Taoiseach Brian Cowen today sought to rally Fianna Fáil supporters after an Irish Times/TNS mrbi poll showed the party is set to retain at least three of its four seats in the European Parliament despite a major slump in support.
In a speech to canvassers in Co Wexford today Mr Cowen claimed that leaders of the opposition had further damaged Ireland's standing internationally through their criticism of the Government's response tot he economic crisis.
"The opposition wants to impose risky and wildly divergent policies that could wreak havoc on Ireland’s economy and undermine all the progress we made at a time when economic recovery is in sight...They seem to believe that by bad mouthing Ireland they can somehow speed our recovery," he said.
"The last thing we need at a time like this are leaders who want to take our country in completely opposite directions. The last thing we need are national leaders who don’t seem to understand that when you recklessly attack our economic condition, those attacks are not only heard by voters, they are also heard by investors in boardrooms abroad," he added.
Mr Cowen's comments came as today's poll showed that while Fianna Fáil is set to retain three of its four seats, Eoin Ryan is locked in a battle with Sinn Fein's Mary Lou McDonald for the final seat in the Dublin constituency.
Speaking this afternoon Mr Cowen said that the most recent Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) report, which was published earlier this week, showed that "we were beginning to see some light at the end of the tunnel."
That forecast suggests the economy will grow “quite rapidly” during the 2011-2015 period if its international competitiveness is restored.
Today's Irish Times/mrbi poll reveals that Fine Gael faces an uphill struggle to retain its current five seats, while Labour looks set to hold its existing seat and is in a position to win a further two seats.
Fine Gael said that vote management on June 5th would be key in maximising the party's seat total if it was to get the full benefit of its recent surge in support.
An earlier Irish Times/mrbi poll, which was published on Friday, revealed that the party has taken a massive lead over Fianna Fáil and currently has its highest level of support for a quarter of a century.
Support for Fine Gael has risen by 6 points to 38 per cent since February, compared to Fianna Fáil's 21 per cent standing, according to the poll. Labour is at 20 per cent while Sinn Féin is at 9 per cent, the Green Party is at 3 per cent and Independents/others are also at 9 per cent.
“The fantastic surge in opinion poll support for Fine Gael provides a real opportunity for a great election result on June 5th. Fine Gael are polling at our highest level since the early 1980’s and we are topping the poll in three of the four Euro constituencies. All of our candidates are competitive but the key now is to manage our increased support so that we maximise our number of MEPs said the party's director of European Elections Phil Hogan.
"With less than three weeks to go to polling day Fine Gael are well positioned to repeat the remarkable performance of 2004, where we secured five out of 13 seats. That result this time round would be even more impressive given the reduction in MEP seats from 13 to 12 since the last European election," he added.
The Labour Party leader Eamon Gilmore this afternoon said he was encouraged by the party's showing in the European election poll.
Mr Gilmore, who was speaking while campaigning with Labour’s Dublin South candidate, Senator Alex White, said however, that he believed the poll understated the strength of Susan O'Keeffe in the North West constituency.
"Labour’s support is concentrated in particular areas in that constituency and the polling sample may not have reflected that. I have spent the past two days campaigning with Susan O’Keeffe I have been strongly impressed by the reception she has been receiving, particularly in the Galway area," he said.
Elsewhere, Raymond O'Malley, the Libertas MEP candidate for the east constituency has filed a report with gardaí in Co Louth over the theft of a mobile billboard.
The mobile billboard was reportedly stolen from the Libertas centre in Ardee last Sunday and vandalised. It was found close to Kentstown, Co Meath a short time later.
