Simon Harris says ‘all to play for’ in election despite Fine Gael polling slide

There is “all to play for” successful the Irish General Election, Taoiseach Simon Harris has said, contempt polling numbers that suggest enactment for his Fine Gael enactment is connected the slide.

Backing for Fine Gael has slumped by six percent points, according to the latest poll.

Mr Harris’s enactment present trails some Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein, the Irish Times/Ipsos B&A survey indicates.

Fianna Fail leads the mode connected 21% successful the latest poll, up 2 points connected the past survey by the insubstantial 2 weeks ago.

Sinn Fein is connected 20%, up one, portion Fine Gael is connected 19%, down six points since the November 14 poll.

Ireland goes to the polls connected Friday.

A Sunday Independent/Ireland Thinks canvass published astatine the play inactive had Fine Gael successful the lead, connected 22%, nevertheless it besides recorded a crisp driblet successful enactment for the party, down 4 points connected the paper’s past poll.

The Sunday Independent canvass had Sinn Fein connected 20%, up 2 points, and Fianna Fail unchanged astatine 20%.

Asked connected Monday if helium was connected the backmost ft successful the campaign, Mr Harris told RTE’s Today With Claire Byrne show: “I afloat judge that this is simply a three-race tie.

“There’s 3 parties each connected astir 20% crossed a fig of published polls. It is each to play for.

“Not 1 ballot has been cast. And I’m humbly asking radical to lend maine and lend Fine Gael their fig 1 vote, due to the fact that we person a plan. We person the backing to present that plan.”

Mr Harris said the important takeaway from the polls was the imaginable accusation for forming a “stable” and “coherent” conjugation authorities post-election.

The past conjugation saw Fine Gael and Fianna Fail signifier a historical coalition, with the Green Party serving arsenic a inferior partner.

“We don’t request six months, 7 months, 8 months of navel gazing,” helium said of the imaginable of lengthy negotiations and wrangling to signifier a government.

“We’ve got to beryllium capable to deed the crushed running, whoever is going to beryllium successful government, and connected these numbers if would beryllium tricky for anybody.”

Monday’s poll, which was carried retired betwixt Thursday and Saturday, comes aft Mr Harris apologised implicit the play aft disapproval of his handling of an brushwood with a disablement attraction idiosyncratic portion canvassing successful Kanturk successful Co Cork connected Friday.

The Taoiseach was accused of dismissing concerns that Charlotte Fallon raised astir Government enactment for the disablement sector, during the exchanged filmed successful a supermarket.

Mr Harris rang Ms Fallon connected Saturday and said helium unreservedly apologised for the mode helium treated her.

On Monday, Mr Harris said helium “let himself down” during his much-criticised enactment with Ms Fallon, but was assured that voters would not justice him connected what was captured connected a 40-second video clip.

“I fto myself down,” helium told RTE Radio One.

“I’m profoundly annoyed with myself, and there’s no-one much annoyed with maine than me, and peculiarly connected an contented that I consciousness incredibly passionate about.

“I mean, I person been that 16-year-old teen who’s watched my ain parent outcry with vexation astatine being a parent of a kid with peculiar acquisition needs (Mr Harris’s member is autistic).

“I cognize what it’s like. I cognize what it’s similar to beryllium successful a household wherever you consciousness isolated, wherever you consciousness fto down, wherever you combat for services. And, connected that issue, of each issues, I americium truthful passionate astir it.”

Mr Harris added: “I don’t deliberation just radical and decent people, and that’s what radical close crossed this state are, volition justice maine connected 40 seconds connected a Friday evening.

“I deliberation they’ll justice maine connected my record. They’ll justice maine connected what I’m going to bash implicit the adjacent 5 years, what I privation to do, what Fine Gael wants to do, and the plans that we’ve enactment guardant to, for erstwhile and for all, hole and rectify disablement services.

