Polling firm run by FGer testing negative campaign messages

[David Cochrane]

Pat Leahy writes in today's Sunday Business Post that a polling firm headed up by a former Political Director of Fine Gael has been phoning members of the public to test messages to see if it would give the respondent a negative impression of Presidential candidates.

Respondents to the poll, which was conducted over the telephone, were given information which would reflect negatively on candidates and asked if it would change their voting intention.

Pat Leahy reports that a householder was called by Amarach and ask about their attitudes to the various candidates. Among the things asked was whether the person called was aware Mary Davis had been appointed to a number of quangos by Bertie Ahern.

The person who was contacted got in touch with the Mary Davis campaign, who obviously contacted the Sunday Business Post.

The polling firm (Amarach) is run by former Fine Gael Political Director Michael McLoughlin. A FG spokesperson would not tell the SBP if the Amarach work was being done on behalf of Gay Mitchell's campaign.

In a statement issued this afternoon, Mary Davis' campaign team said some candidates were interested in mudslinging and called on all candidates to not use dirty-tricks.

Someone seems determined to make this campaign more about partisan mud slinging and less about ideas and vision.

Mary Davis Campaign

[Panopticon]

If you're going to drink from the trough, don't be surprised if you get hit by mud.

[ivnryn]

Among the things asked was whether the person called was aware Mary Davis had been appointed to a number of quangos by Bertie Ahern.

Personally, that would decrease the chances of me giving her a preference.

[gijoe]

Interestingly Shane Ross' column today was about the 'Qunago Queen' Mary Davis!

[CarnivalOfAction]

Pat Leahy writes in today's Sunday Business Post that a polling firm headed up by a former Political Director of Fine Gael has been phoning members of the public to test messages to see if it would give the respondent a negative impression of Presidential candidates.



Pat Leahy reports that a householder was called by Amarach and ask about their attitudes to the various candidates. Among the things asked was whether the person called was aware Mary Davis had been appointed to a number of quangos by Bertie Ahern.

The person who was contacted got in touch with the Mary Davis campaign, who obviously contacted the Sunday Business Post.

The polling firm (Amarach) is run by former Fine Gael Political Director Michael McLoughlin. A FG spokesperson would not tell the SBP if the Amarach work was being done on behalf of Gay Mitchell's campaign.

In a statement issued this afternoon, Mary Davis' campaign team said some candidates were interested in mudslinging and called on all candidates to not use dirty-tricks.

Very pertinent OP David; Vinny B, also in the SBP, revealed that FG's main strategy in the GE, was to viciously attack opponents, rather than discuss policy or the positives of their own candidate. Hard to blame them really when they have only the FFailed policies of their incompetent predecessors and their candidate is severely lacking in positives.

Check this thread later for numerous examples.

[Gabha Óir]

So the mudslinging against Mc Guinness hasn't improved Mitchell's chances and now they move on to Muire na gCluichí.....they're like a teenage boy asking out all the girls at the céile and failing miserably. Not that Mary Davis doesn't deserve to have her history queried too.

[TonyB]

Truth hurts, baby...

[Lucan Lefty]

Pathetic, FG scraping the barrell now.

[Nano Nagle]

Can Fine Gael not find anything positive to say about their own candidate?

[Plebian]

Can Fine Gael not find anything positive to say about their own candidate?

When nearly 2/3 of their own voters can't think of anything positive enough about him to even vote for him on party lines , what could they possibly say to the rest of us that would cast him in a positive light.