Politics & Conservatism in Modern Ireland

Overview


 * Sections on Thursday
 * Mary Daly
 * Turn towards economic neoliberalism
 * Entrepreneurialism


 * 1972 -> End of a 500 year war with Great Britain
 * Placid, Positive relationship with Britain
 * Challenges Irish Nationalism, for Ireland is peaceful with Britain, what is Irish Nationalism?


 * Decades of Secularization -> Compare with British Secularization
 * In Britain, Secularization marches from 1900 - 1960
 * Ireland Very, Very Catholic thru 1960's/1970's
 * From 1970's on, decline of influence/importance of Catholic


 * Materialism in Society -> De Valera's spiritual ideology continues


 * Interparty Coalitions of 50's / 60's

Irish Leadership

 * 70's & 80's dominated by Charles Haughey (Fianna Fael)
 * Genial / Menacing Temper -> Compared to Parnell
 * "Had the ability to seem like a visionary without actually having a vision"
 * Scandals -> Illegal/Partisan use of Police


 * Garret FitzGerald
 * Academic Economicist
 * Rambling, Committed to intellectualism


 * Both attended University County Dublin
 * A political clearinghouse for high


 * Fianna Fael in 1960's "Conspiracy" to supply arms to nationalists in the North
 * Haughey was acquitted tho his friends took a fall


 * Violence from North to the South
 * Senator Bill Fox killed by IRA in 1974
 * British Ambassador to Ireland killed by IRA landmine
 * Killed Earl Mountbatten


 * Ulster Defence Force also attacked Dublin - 33 deaths / over 100 injured
 * Remembrance Sunday -> For Soldiers who died in World War I
 * Bombed and Bono/U2 -> Engaged with Bloody Sunday as political events

Economic Crisis / Economic Growth

 * 1973 Oil Crisis -> Prices quadruple
 * Government intercedes -> Keynesian move/Accumulated Massive Debt


 * New party = Liberal Democrats (not democratic in US sense) emerges
 * Tries to import Reagan/Thatcher to Ireland


 * Mary Robinson emerges -> Brings labor party with her


 * From 1973 - 1991: 14 Billion Pounds of Support from EU
 * 10 Billion went to Agriculture
 * Income of Irish Farmers doubled in first five years of EU(EC) Membership
 * Irish State and Standards of Living Doubled


 * Only in the 1980's do more people begin living in cities in Ireland than in towns/fields/farms


 * Ireland marketed itself as a foothold in Europe for Foreign Investment
 * Ireland often offered tax incentives


 * b4 1973 -> 61% of exports went to UK
 * In 1996 -> 26 % of exports went to UK (48 % went to other European Countries)


 * Ireland was very successful in negotiating with EU / Gaining a lot of funding
 * In early 1990's -> Ireland outperformed EU economic growth average
 * Proportionally, it's GDP was among strongest in Europe (when considered per capita)


 * Skips the industrial revolution, goes from agriculture to post-industrial

Debates over Secularization

 * Major focus of National scene/consciousness
 * Religion, the family, and women were the points heavily debated

Contraception

 * 1973 -> Irish Court recognized Family right to privacy (sets up contraception rights)
 * 1979 -> Family Planning Act : Access to contraception for families in Ireland
 * Only for Married couples

Abortion

 * Abortion -> Explicitly prohibited in 1937 constitution
 * Referenda of 1983 -> Amendment Passed / Unclear what it meant
 * Possibly opened the way for legalizing abortion (Garret's Claim)
 * Archbishops claimed the opposite/ That it would forever prevent abortion


 * Mary Holland -> Irish Journalist


 * X-Girl Case
 * Rape Victim
 * Felt Suicidal because she was pregnant
 * Was going abroad to get pregnancy
 * Wanted to use DNA from aborted fetus to call out
 * High Court barred her exit
 * Massive Public Outcry
 * Supreme Court intervenes / Allows X to leave / Calls out Irish Legislature
 * Attacker eventually convicted


 * 1992 New Referendum to allow access to information about abortion, right to travel for abortion, but no domestic abortion

Divorce

 * Divorce passes in referenda by just 9,000 votes
 * 20% of births happened outside of marriage in 1995 (highest in Europe)
 * Ireland was only western country that prevented/controlled the sales of condoms
 * Required sales only at chemist/drug stores

Magdalen Aslyums

 * Place where unmarried women/girls were often forced to work
 * Very creepy places
 * Lots of abuse (sexual) and poor treatment of these people