A poll carried out by the Irish Times has shown that Fine Gael, the largest opposition party, currently has the largest support in the country. A whopping 32 per cent of the Irish public wants Fine Gael to win the next general election.

Fianna Fail has been the largest party in Ireland since the 1930s. Public support for Taoiseach Brian Cowen’s party has dropped from 41 per cent in 2007 to today's 22 per cent (up 1 point).

The Labour party is currently at 24 per cent (down 1 point). Sinn Fein (8 per cent) and the Green party (3 percent) have both lost one percentage point each.

Fine Gael has enjoyed massive public support since the beginning of the recession.

Fianna Fail however, appear to have bottomed out. Support for the party may drop further if industrial unrest and negative home equity continue to spiral out of control. However, they may turn a corner if the public believes they can make hard and definitive decisions for the future of Ireland.

Fine Gael has a high level of support across all demographics, except for the unskilled and unemployed.