From the February 1982 General Election a leaflet from Fianna Fail in Dun Laoghaire. ‘Voters of Dun Laoghaire. For Your Future’ Vote Andrews, O’Donoghue, O Méalóid.
David Andrews and Martin O’Donoghue both held their seats, Clare O Méalóid polled 945 votes and failed to get in.
From 2003 ‘Re-Inventing Democracy’ A Green Party/Comhaontas Glas Discussion Document on Oireachtas and Institutional Reform which I thought might be of interest given the ongoing debates on political Reform.
The Presidency, Dáil Éireann, Seanad Éireann, Regional Government/Local Government, Bunreacht na hÉireann/ The Constitution and Legislative Changes are the areas covered.
I’ve Uploaded the Document in *.PDF format HERE
From the Document “Summary of Proposals in relation to Dáil Éireann”
– Dáil Éireann to sit for 45 of the 52 weeks of the year
– Sittings to be held from Monday afternoons to Friday lunchtimes
– Sittings to begin as early as 9.30am but end no later than 7pm
– Proposals to change Dáil sitting arrangements to be agreed by no less than two thirds of the membership of the Dáil
– Membership of the Dáil to be reduced from 166 members to 130 members
– Membership of the Cabinet to be reduced from 15 members to 12
– The office of Minister of State to be abolished
– Consideration to be given to change electoral system to Dáil Éireann
– Return to the previous system of Leaders’ Question – three days a week on a round robin questioning basis
– Increase powers of Ceann Comhairle obliging members of the government to give full and adequate information to the Dáil
– Increase Private Members Time and allocate on a more regular basis
– Replace adjournment debates with commencement debates chosen through lottery
– Link expenses received to participation in Oireachtas votes
– Give Oireachtas committees powers of compellability
– Allocate Committee Chairs under D’Hondt system
– Change of standing order on the recognition of parties in the Dáil from seven members to five, however formed in the lifetime of the Dáil
– Give all Oireachtas committees the power of compellability
– Outside interest groups to direct input at committee stage of relevant legislation
– Power of Taoiseach to call early election to be removed
The only mention of anything touching Gender is in the Seanad Proposals.
Electoral lists to be constructed to allow for greater participation of women and
minority groupings
Click on the image Below to launch the document in PDF format
First off many thanks to the sender, who dusted this off to photograph it.
From the 1981 General Election a Fine Gael poster with a picture of Garret Fitzgerald and the slogan ‘Let The Country Win’.
Fitzgerald became Taoiseach after the election although the Government only lasted until February 1982.
A Christmas Card published by The Prisoners Aid Committee. ‘Christmas Greetings to All Oppressed Peoples‘ with lyrics taken from the ballad ‘The Moon Behind The Hill’.
Many thanks to the sender.
Was sent (many thanks) these pages of a 2002 Edition of The Starry Plough, the newspaper of the IRSP. It was a special edition marking the 25th Anniversary of the murder of Seamus Costello.
In this post are The cover of the paper and a very interesting page which cover many things including a profile of Seamus Costello, the foundation of the IRSP and his ultimate murder, which is uploaded in PDF HERE .
(Should anyone have any of Costellos election material. I’d love to post it)
The sender notes too that “Costello was the first (and so far only) leader of an Irish political party to be murdered.”
From the Campaign Against the Racist Referendum a Leaflet in Arabic urging a No vote in the Citizenship Referendum of 2004.
The Referendum was passed. My Arabic isn’t great so I’m not too sure what the leaflet says..
Another in the continuing series of old websites….
This time Enda Kennys from 2002.
Not much to it , a profile of Enda, clinic details and Statements from Enda ranging in topic from ‘Two additional Garda for Mayo’ to “Taoiseach must raise plight of Palestinians with President Bush ” as ever with archived sites not all links work.
Click HERE or on the image below to enter the site.
There are also hidden links on the side to events, membership and links.
In the continuing series of old party and political websites… The Fine Gael website from January 1998 …
Click HERE or on the image to enter. It will be slow to load.
