By Jim McConalogue of the European Journal.
It is reported in the Belfast Telegraph today that Taoiseach Brian Cowen is leading Fianna Fail to record levels of unpopularity, with four-in-seven people who voted for his party in the 2007 general election now deserting it. The overall support of Fianna Fail sank to 17%. As a leader, Brian Cowen remains the most unpopular as his rating fell to 15%. The poll puts his party in third place.
Like UK ’s Labour, Fianna Fail’s support plummeted in the European elections in a wipeout in June. Brown denied the referendum outright. Cowen is forced to accept a referendum, through the Irish Constitution, but denies dealing with the European issue at all – as I said on the Slugger O’Toole blog yesterday:
"Firstly, I believe that Ireland’s perceived isolation is a result of Taoiseach Brian Cowen’s inability to deal with the real issues in the Treaty in 2008, and the subsequent way in which he dealt with the whole operation since, rather than the problem with the people saying No.Some might speculate that their downfall is a result of difficult “leadership” through recession, but an important factor has to be Brown and Cowen’s respective denial over facing up to the European issue, particularly over Lisbon, and dealing with national concerns over it.
In effect, the Government has allowed the European Commission to move in, take over and enforce a second referendum. The perceived isolation has no political reality, since it has been brought about by an obvious but silent failure of the Irish Government to act on behalf of the Irish people in its interests after the initial No vote, against a federalist European Union and its demands for a re-run. A second Lisbon No vote will end this assault on Ireland ’s national democracy."
