The Irish Times view on the Government’s challenges : new uncertainty hangs over the Dáil

The findings of the first Irish Times/Ipsos B&A opinion poll of the year, the last batch of which as published this weekend, contain important messages for both Government and Opposition - and for all those seeking to understand the public mood at a time of deep political and economic uncertainty. There are signs in the poll of a nuanced appreciation of the changed environment, though the attachment of a large majority of the Irish public to the traditional policy of neutrality remains strong. They may turn out to be open to changes in the way Irish neutrality works – as they have been in the past– but the Government will have to be careful in making the case for these changes, as it will soon do on the triple lock.