On the Road to Extinction: Agrarian Parties in Twentieth‐Century Ireland

A BSTRACT Minor parties (defined as those outside the three-party core of the party system) have been a distinctive feature of Irish political life since independence in 1922. Of the approximately 50 such parties to appear since then, though, only a few have become politically relevant, and even these parties have tended to go through a short life cycle. This paper describes the profile of parties of this kind, seeking to place Irish minor parties in categories that have emerged in the comparative literature, and classifying them in respect of origin, electoral performance, strategic self-placement, and ideological orientation. The paper concludes with an effort to explain the rise and fall of minor parties in Ireland in the light of generalisations in the comparative literature, where institutional factors (including, but not confined to, the electoral system) and social psychological considerations (including in particular the issues of declining party identification and disillusionment with existing parties) have played a particular role.

Section: Clann Na Talmhanmentioning

confidence: 97%

The Rise and Fall of Minor Parties in Ireland

Coakley

2010

“…This was the case with Clann na Talmhan whose founding members were themselves an amalgam of members of farmer-related interest groups. Some of the difficulties associated with groups contesting elections emerged for Clann na Talmhan immediately after the 1943 election when five deputies chose to remain as 'independent' farmer rather than formally join the political grouping, while even worse some Clann deputies saw themselves as owing their prime allegiance to their county executives rather than to the party's national executive (Varley, 2010).…”

Section: Interest Groups and Elections In Independent Ireland 569mentioning

confidence: 98%

Influencing Political Decision‐Making: Interest Groups and Elections in Independent Ireland

Murphy

2010

A BSTRACT A key question in interest group studies is why some interest groups put forward candidates for election rather than simply trying to influence the political process through normal channels. Theoretically interest groups should not seek public office or compete in elections but should rather pursue their goals through frequent interactions with politicians and bureaucrats. The aim of this article is to examine why such interest groups go beyond the informality stage of simply representing their members' interests by interacting with such politicians and civil servants and instead seek election to public office. As political parties in Ireland now compete on an increasingly narrow issue base, this article argues that interest groups involve themselves in elections precisely because they are better able to influence political decision-making from inside Dáil Éireann and that election to the Dáil is a sign of their arrival as a serious group with a serious cause. This article categorises these groups into those that run candidates for elected office at both local and national level and those that campaign in specific referendums. It also assesses how such groups in effect move their lobbying activities into parliament as distinct from lobbying outside it as is in the theoretical norm in interest group politics.

“…Some of the themes touched upon by Coakley are developed further by other contributions. Varley (2010) provides a comprehensive discussion of why farmers' parties did not become a lasting feature of Irish party competition, indicating that farmers' parties were unable to transcend the structures of class and party political competition they were faced with. Murphy (2010) similarly catalogues and describes the overlap between pressure/interest groups contesting elections and asks whether or not they might be seen as minor parties.…”

Section: Minor Party Politics: the Irish Contribution And Areas For Fmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Drawing together such a volume inevitably necessitates being to some degree selective in content. The editors have tried to bring together a range of contributors which highlight some important classificatory issues such as those found in Coakley (2010) and Weeks (2010b), some thematic and historical contributions, for example Varley's (2010) discussion of farmers' parties or Murphy's (2010) assessment of interest groups contesting elections, and some case studies such as Bolleyer's (2010) …”

Section: Minor Party Politics: the Irish Contribution And Areas For Fmentioning

confidence: 99%

Breaking the Mould or Fiddling at the Edges? Ireland’s Minor Parties in Comparative and Systemic Perspective

Clark

2010

A BSTRACT This article attempts to place the discussion of minor parties and independents in Ireland in comparative and systemic perspective. Extending previous classifications of party systems in Western Europe to recent elections, the analysis highlights Ireland's continuing classification as a 'large party system'. Minor parties and independents are nevertheless shown to have made a range of contributions to Irish political life, from offering an additional choice to dealigned voters and encouraging political participation to offering new policy platforms. The article goes on to argue that discussion, in this volume, of minor parties and independents in Ireland considerably illuminates analysts' understanding of the phenomenon in both Irish and comparative perspective.