Politics of The Republic of Ireland - Political Parties

Political Parties

For other political parties see Political parties in the Republic of Ireland. An overview on elections and election results is included in Elections in the Republic of Ireland.

A number of political parties are represented in the Dáil and coalition governments are common. The Irish electoral system has been characterised by the two and a half party system, with two large catch all parties dominating. This changed after the 2011 Irish General Election, following the large drop in support for Fianna Fáil and the rise in support for other parties.

The current largest party in the state is Fine Gael, which has its origins in the pro-treaty movement of Michael Collins in the Irish Civil War. Traditionally the party of law and order, it is associated with strong belief in pro-enterprise and reward. Despite expressions of Social Democracy by previous leader Garrett Fitzgerald, today, it remains a Christian democratic, economically liberal party along European lines, with a strongly pro-European outlook. Fine Gael was formed out of a merger of Cumann na nGaedheal, the Centre Party and the Blueshirts. In recent years it has generally been associated with a liberal outlook. It has formed government in the periods 1922–32 (Cumann na nGaedheal), 1948–51, 1954–57, 1973–77, 1981–82, 1982–87, 1994–97, and 2011 to present.

The second largest party in the state is the centre-left Labour Party which was founded by James Connolly and Jim Larkin in 1912. Labour have formal links with the trade union movement and have governed in seven coalition governments - six led by Fine Gael and one by Fianna Fáil. This role as a junior coalition partner has led to Labour being classed as the half party of Ireland's two and a half party system.

Fianna Fáil, a traditionally Irish republican party founded in 1927 by Éamon de Valera, are the third largest party. It first formed a government on the basis of a populist programme of land redistribution and national preference in trade and republican populism remains a key part of its appeal. It has formed government seven times since Ireland gained independence: 1932–48, 1951–54, 1957–73, 1977–81, 1982, 1987–94, and 1997–2011. It lost a huge amount of support in the 2011 general election.

The fourth largest party is Sinn Féin, established in its current form in 1970. The original Sinn Féin played a huge role in the Irish War of Independence and the First Dáil. Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil trace their origins to that party. The current day party has been historically linked to the Provisional IRA. The party is a Republican party which takes a more left wing stance on economics and social policy than the Labour Party.

The United Left Alliance was an electoral alliance consisting of the Socialist Party, the People Before Profit Alliance, and the Workers and Unemployed Action Group. It was formed recently in November 2010, although it has yet to be formally registered as a political party. The Socialist Party is made up of members of a Trotskyist faction within the Labour Party who were expelled in 1989.

A number of independent TDs such as Maureen O'Sullivan, Luke 'Ming' Flanagan, Mick Wallace, Finian McGrath, Catherine Murphy, John Halligan and Thomas Pringle largely hold left-wing views, while Shane Ross and Stephen Donnelly are more closely identified with the centre-right.