A MAJORITY of people believe that the deputy leader of Fine Gael, Richard Bruton, would make a better leader than Enda Kenny in the current economic downturn, according to the latest Irish Times/TNS mrbi poll.
The poll also shows that a clear majority believes that former taoiseach Bertie Ahern would make a better leader in the downturn than Taoiseach Brian Cowen.
The poll was conducted last Monday and Tuesday among a representative sample of 1,000 voters in face-to-face interviews at 100 sampling points in all 43 constituencies. The margin of error is 3 per cent.
When asked which of the two Fine Gael senior figures would be a better leader in this economic downturn 46 per cent opted for Richard Bruton, while 28 per cent said Enda Kenny and 26 per cent had no opinion.
Among Fine Gael voters opinion was evenly split with 46 per cent for each man. Among the supporters of other parties, Sinn Féin voters were the most positive about Mr Kenny, while Fianna Fáil voters were the most negative.
Mr Kenny was most popular in Dublin but there was no significant difference in his rating across the regional divide. In age terms the Fine Gael leader was strongest among 35- to 49-year-olds and in class terms he was strongest among lower-income DE voters.
By contrast, Mr Bruton was strongest among the better-off AB voters where he had a rating of 50 per cent. In age terms he was the clear favourite among the over-65s where he attracted 67 per cent support.
Mr Kenny got marginally more support from women than from men but Mr Bruton was significantly more popular with men. Women and working-class DE voters provided his lowest ratings.
When asked whether Bertie Ahern or Brian Cowen would be a better leader in the current situation, 50 per cent opted for Mr Ahern, while 24 per cent said Mr Cowen; 26 per cent had no opinion.
In party terms Mr Ahern was strongest among Fianna Fáil voters where he was ahead of the Taoiseach by 61 per cent to 27 per cent. Among the supporters of other parties Labour voters were most supportive of Mr Cowen with 30 per cent of them opting for him as against 42 per cent for Mr Ahern. Sinn Féin voters were most supportive of Mr Ahern, followed by Fine Gael voters. Green Party supporters favoured Mr Ahern by 46 per cent to 21 per cent.
The surprise in regional terms was that Mr Ahern's lowest score was in Dublin, while Mr Cowen's highest level of support came in the capital.
Mr Ahern was strongest among the over-65s and in class terms he was more popular with C2 and DE voters. Both got more support from men than women.
Voters were also asked whether Mary Harney should remain on as Minister for Health if the PDs were wound up. A total of 30 per cent said she should remain on but 63 per cent said she should not stay on.
