Within a year of taking up office in June 1997, the Government received a very substantial boost with the signing of the Belfast Agreement on Good Friday 1998.
At that juncture - in the April 1998 opinion poll - Mr Ahern's rating as Taoiseach was at an all-time high of 84 per cent; Government satisfaction had also peaked at 73 per cent; and Fianna Fail support stood at 57 per cent, a massive 18 points above its general election impact.
Since then, although the Government has been operating against the background of a booming economy, its ratings have generally, and at times dramatically, fallen. Last November, it was positioned on 46 per cent, its lowest since the election.
The Fianna Fail party support figure of 47 per cent had also been improved upon in six opinion polls since the election. The main reasons associated with Government dissatisfaction were fallout from the tribunals, along with dishonesty and scandals in politics.
However, one of the interesting features of the November poll was that the Taoiseach had succeeded in distancing himself from the downturn in Government ratings and in Fianna Fail support. His personal ratings had increased over the previous six months to 69 per cent, which positioned him ahead of the three other party leaders.
The current survey was conducted on Monday and Tuesday, January 17th and 18th, six weeks after the publication of the Budget and against the immediate background of the dispute between the IFA and the IMA and the resignation of the IFA president and executive on Monday night.
The first general conclusion from the survey is that the Government is not getting the blame for any of the recent disarray, budgetary or agricultural.
The new Government satisfaction rating of 55 per cent represents an increase of nine points over the two-month period.
The more detailed analyses, however, provide a most interesting scenario.
Firstly, the increase in Government ratings is contributed to very significantly by Fianna Fail supporters themselves. Today, 77 per cent are satisfied with the Government, compared with 64 per cent two months ago, and 17 per cent are dissatisfied relative to 30 per cent in November.
This indicates a closing of ranks within the party insofar as the blameworthiness of the Government is concerned.
Secondly, the fact that Government satisfaction has not decreased among supporters of the other parties, given that the general reaction to the Budget is negative, reflects a broader tendency not to blame the Government.
The parallel criterion of satisfaction with party leaders also provides an unfamiliar setting. Mr Ahern, as Taoiseach, remains in top position on 66 per cent, a marginal drop since November but nevertheless, in the circumstances, a satisfactory positioning.
Similarly, the ratings of Mr John Bruton and Mr Ruairi Quinn have remained broadly stable. The only leader whose rating has dropped is Ms Harney as Tanaiste; down five points to 56 per cent, with a corresponding increase among those dissatisfied.
In terms of party support, the Fianna Fail core vote shows a very slight increase which, when using conventional criteria, converts to 49 per cent, a two-point upturn. Fine Gael is positioned on 26 per cent, also up by three points, while Labour, on 11 per cent, is down three. The PDs, the Green Party, Sinn Fein and Others all remain stable on 3 per cent each.
Applying the formula which was first used in the November opinion poll, resulting from the recent overstatements of Fianna Fail support and the growing incidence of low turnout, the MRBI estimate of the situation if an election was held this week would be of the order of: Fianna Fail 44 per cent; Fine Gael 28 per cent; Labour 14 per cent; PDs 4 per cent; Sinn Fein 4 per cent; Green Party 3 per cent; and Others 3 per cent.