The “John Bruton TD, makes New Year pledge to internet users” is very much of the time…. He begins with….
“I spent many hours over Christmas happily surfing the Internet. I visited all sorts of home pages all over the world, and reflected a little on what makes some pages interesting and others not so interesting……”
As ever not all links on the old website may work.
From 2003…Ivor Calellys “History Of Leinster House” Leaflet. It was provided for tours of Leinster House that I presume Ivor arranged.
Aside from the welcome from Ivor the visitor will be starstruck as “The Taoiseach, Mr. Bertie Ahern T.D. on behalf of the government and all the members of the Irish House of Parliament extends a cead mile failte to all visitors to this
historical democratic Parliament.”
I got sent this (many thanks), the 95 page “A Lot done, More to Do” Fianna Fail 2002-2007 Manifesto.
I wouldn’t normally post something so large but thought it may be of interest.
I’ve uploaded the PDF to HERE.
Or just click on the image below to launch it.
The millennium had us all a tizz. The Millennium Bug, Millennium clock and lots more.
Here in late 1999 Bertie Ahern gives us the “Taoiseach’s Special Millennium Message”.
The first paragraph of Berties Tome……
“A new hour, a new day, a new dawn and a new age. Our millennium will be different and special to each and every one of us – whether we work in the home, in a factory or on a farm, in the emerging technologies, because we will be working together for one ideal. But we will be united in seeking to work together for that one ideal, a better more equal and caring society… ”
Enjoy the rest….
From April 2001 the Progressive Democrats Website. I found it using the wonderful archive.org which archives certain Internet sites.
Click on the image or HERE to enter the website…..
It might be slow and not all links will work, but a blast from the past all the same.
First off many thanks to the sender.
From the early 1970s a Leaflet advertising ‘Labour Party Bounty Bonds’.
The aim of the Bonds were to “Help build a Strong Labour Party by supplying it with the sinews of war for the vital years up to the next General Election.”
These bonds gave the owner a return of their investment after five years with an opportunity to win up to £50 in 20 Quarterly Draws over the five year period.
Was sent these images (many thanks). A 1927 County Tipperary Labour Bulletin. There were two elections in 1927 so I’m not sure which campaign this comes from.
Daniel Morrissey was a Labour TD, became an Independent , switched to Cumann na nGaedheal and then became a Fine Gael TD. He was a TD from 1922 to 1954.
The William O’Brien mentioned is probably ‘William X. O’Brien’ who (according to wikipedia) was “A close friend and associate of James Connolly. O’Brien helped establish the Irish Transport and General Workers’ Union in 1909, and was instrumental in the Dublin Lockout strike in 1913″….. “O’Brien was elected as TD for Dublin South at the 1922 general election, and again for Tipperary in June 1927 and again in 1937”.
The details of the campaign are covered including meetings, canvassing, transport and The Register of electors.
Apologies for the size of the text.
Was sent this image. I presume from the 1917 General Election a poster for Eamon De Valera. The slogan of ‘We Got Him Out To Put Him In’ is excellent.
A poster from the 1990 Presidential campaign of Mary Robinson.
I’ve a leaflet from her campaign posted here.
Almost topical given the current debate on political and electoral reform. From the 1968 Referendum on Change in Voting System, which was defeated, a Fianna Fail poster in favour of the measure.
“The Straight Vote is Simple, Fair, Democratic” said the Fianna Fail Poster. The Labour Party Posters against the measure was “The Straight Vote in Crooked”
Fianna Fail proposed changing the voting system to that similar to the UK
The Third Amendment of the Constitution Bill, 1968, proposes
To substitute for the present system of voting at Dáil elections the “straight vote” system in single-member constituencies;
“To establish a Commission to determine constituencies, subject to the right of the Dáil to amend the constituencies as so determined; and
To provide that whenever the Dáil is dissolved the outgoing Ceann Comhairle may be returned, without a contest, as a second deputy for a constituency chosen by him which consists of, or includes a part of, the constituency he represented before the dissolution.”
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