Fine Gael

Fine Gael (IPA {{IPA|}} in English and {{IPA|}} in Irish, approximate English translation: Family of the Irish) is the second largest political party in both the Republic of Ireland and Ireland as a whole. It was founded on 3 September 1933 following the merger of Cumann na nGaedheal, the Centre Party and the Blueshirts (National Guard) though it traces its origins back to the struggle for Irish independence and the pro-Treaty side in the Irish Civil War, identified in particular with Michael Collins. Fine Gael today describes itself as a party of the progressive centre though, in many ways, the party complies with the model of the mainland European christian democratic parties. They are strongly pro-EU integration and opposed to militant Irish republicanism, advocating a more pluralist brand of Irish Nationalism. It is the sole party in the Republic of Ireland to be aligned with the European People's Party in the European Parliament. Today, the party claims a membership of over 34,000.

The Inter Party Governments

However to its own surprise Fine Gael found itself in government in 1948, when all the anti-Fianna Fáil parties between them won enough seats in that year's general election to oust Fianna Fáil and take power. However, some of the other parties in the new first Inter-Party Government considered Fine Gael's new leader, General Richard Mulcahy, to be too controversial a potential taoiseach. Notably, Clann na Poblachta under former Irish Republican Army chief of staff, Sean MacBride, were opposed to him because of his role as Chief of Staff of the Irish Army in the execution of republicans during the Irish Civil War. He stepped aside and former Fine Gael Attorney-General John A. Costello was chosen to head the government, which lasted from 1948 to 1951. Costello was an effective chairman of a coalition comprising many different shades of opinion. That Government is remembered for establishing the Industrial Development Authority and declaring the Irish Free State a Republic in 1949. Also a record number of houses were built while the health minister Noel Browne successfully tacled the tuberculosis disease. Costello also headed the Second Inter-Party Government, which had a much stronger Fine Gael representation, from 1954 to 1957. Fine Gael's Foreign Minister Liam Cosgrave negotiated Ireland's entry to the United Nations in 1956 and, in doing so, defined Irish foreign policy for decades. The party's Health Minister Tom O'Higgins introduced the Voluntary Health Insurance Board (VHI). However, Fianna Fáil and deValera were returned to power in 1957 banishing Fine Gael once more to the opposition benches.

Related Topics:
1948 - First Inter-Party Government - Richard Mulcahy - Clann na Poblachta - Irish Republican Army - Sean MacBride - Irish Civil War - John A. Costello - 1951 - Noel Browne - 1954 - 1957 - Liam Cosgrave - Tom O'Higgins - Voluntary Health Insurance Board - Fianna Fáil

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Just Society and Tom O'Higgins

Out of government, Fine Gael went into decline. In the mid 1960s, however, it launched a new policy statement, known as The Just Society, advocating policies based on principles of social justice and equality. That document was the brainchild of Declan Costello a Fine Gael TD and son of former Taoiseach John A Costello and reflected an emerging faction in the party that was being influenced by Social Democracy. This new strand of thinking in Fine Gael paved the way for the entry to the party of liberal thinkers such as Garret FitzGerald. Party Leaders of the time remained conservative but the seeds of the 1980s revolution had been sewn. In 1966, Fine Gael achieved a near miracle when its young presidential candidate, Tom O'Higgins, came within 1% of defeating the apparently unbeatable sitting president, Eamon de Valera, in that year's presidential election. O'Higgins came from the emerging Social Democrat wing of the party.

Related Topics:
Garret FitzGerald - Tom O'Higgins

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The National Coalition

When James Dillon resigned as Fine Gael leader in 1965, Liam Cosgrave,the son of Cumann na nGaedheal founder W.T Cosgrave, was chosen to replace him. In the wake of the Arms Crisis and Cosgrave's strong performances in opposition in defending the institutions of the State, the party was well positioned to return to Government with the Labour Party who had previously ruled out coalition. After a break of sixteen years, Fine Gael returned to power in 1973, at the head of a National Coalition government with Labour, under Cosgrave's leadership. That government has generally been regarded as a good government, but was hit by frequent problems. Some of these were outside its control (for example the 1970s oil crisis) and the North, while others were its own direct creation - notably the verbal attack on President Ó Dalaigh by the Minister for Defence, Patrick Donegan, in which he called the President a "thundering disgrace". The President's subsequent resignation in 1976 severely damaged the National Coalition's reputation.Cosgrave, like his father before him, showed a fierce determination to defend the institutions of the state and would not compromise with extremists, instead working towards reconcilliation. The National Coalition is best remembered for its attempts to build a power shairing executive in Northern Ireland through the Sunningdale Agreement.The Sunningdale Agreement collapsed after a loyalist general strike. However, it left a legacy of compromise that would lead to later Agreements aimed at bringing peace to the troubled region. In 1977 the Fine Gael/Labour government suffered a heavy defeat, with Fianna Fáil winning an unprecedented 20-seat majority in the 148-seat Dáil.

