Madam, - A wry smile crossed my face when I read Andrew Greaney's letter of May 27th - coming, as it does, from a recently departed Fine Gael staff member and one-time local election hopeful. By my count, this is his third anti-FG letter in just a few weeks. Nothing is as it seems.
Andrew appears to have missed what I thought was an obvious core point in my own letter of May 23rd: not that TNS mrbi have been adjusting support levels (impossible to miss), but rather the fact that the method of adjusting poll results is questionable.
While it is based on historical data, the weighting system is not supported by recent election results when compared with opinion polls - although it is, in fact, intended to reflect the difference in voting behaviour measured against stated intentions.
It is also intended to compensate for the decline in voter turnout, but ultimately no amount of science can be relied upon to deal with these polling dilemmas, which is why I have my own preference for the raw, unadulterated figures.
I still maintain that it was foolish to conduct a poll at a time when one party was clearly likely to benefit - regardless of any other timing considerations. TNS mrbi included a health warning to this effect, which was dismissed in your Editorial.
I can assure poor Mr Greaney that I have my feet firmly on the ground and he should look elsewhere to cast his brickbats. - Yours, etc.,
TERRY MURPHY,
Dublin Director,
Fine Gael,
Dublin 2.