Labour are now at 6% in the polls. This despite sticking reasonably close to the programme for government that they agreed with Fine Gael and having some high profile ministers.
Joan Burton has done a good job, maybe an excellent job, as minister for Social Protection (terribly Orwellian name for a Department).
Brendan Howlin has done almost nothing to reform the Public Sector so that should keep a large chunk of Labours core supporters happy.
Ruairi Quinn is perhaps the most controversial Labour has been the most controversial minister due to his reform agenda but is probably a victim of circumstance to some extent as the Unions seek to reverse their own shafting of new entrants to the sector.
Eamonn Gilmore has been quite low profile as leaders. His sycophantic fawning at the heels of the UK Queen was stomach turning but was vastly overshadowed by that far more extreme manifestation of the same by our President. Given that Labour have a middleclass urban support base I don’t see why such behaviour would have a major impact on their ratings.
So why the collapse? Is it simply that Leftwing parties always do badly in government? Is it the fact that reality requires hard choices and that Socialism (or whatever version of it Labour now espouse) is just too far from reality to work in practice?
I see posters from People Against Logic (AKA People Against Profit) and the Socialist Party where I live with stupid meaningless slogans like “Enough is Enough”. This is where Labour’s support is going; there is now another option for people who don’t like reality. They can vote for the Loony Left and the Shinners. Bad timing for a party that thrives in the rhetoric of illogical idealism while in opposition but now finds itself in power.
The reality is that Labour have done quite a good job in government but Labour doesn’t sell reality so it’s supporters are following someone else’s yellow brick road to sunshine and unicorn land.
Joan Burton has done a good job, maybe an excellent job, as minister for Social Protection (terribly Orwellian name for a Department).
Brendan Howlin has done almost nothing to reform the Public Sector so that should keep a large chunk of Labours core supporters happy.
Ruairi Quinn is perhaps the most controversial Labour has been the most controversial minister due to his reform agenda but is probably a victim of circumstance to some extent as the Unions seek to reverse their own shafting of new entrants to the sector.
Eamonn Gilmore has been quite low profile as leaders. His sycophantic fawning at the heels of the UK Queen was stomach turning but was vastly overshadowed by that far more extreme manifestation of the same by our President. Given that Labour have a middleclass urban support base I don’t see why such behaviour would have a major impact on their ratings.
So why the collapse? Is it simply that Leftwing parties always do badly in government? Is it the fact that reality requires hard choices and that Socialism (or whatever version of it Labour now espouse) is just too far from reality to work in practice?
I see posters from People Against Logic (AKA People Against Profit) and the Socialist Party where I live with stupid meaningless slogans like “Enough is Enough”. This is where Labour’s support is going; there is now another option for people who don’t like reality. They can vote for the Loony Left and the Shinners. Bad timing for a party that thrives in the rhetoric of illogical idealism while in opposition but now finds itself in power.
The reality is that Labour have done quite a good job in government but Labour doesn’t sell reality so it’s supporters are following someone else’s yellow brick road to sunshine and unicorn land.