The Labour Party would not be making any policy changes despite its poor showing in yesterday's Irish Times/MRBI opinion poll, its leader, Mr Ruairi Quinn, said yesterday. Labour might have to look at how it presented its message, he added.
Speaking on yesterday's News At One on RTE radio, Mr Quinn said the poll was disappointing, but the party would not be changing its message. "We are not a populist party," he said.
The poll, which showed Labour's rating had fallen by three percentage points to 11 per cent, showed the public's satisfaction with Mr Quinn was unchanged at 51 per cent. Looking at the reasons for the fall in satisfaction, Mr Quinn said it was a "distinct possibility" that people did not like him. "That's something that I have to look at," he said.
"Do I have to sharpen the message that I believe in, that the Labour Party believes in? We are committed to social justice." Ireland now had the resources to transform the face of the State.
Asked whether he was concerned that there had so far been no apparent bonus from the merger with Democratic Left, Mr Quinn said the first bonus was in the party's by-election successes.
"We have won three by-elections out of four since 1997 and there doesn't seem to be a connection between opinion polls taken in a vacuum and real polls when people actually go to a ballot station to vote for a candidate."
He praised his front bench team and said there would be no question of making any changes.
Also on the News At One the Tanaiste, Ms Harney, said the Progressive Democrats' showing was not "pathetic".
The poll showed the PDs down by one percentage point to 3 per cent. Ms Harney had a satisfaction rating of 56 per cent, down 5 per cent.
The party was a niche party, she said, and she was sure its four TDs would retain their seats.
