Posted July 28, 2007 9:00 a.m.
“The Greatest Election Comeback in This Nation’s History”
Ireland’s Fianna Fáil Defied Expectations to Win 3rd Consecutive Term
Devine Mulvey helped direct Fianna Fáil’s communications strategy that played a critical role in securing what The News of the World has hailed as “the greatest election comeback in this nation’s history” despite being battered by weeks of hostile media coverage of Taoiseach Bertie Ahern’s personal finances and mounting criticisms of the country’s health services.
“The election was won in the final week of the campaign,” said Tad Devine, a veteran of the last three FF victories. “We won because we made strategic adjustments and executed our game plan on every level. The Taoiseach’s debate performance and his dismantling of Fine Gael leader’s Enda Kenny’s ‘Contract’ during that debate was a key turning point.”
Ahern’s stellar debate performance, his speech before the UK Parliament in Westminster, and the party political broadcasts helped Fianna Fáil move from a three point lead before the campaign to a 14 point advantage over its closest rival, Fine Gael, in only four weeks. The FF victory, with 41.6% of the vote, was actually a 0.1% increase from the 2002 vote total, a year when FF won in a landslide.
“Fianna Fáil can justifiably claim to have fought the most effective and successful campaign,” - Pat Leahy, Sunday Business Post, July 15, 2007.