Party Politics in Ireland: Regularizing a Volatile System

Abstract

Until the mid-1970s, there were two major political parties in Ireland, Fianna Fail & Fine Gael. The former predominated over Irish party politics &, thus, electoral competition. A small Labour Party & a few other insignificant parties held little sway. The party system was stable & without any social basis. In the late 1970s this situation began to change, & in the 1980s it was shattered by the growing number of micro-parties, independents, & pressure groups. This led to negative media coverage & cynicism among the population at large. Voter turnout declined & volatility increased, making the future look bleak for Irish parties. Then, legislation reforms were undertaken to regularize party organization & functions, & the picture began to look brighter. It is hoped that the parties will now move toward the establishment of institutes & promotion of political education so that Ireland can enjoy a stable political party system once more. Tables, References. J. Stanton