The Lefts abscence, Ireland essays

The 'Lefts' abscence, Ireland essays Why has the left been so weak in the past in Ireland and is its future brighter than its past? The Irish state as we know it today really began to take form in 1922, at a point in history where the left-wing or socialist theory was gaining popularity rapidly all over the world. Promises of liberty, equality, fraternity, reform and internationalism were causing populations to veer towards the left and, in extreme situations such as Russia, causing people to revolt against their rulers in order to gain a more equal society. Before the formation of the Daà ­l, the Irish people had undergone a revolution of their own, breaking free from hundreds of years of oppression and subjugation by a foreign, tyrannical power. It would seem logical therefore to presume that the Irish people would be more inclined to vote for a political party that would truly take advantage of this new-found freedom by creating a society based on equality, in other words, a left-wing party. However, this proved not to be the case, and as Irelands political party system matured, it was two conservative parti es that would become the flagships foe Irish politics, Fianna Faà ­l and Fine Gael. Other parties have featured over the last eighty years but few of them could have been considered left-wing and those that were lacked either popularity or stability. So what is the reason for this? There are two areas where answers may be found which I felt were core to the question and hence the answer and which I will go through in more detail in this essay so that the conclusion will be as open as possible as it is likely that there is no one answer to this question. The areas are: 1) The revolution and the foundation of the Daà ­l and 2) The layout of Irish society. 1) The Revolution and the Foundation of the Daà ­l Although the Civil War may explain why Irish politics has become quite so bi-polar, it does not really seem to explain the absence of the left-wing so I ...