Almost two thirds of voters are satisfied with the Government, despite the Denis Foley affair and other tribunal revelations, according to the latest opinion poll.
Satisfaction with the Fianna Fail/Progressive Democrats Government has increased 13 percentage points to 59 per cent since last October, while two out of three voters do not want a general election now, the IMS/Sunday Independent poll reveals.
The poll, among a sample of 1,103 adults at 100 locations around the State last Thursday, shows that 34 per cent of people are dissatisfied with the Government, while 7 per cent do not know or have no opinion on the matter.
The poll, published in the Sunday Independent, found satisfaction with the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, at 68 per cent, up 13 percentage points since last October. The Tanaiste, Ms Harney, has slipped to 54 per cent, down three percentage points on the last poll and down nine percentage points since January of last year.
The Fine Gael leader, Mr Bruton, is up two percentage points to 45 per cent in the party leaders' satisfaction ratings, while the Labour leader, Mr Quinn, is up 5 percentage points to 53 per cent.
The state of the parties, excluding the "don't knows", is Fianna Fail 53 per cent, up eight percentage points since October; Fine Gael 21 per cent, down 3 percentage points; Labour 13 per cent, down two percentage points; the PDs 2 per cent, down one percentage point; Green Party 3 per cent, no change and others 8 per cent, down two percentage points.
Two thirds of those polled believe the IRA was wrong to withdraw its co-operation from the arms decommissioning body, and believe the British government was wrong to suspend the Northern Ireland Executive and Assembly.
Forty four per cent of voters think Sinn Fein should be included in any coalition government in the event of a hung Dail after the next election, even if there is no evidence of IRA decommissioning.
The IRA does not have much support for its decision to withdraw co-operation from the de Chastelain arms decommissioning body, with 64 per cent saying the IRA was wrong to withdraw, 22 per cent saying they were right and 14 per cent having no opinion.
Almost a third, 28 per cent, blame the IRA for the suspension of the Assembly and Executive; 27 per cent blame the Ulster Unionist Party; 22 per cent blame the British government, 8 per cent blame Sinn Fein; 2 per cent blame the Irish Government; 17 per cent did not know or had no opinion.
However, despite the suspension more than two thirds, 68 per cent, think the process can still succeed, while only 20 per cent think it is set to fail and 12 per cent have no opinion or do not know.