Chronicle of a death foretold? understanding the decline of fine gael
2004; Routledge; Volume: 19; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1080/1356347042000269729
ISSN1743-9078
Autores Tópico(s)Migration, Refugees, and Integration
ResumoSince its highpoint in the early 1980s, when under Garret FitzGerald, Fine Gael received almost 40 per cent of the first preference vote and took the party to within five seats of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael's electoral support has declined significantly and steadily to a stage where in 2002 they received little over 20 per cent of the vote. We examine some hypothesised causes of this decline, including the effect of the arrival of the PDs, and Ireland's new coalition politics since 1989. We adapt Peter Mair's hypothesis that ‘coalitionability’ would strengthen Fianna Fáil, to argue that it has also caused the decline of Fine Gael by making the party less relevant to voters who wish to influence the formation of a government. This had the effect of allowing parties such as the PDs to continue to take support from Fine Gael. We offer empirical evidence to support this claim.
Referência(s)