The Taoiseach has dismissed the results of The Irish Times/TNS mrbi opinion poll that show the Fianna Fáil/Progressive Democrats coalition neck and neck with Fine Gael and Labour, saying there has been a variance in support for all parties since another poll a week earlier.
Speaking in Co Tipperary, Mr Ahern said both polls are a direct comparison with the same week in November. "And as I said in answer to the one in which I was up three in, there is one poll this year I'm very concerned about it - that's later in the summer".
In relation to the strong performance of the Greens he said "they went up four and doubled their figures, and I think that's related to all that's been going on." He said people should look to see all that this Government is doing in the area of the environment. "It's a huge issue with us and we're working very hard on it and we'll continue to do it."
The Taoiseach was responding to the poll which showed a drop of three per cent for Fianna Fail and of two percent for the PDs. Tánaiste and PD leader Michael McDowell said the results were disappointing for his party but insisted they would have a galvanising effect on the PDs.
He said that he still believed a partnership government was the best way forward and it was preferable to have a combination of parties. History had shown that single party governments tended to look to their own interests and act in a way that was detrimental to the common good.
"We don't own the people's vote or people's seats and we will go out there and roll up our sleeves and make our play for the confidence of Irish people and ask them to make a judgment." He said he was reminded of a poll in 2002 which showed he would come bottom in his Dublin South East constituency. "I worked like a devil to get across my message and I ended up topping the poll."
The party would be setting out its message at its party conference in Wexford in two weeks time. "We will be setting an agenda for the Irish people to judge us. If the public think we will crumple up and go into our shell they will be disappointed."
Asked on the Pat Kenny programme on RTÉ Radio 1 about the Green Party's strong performance Mr McDowell said the Government would be putting forward "coherent and cogent" sustainability programmes before the election. The Green Party have said they will increase corporation tax to 16 per cent if they get into government, which would mean "bye bye" to big companies such as Dell, Intel and Hewlett Packard, the Tánaiste said.
He also said the Greens have said they will increase capital gains tax and introduce a land value tax. He said they have pledged not to proceed with the motorway programme in the National Development Plan but would put the money into developing train lines instead.
Reacting to the poll Minister for Communications, Noel Dempsey, said the Government will not get "het up about polls at this stage".
In what is the first reference by a Government Minister to the fact that there might have been a change of government after the payments to Mr Ahern controversy last autumn, he said: "I think we saw when there was a real chance that perhaps there might be a change, there might be a change in the government, when people's minds were very focused before Christmas, that they didn't want that change and that they liked what the government was doing. "
He added: "We intend to continue to do the job we do right up to polling day."