“That is my burning desire. It’s thing that I’ve prioritised since becoming Taoiseach.”

The clip from Kanturk is 1 of respective incidents that person enactment Fine Gael nether unit during the predetermination campaign, including comments made by Ryanair brag Michael O’Leary astir teachers, successful the archetypal fewer days.

Mr O’Leary was criticised for saying astatine a Fine Gael campaigner motorboat that helium would not prosecute teachers to “get things done” , which drew laughs and cheers from the gathered enactment faithful.

There has besides been a furore implicit whether legislator John McGahon should person been selected arsenic a Fine Gael campaigner for the Louth constituency.

Mr McGahon was recovered not blameworthy of assaulting a antheral extracurricular a Dundalk nightclub successful a transgression lawsuit 2 years ago, but a High Court civilian enactment earlier this twelvemonth recovered him liable, and helium was ordered to wage damages.

On Monday, Fianna Fail person Micheal Martin said galore votes stay to beryllium won successful the coming days.

Asked astir the latest sentiment polls, helium said helium does not get “excited” astir them.

“When you accidental I’m not a polls man, that was astir apt the astir close connection you’ve made successful the consciousness that we’re inactive each astir 20-odd percent, springiness oregon take,” Mr Martin told reporters successful Dublin.

“You tin spell up oregon down 2% truthful I’m not getting successful immoderate mode excited astir these polls.

“We would person ever felt that the 3 parties, Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and Sinn Fein, were successful astir the 20s. But the existent canvass is connected (Friday).

“There is simply a grade of volatility there.

“There’s a batch of votes to beryllium won yet, and determination are a batch of issues connected the doorstep.”

He said the days earlier polls unfastened volition beryllium “very challenging”.

“I’ve experienced this earlier the past predetermination and truthful on, erstwhile the past fig of days tin beryllium important successful presumption of maintaining clarity connected the message, and there’ll beryllium attempts made each incorrect to confuse the situation, but we’re precise wide that we person a batch of enactment to do.”

Mr Martin besides said addressing issues successful the disablement assemblage was a precedence for his party.

On conjugation permutations, helium said a authorities comprising much than 3 parties would beryllium precise challenging to manage.

“I deliberation it would beryllium precise challenging,” helium told RTE.

“I’ve led with 3 parties, with the Green Party, Fine Gael and ourselves, and that was complex, challenging, but we did it.

“And I’ve ever said, by the way, from the outset of the campaign, that my consciousness was it would beryllium a three-party conjugation authorities of immoderate signifier aft this wide election, it’s precise competitive.”

Responding to her party’s ratings successful the latest sentiment poll, Sinn Fein person Mary Lou McDonald said she had met “zero per cent of people” with immoderate assurance successful Fine Gael oregon Fianna Fail’s quality to code Ireland’s acute lodging shortages.

Ms McDonald told the Pat Kenny Show connected Newstalk: “The large quality of the run is that you get to beryllium retired and astir everywhere, speech to people.

“I person met zero per cent of radical with immoderate assurance successful Fine Gael oregon Fianna Fail sorting the lodging crisis.

“I person met countless radical who are chilled astatine the thought that Fianna Fail would accidental retired large they should person the lodging ministry again.

“I deliberation radical looked astatine that imaginable and said determination is nary mode connected God’s greenish world that we tin tolerate oregon endure different 5 years of nonaccomplishment from Fianna Fail oregon Fine Gael.”

With respect to the smaller parties, Monday’s canvass has the Greens connected 4%, up one; Labour connected 4%, down one; Social Democrats connected 6%, up two; People Before Profit connected 3%, up one; and Aontu connected 3%, nary change.

Independents (including the Independent Ireland party) are connected 17%, down 3 percent points.

In presumption of idiosyncratic favourability, Mr Harris’s popularity is down from 50% to 46%, portion Fianna Fail person Micheal Martin is connected 44%, down 1 point.

Ms McDonald is unchanged connected 31%.