Related Topics:
Cumann na nGaedheal - W.T Cosgrave - Arms Crisis - 1973 - 1970s oil crisis - The North - President Ó Dalaigh - Patrick Donegan - Sunningdale Agreement - Loyalist - General strike

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Garret FitzGerald

Cosgrave resigned the leadership and was replaced by Garret FitzGerald. FitzGerald had been a successful Minister for Foreign Affairs in the National Coalition, his affable style and liberal views did much to change the stereotypical European view of Ireland.FitzGerald was one of Ireland's most popular politicians and son of Desmond FitzGerald, a Cumann na nGaedheal Minister for External Affairs. He moved Fine Gael to the left and promoted the Liberal Agenda. He also founded the autonomous youth movement Young Fine Gael while the party attracted thousands of new members. Fine Gael seemed trendy under FitzGerald's leadership (for instance, U2 endorsed them at this time). Fine Gael's revitalisation was of such a scale that by the December 1982 general election, Fine Gael was only five seats behind Fianna Fáil in Dáil Éireann and bigger than the party in the Oireachtas (both houses of parliament put together). As Taoiseach, FitzGerald attempted to create a more pluralist Republic. In 1985 after lengthy negotiations he succeeded in negotiating the Anglo-Irish Agreement . This gave the Republic a say in the affairs of Northern Ireland while improving the Anglo-Irish relationship. FitzGerald headed three governments: 1981-February 1982, 1982-1987, and a shortlived Fine Gael minority government after Labour withdrew from the previous coalition. In 1987 the party was defeated in the general election. FitzGerald resigned his close ally and former Minister for Finance Alan Dukes replaced him. Like FitzGerald, Dukes came from the wing of Fine Gael influenced by Social Democracy.

Related Topics:
Garret FitzGerald - Desmond FitzGerald - Young Fine Gael - U2 - 1982 - Dáil Éireann - Oireachtas - Anglo-Irish Agreement - 1981 - February - 1987 - Alan Dukes

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Decline, then the Rainbow Coalition

From a highpoint in the 1980s, Fine Gael went into slight, then sharp decline. Despite Dukes launching the Tallaght Strategy in 1987, the party gained just four seats in the following general Election. In 1990, its candidate in the Irish presidential election, Austin Currie, was pushed into a humiliating third place, behind the winner, Labour's Mary Robinson and Fianna Fáil's Brian Lenihan. This led to John Bruton replacing Alan Dukes as the party's leader. In 1989, political history was made when Fianna Fáil abandoned one of its "core principles", its opposition to coalition. Having failed in 1987 and 1989 to win outright majorities, Fianna Fáil entered into a coalition administration with the Progressive Democrats. Commentators predicted that that would leave Fine Gael isolated, with Fianna Fáil able to swap coalition partners to keep itself in continual power. That indeed seemed the case when, after the 1992 general election, Fianna Fáil replaced the Progressive Democrats with the Irish Labour Party. However the Fianna Fáil-Labour coalition disintegrated in 1994, allowing Bruton to emerge as Taoiseach of a three party Rainbow Coalition, involving Fine Gael, Labour and Democratic Left. This Government's first policy initiative was the introduction of Divorce which was ratified in a referendum by a narrow majority. The Government also oversaw unprecedented economic growth and Ireland's first budget surplus in over twenty years.However, the IRA ceasefire ended in 1996 stalling the peace process. The three parties worked well together and fought the 1997 election on a united platform. However the Government was defeated in the 1997 general election,despite Fine Gael gains, and replaced by a Fianna Fáil-Progressive Democrats coalition under Bertie Ahern.

Related Topics:
Tallaght Strategy - Austin Currie - Mary Robinson - Brian Lenihan - John Bruton - Alan Dukes - 1989 - Progressive Democrats - 1992 - 1994 - Rainbow Coalition - Democratic Left - 1997 - Bertie Ahern

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Meltdown and Recovery

The party had little answer as popular Taoiseach Bertie Ahern cemented his title as the Teflon Taoiseach ( a reference to his uncanny ability to emerge unscathed from controversy after controversy). The party, facing a hostile media and criticism of Bruton's style of leadership, ditched him in 2001 in place of what was seen as the dream ticket of former Minister Michael Noonan for leader and former minister Jim Mitchell for deputy leader. However the dream ticket proved a disaster, as Fine Gael suffered its worst ever election result in the 2002 general election, declining from 54 TDs to 31. Many of its best TDs, including most of its front bench, in particular Deputy Leader Jim Mitchell, lost their seats. Noonan resigned on the night of the election result, and was replaced by Enda Kenny in the subsequent leadership election. With the scale of the collapse, questions were asked as to whether the party had a future.

Related Topics:
Bertie Ahern - Teflon - Michael Noonan - Jim Mitchell - Enda Kenny - Leadership election

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

However, Fine Gael staged a remarkable recovery in local and European elections held on 11th June 2004. It won 5 of the Republic of Ireland's 13 European Parliament seats (compared to just 4 seats for the ruling Fianna Fáil party), and won almost the same number of local authority seats as Fianna Fáil. Since those elections the party's membership has continued to increase while ordinary members have a spring in their step not witnessed in over a decade. Fine Gael appears set to at least regain many of the seats it lost during the disasterous 2002 campaign at the next General Election.

Related Topics:
European - 2004 - Fianna Fáil

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Fine Gael party has acheived an average of just over 30% of first preference votes in Irish elections since 1922

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~