Republic of Ireland

1
Republic of Ireland
2
Key Facts

• Ireland (Republic of Ireland)
• Dublin is capital city
• Size slightly larger than West Virginia
• Population 4 million (2005)
• 88.4 Catholic
• Chinese, other minorities
• Economy high growth rates averaging 7 mid-90s
  to 2004.
  
• Currency Euro
• (Sources Collins and Cradden, CIA World Factbook)

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History

• 1600s Plantation Period
• Introduction of a different people with a
  different religion, language, culture
  
• 1695 Penal Laws
• Restrictions on Catholics
• cant bear arms
• restrictions on education and on sending children
  abroad for education
  
• cant hold public office
• cant enter legal profession
• cant vote
• cant own a horse worth more than 5 pounds
• cant practice religion
• forced to divide property equally among children

4
History

• 1780s-1890s Penal Laws relaxed, removed
• 1840s-1850s Great Famine
• Late 1800s Home Rule movement
• 1916 Easter Rising
• 1919-1921 War of Independence

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History

• 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty
• Irish Free State
• Partition
• 6 counties remain part of UK
• 1922-1923 Civil War
• 1948 Republic of Ireland

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Constitution

• Dec. 29, 1937
• Written, declaratory
• Republic
• Unitary system
• Rule of Law
• Separation of Powers (?)

7
Constitution

• Influence of Catholic Church
• Social thinking of 1930s
• Divorce, Abortion
• Guarantee of individual rights
• Amendments by referendum only (1941)
• Judicial review constitutionality
• Before and after legislation is passed
• Member of EU, so EU law supersedes

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Structure of Government

• President
• Elected head of state
• Ceremonial duties
• Constitutional duties
• Constitutionality of bills
• Refuse to sign a bill that should be referendum
• Convene emergency meetings of Oireachtas
• Summon and dissolve Oireachtas
• Negative Powers

9
Structure of Government

• President
• Non-partisan/above political fray
• Seven year term, can be re-elected once
• Mary McAleese

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Structure of Government

• Westminster-model Parliament
• Prime Minister or Taoiseach
• Bertie Ahern
• Two houses of Oireachtas/Parliament
• Seanad or Senate
• Less powerful
• Principle of vocationalism
• 60 members
• Elections at least once every 5 years

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Structure of Government

• Senate (contd)
• Powers limited to revising and clarifying bills
• No power over money bills
• Entry or retirement route for TDs.
• Dail or House of Representatives
• 166 seats
• Elections at least once every 5 years
• Elected via proportional representation (STV)
• More powerful house

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Structure of Government

• Government
• Coalition Fianna Fail and Progressive Democrats
• Cabinet
• 7-15 members
• Appointed by PM, approved by Dail
• Minister remain part of Dail, Seanad

13
Political Culture

• First studies in 1970s
• Agricultural
• Catholic
• "austere and puritanical, somewhat cold and
  authoritarian"
  
• Insulated from Europe by British influence
• Combined into a political culture that is
  characterized by
  
• Nationalism
• Highly respectful of authority (authoritarianism)
  
• Anti-intellectualism
• Personalism

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Political Culture

• Since 1970s
• Radical socio-economic change from agricultural
  to industrial, traditional to modern
  
• Access to education and mass communication/less
  isolated
  
• Importance of religion dropping
• 1974 91 attended church weekly, by 1996 60
• drop in priests and nuns, who have historically
  been social leaders as well as religious
  
• Previous British influence being balanced
  somewhat by others Europe, globalization, US

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Political Parties

• Catch-all based on Civil War history
• Pro-Treaty
• Anti-Treaty
• Little class influence
• Refuse to identify left/right
• Sinn Fein (1907)
• Divided by Civil War
• League of the Gaels
• Fianna Fail (1926)
• Both North and South today

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Political Parties

• Fianna Fail becomes dominant party
• 1933 League of the Gaels and others join to form
  Fine Gael.
  
• 1985 Progressive Democrats
• Alternative to Civil War parties
• Strong party loyalty
• Election differences come in the few who switch
  sides and how many of the faithful go out to
  vote.
  
• Importance of social, local, and personal links
  to politicians -- brokerage or patronage politics.

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Elections

• Single transferable vote / proportional
  representation
  
• Vote "counts more"
• Multi-member districts
• Rank order -- if first choice doesn't win, second
  choice counts
  
• Don't need a majority
• Party and coalition tool, but individuals out for
  themselves

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Compare to UK

• Similarities and differences in all of the above!