recent opinion poll

of course the fact that a large section of the population are indeed bored with the mahon tribunal ( or more likely were never engaged to start with ) has been discussed in regard to the recent opinion poll. to this observer at least the media's reaction to the latest poll is puzzling. surely at this point they should realise that even if fianna fail announce audacious new policies like a national air horn to wake us up at 4am for work, or that a portion of our income taxes will be diverted to an offshore account of raphael p. burke, circa 35% of the electorate will still vote for them.

if journalists were armed with this realisation they wouldn't have to get into a lather when the soldiers aren't punished appropriately in a given poll. the fourth estate then tend to over react in the opposite direction and ignore the fact that roughly 50% actually care deeply about the revelations from the tribunal.

the media seem slow enough to come round to the idea that, in a world where dermot ahern ascribes charles haughey not to be corrupt ( at variance with the moriarty tribunal ) so that obvious and malign comparisons with bertie ahern cant be made, we are entering into a mini cultural war a la 82/83.