FG woes as 'Harris hop' morphs into a halt

The Fine Gael election campaign is in big trouble.

Simon Harris' self-proclaimed "new energy" has not waned, but the strategy has actually de-energised the party's support.

It has been a Fine Gael election campaign plagued by missteps and controversies, including Michael O'Leary's teacher comments, the John McGahon controversy and Simon Harris' damagingly awkward exchange with Charlotte Fallon in Kanturk.

Two opinion polls in as many days indicate a significant drop in support for Fine Gael going into the final, crucial days of this election campaign.

A party operating without momentum on the home straight is in bother.

Then there is the added challenge for Fine Gael and its fielding of dozens of new candidates, who it was always felt needed the "Harris hop" to get over the line.

But the hop has morphed into a halt.

Other parties are experiencing a bounce at this key moment in the campaign though.

Sinn Féin support is up in the last two opinion polls but the party will now have to show voters that it can plot a path to power.

Fianna Fáil is also on the up in today's Irish Times Ipsos B&A poll.

Overall, it means that the three major parties look to be in a similar position to where they finished after the last election.

Essentially bunched together.

Much hinges then on the debate among the three party leaders on RTÉ tomorrow night.

Based on the polling data it seems that independent candidates will have a significant role in determining the shape of the next Dáil and potentially the next government.

There are plenty possibilities too for the smaller parties, one or more of which will likely be needed to form a new government.

It remains the case that at least a fifth of voters are still undecided and many monitoring this campaign believe that the decided voters are still quite fickle.

Therefore, it remains all to play for.