reports I saw that he used the outcome of the Executive Committee vote to admonish party members not to challenge his leadership again were similarly strange – though not really unsurprising. And his bowing and scraping to Fine Gael is not necessary, and unhelpful to the Labour Party (whatever his personal desire to remove FF at any cost – including that of the party he represents). Indeed, I thought I heard a report that he called on the Green Party to engage in negotiations with FG (that party having been somewhat shrewder than Rabbitte) – and wondered why he wasn’t looking for the Labour Party to talk with the Greens, putting us as the focal point of an alternative coalition, rather than ceding that place, in toto, to Fine Gael.

[end rant]