From the Irish Times on the Sept 27th:
Dear Madam,
When conducting public surveys, is it really beyond the wit of your pollsters to ask, not just for which party would you give your first preference, but for which parties (plural) would you give your first and subsequent preferences? Much more information could thus be gleaned, and we might all benefit from a greater understanding of just how plural is contemporary Irish society.
There is a second point here, which relates to a slow but steady and unfortunate trend towards a two-party state – a trend associated with the reducing size of the average multi-member constituency and the habit, which some parties have, of announcing their likely coalition partners prior to the election. This trend is surely accelerated by the implication from your pollsters to the effect that there are only two likely forms of coalition. Is the possibility of a Swiss style all-party coalition not even on the agenda? Or is the very thought of power-sharing for Northern Ireland only?
Yours sincerely,
Peter Emerson