Madam, - Dr Garret FitzGerald, in arguing that a Fianna Fáil-Labour coalition is unthinkable, asserts that Labour support dropped "immediately" after Labour entered Government in January, 1993 by one-third and remained at that level ( Opinion & Analysis, February 10th).
If Dr FitzGerald is relying on Irish Timespolls, then he is simply wrong. Your paper carried four polls that year. In March, Labour support dropped from 19 per cent to 16 per cent. It then went back up to 18 per cent in July, and then 18 per cent again in October, only one point below its general election level.
Labour's performance was all the more remarkable set against a currency devaluation, a tax-raising budget and an unpopular tax amnesty. You reported in those polls that Fine Gael supporters were (not surprisingly) unhappy with the FF-Labour partnership. Perhaps that explains Dr FitzGerald's attitude since. - Yours, etc,
CIARAN O'MARA, St Helen's Road, Booterstown, Co Dublin.