The controversy surrounding financial contributions by Dunnes Stores to political parties, politicians and to certain public servants, has had a multi faceted impact on the electorate. Three quarters of the public believe that the Lowry affair involving a disclosure that £208,000 was spent by Dunnes Stores on Mr Lowry's family home in 1992/93 - and his subsequent resignation as Minister, has damaged the Government. And almost half of those questioned, last week, in an Irish Times/MRBI opinion poll, disapproved of the manner in which the Taoiseach, Mr Bruton, responded to various aspects of the affair.
In political terms, the main beneficiary of these disclosures of alleged financial irregularities has been the Progressive Democrats, the only mainstream Dail party which did not benefit from the Dunne family largesse. In three months, support for the party - bolstered by the publicity surrounding its annual conference in Bunratty - has risen spectacularly from six to 11 per cent nationally, giving it the kind of support it enjoyed before it entered government with Fianna Fail in 1992. The main loser has been the Labour Party, dropping back three points to 10 per cent and clearly suffering for its failure to articulate clearly in Government the kind of ethical standards it advocated so stridently in Opposition. The positions of the two largest parties, Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, are largely unchanged, despite the fact that their members have been at the heart of this on going controversy. They gain and lose a point, respectively. This section of the public appears to distinguish clearly between any potential financial impropriety by party members, and their support for the party itself. By contrast, the second line parties Labour and the Progressive Democrats seem to have been cast in the role of public consciences" to Fine Gael and Fianna Fail. And they suffer, or gain, in direct relationship to the moral outrage expressed.
The delay in providing public answers to important questions surrounding these particular donations and concern about the larger issue involving the relationship between big business and politics in this country - has caused the satisfaction rating with the Government to dip four points, to a recent low of 39 per cent. This, in spite of a range of positive developments on the economic front involving an historically high level of job creation, a reduction of 24,000 in the live register since the summer and progress on a new national wage agreement. The focus of the public mind on the Dunnes Stores affair is also reflected in the popularity ratings accorded to the various party leaders. In this regard, public approval for Mary Harney's leadership of the Progressive Democrats rose IS points to 71 per cent, reflecting her aggressive demands for the appointment of an Inspector, or for a Judicial Tribunal, to investigate all the financial allegations made. Bertie Ahern's satisfaction rating rose by 6 points, giving him a score of 58 per cent. This shift reflects his firm handling of the issues for Fianna Fail in the Dail - and his determination that new ethical standards should apply.
In contrast, satisfaction levels with John Bruton and Dick Spring remained practically unchanged, with the Coalition party leaders losing and gaining a point, at 53 and 52 per cent, respectively. Public approval for Proinsias De Rossa dipped three points to 40 per cent, perhaps reflecting negative publicity in connection with his recent libel action against Indepedent Newspapers in the High Court.