Sunday 3 June 2007

Luntz's Logical Lapses?

Chrisco is back, after being rather busy travelling around Latin America and attempting to save the world (not at the same time).

Readers of Liberal Review and Politicalbetting will know that I have in the past raised some questions about the practices of Frank Luntz (here) and here.

It appears that we Irish seem to be much more skeptical about Dr. Luntz (anyone who saw the roasting he got from John Bowman during RTE's coverage of the Irish elections will know what I am talking about).

A piece in today's Sunday Independent seems to add to the impression that Frank's snakeoil is much more saleable in GB than IE.

'How Luntz logic pulls a Rabbitte from the hat

"Luntz blames the leader, and exonerates the Fine Gael party. Enda Kenny, it seems, can do no right. He was a constraint on the party.

The Luntz suggestion is that Kenny, who has just organised the party's greatest recovery, should be dropped as Fine Gael leader, if the party hopes to advance further.

It is a strange analysis that defies not just logic but the plain facts and simple common sense. Never mind that Enda Kenny has brought Fine Gael and Labour close to power, when Labour, the Greens and the support of some independents are included: in fact, they are within a couple of seats of forming a government."

Perhaps Frank's dials just don't work as well here; or maybe it's just because he is from the outset breaking the fundamental rule of Irish politics, repeated by a retiring senior TD to a journalist when the election was called. "Never try to apply logic or reason to Irish politics, because if you do you'll just get hurt."