The Government parties have seen a significant fall off in support with the latest opinion poll showing the race for this year's general election is going to be close.
The latest Irish Times /TNS mrbi opinion poll put support for Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats at 38 per cent, just one percentage point ahead of the alternative coalition of Fine Gael and the Labour Party.
There is particularly bad news for the Progressive Democrats whose support has all but collapsed, falling to just one per cent. The party has been polling consistently in the 3 to 4 per cent range. This is its lowest ever rating in a TNS mrbi opinion poll.
The adjusted figures for party support are: Fianna Fáil 37 per cent (down three points); Fine Gael 26 per cent (down one point); Labour 11 per cent (no change); Sinn Féin 9 per cent (up 2 points); Green Party 8 per cent (up four points); the Progressive Democrats 1 per cent (down two points) and Independents/others 8 per cent (unchanged).
The figures suggest that the real winners are the Greens, Sinn Fein and the Independents who are likely to hold the balance of power after the next election.
While Fine Gael has dropped slightly, the Labour vote is holding steady. The poll will be of particular concern to the Government given the recent give-away budget and the unveiling of a €184 billion national development plan.
The satisfaction ratings of the party leaders follows a less clear-cut pattern. Mr Ahern's personal satisfaction rating has fallen three points to 56 per cent, while that of the Tanaiste and Minister for Justice Michael McDowell is up six points to 44 per cent, despite the poor performance of his own party.
Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny is down two points at 41, while Labour leader Pat Rabbitte has seen his personal satisfaction rating rise one point to 47 per cent.
Perhaps reflecting approval at the decision of Sinn Fein last weekend to support policing, Gerry Adams' approval rating has risen seven points to 50 per cent.
Details of the poll will be published in tomorrow's Irish Times.