New poll shows drop in support for Fine Gael with Sinn Féin and Fianna Fáil level

Kenneth Fox

Campaigning efforts across 43 constituencies are ramping up ahead of polling day on Friday, November 29th.

A poll by the Sunday Independent/Ireland Thinks shows Fine Gael is down four points to 22 per cent, Sinn Féin up two points to 20 per cent, and Fianna Fáil holding steady on 20 per cent.

Aontu is up two points to 5 per cent, the Social Democrats are down one to 5 per cent, Labour no change on 4 per cent, Greens down one to 3 per cent, Solidarity-PBP no change on 2 per cent, and Independents or other parties up three points to 19 per cent.

The poll was carried out on November 21st and 22nd amongst a sample of 1,420 people with a margin of error of +/- 2.6 per cent.

It comes as Simon Harris said he apologised to a woman for not giving her enough time to speak about carers and disability services while he was out canvassing in Cork on Friday.

The Taoiseach and Fine Gael leader said he spoke to Charlotte Fallon, a worker with St Joseph’s Foundation, on the phone on Saturday after a clip of an exchange between them on Friday went viral.

RTÉ footage posted to the social media site X shows Mr Harris on a canvass in Kanturk when Ms Fallon tells the Taoiseach carers “were ignored” and the Government has “done nothing for us”.

“The disability sector is a joke,” she says. “You’ve done nothing for us, our people are suffering. I’m very passionate about my job.”

Mr Harris responds by saying: “No, not at all,” and: “I’m very passionate about disability too.”

Ms Fallon says: “But there’s no mention of (them in the) Budget. You ignored them, you ignore the carers,” to which Mr Harris says: “That’s not true,” several times before shaking her hand and walking away.