World of Politics with Harry McGee

One of the findings from last week’s opinion poll in the Irish Times that surprised me was in relation to the concept of change. Slightly over half (51 percent) of people wanted moderate change after the next election while 38 per cent wanted radical change.

So that means that only ten percent of people are satisfied with the status quo.

The next question that begs is what does change look like? What do people mean by moderate change? What do people mean by radical change?

The problem with polling is that you never really get to that level of precision when gauging the mood and thoughts of people. Besides, many have not really engaged deeply with the issue. They want change but find it hard to define exactly what change they want.

Does radical change mean a Sinn Féin-led government? Or does it mean a Sinn Féin-led government comprised only of parties and supporters from the left? Or does it mean a full-blown change that is just short of a revolution?

What does moderate change mean? Is it a Sinn Féin and Fianna Fáil government? Or a Government led by somebody other than Leo Varadkar or Micheál Martin but still containing one or both of the Government parties? And what about the Greens?

People wanted change in 2020 too. Fine Gael had been a decade in power, in a coalition and in a minority government. It had already surpassed its record for longevity in government, having never done more than one term in its previous history.

Politics is cyclical; there is a shelf-life for every government, the moment where it takes an electoral beating and licks its wounds in the opposition benches.

Pictured: Different campaign this time…Mary Lou McDonald with Galway West TD Mairéad Farrell.