Irish Election Literature

… what you maybe meant to keep…

Sean O Siochain – Progressive Democrats – Glencullen 1991 September 24, 2009

A young Sean O Siochain stands for the PDs in their first local elections. He wasn’t elected.  Normally the inside pages would be packed with stuff, where here a large part is taken up by the fact that his Grandfather was ex Director General of the GAA.

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Divorce Referendum 1986- ‘The Balance Of Compassion- 12 Reasons For Saying No’

I dont know what organisation issued the leaflet and cant find anything on ‘Lir Press’ either. There are some incredible reasons in the ’12 Reasons for Saying No’… amongst them…. ‘No one can ignore the sad and condemnable cases of battering husbands. But, by allowing divorce, we permit husbands who have battered their wives to continue this crime into a new, second relationship’

Labour campaigned using the slogan “Put Compassion in the Constitution”

Amongst Other Divorce Referendum items on the site…
Labour Party ‘Yes’ to Divorce 1986
‘The Alice Glenn Report May 1986- A Woman Voting for Divorce is like a Turkey voting for Christmas’
Divorce Action Group- Yes to Divorce
1986- ‘The Association of Lawyers against the Amendment

 

Fianna Fail 1987- ‘The Programme for National Recovery’ -medium

A stern looking Charlie with what some people have credited as being the catalyst that led to the Celtic Tiger.  This is an abridged 6 page version. (I have the full thing which I will scan st some stage). You will see what became ‘Partnership’ get a mention.
Click on the images to enlarge.

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Barry Desmond -Labour Dun Laoghaire Feb 82

How times have changed…. Food Subsidies, AnCO and still no Garda Station in Ballybrack either.

Barry Desmond served 7 Dail Terms before in 1989 he was elected to The European Parliament for Dublin. He held a number of ministerial appointments and also served as deputy leader of the Labour Party. He then served on the European Court of Auditors.

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Fianna Fail 1987- “Get Things Going” – Programme for National Recovery Pamphlet

The small pamphlet version with some of the headline items from Fianna Fails “Programme for National Recovery”. “Get Things Going”. Click on main leaflet to enlarge

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Justin Barrett – ‘Putting irish People First’

Taken from the 2004 Euro Election campaign. Pro-Lifer and (former?) Youth Defence man Justin Barrett adds Immigration to his policy bow. “Demanding Irish People are given priority to all new jobs” and all sorts of other nuggets.

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Liz McManus, Dermot Tobin, Anne Egan -Workers Party 1991 Local Elections -Bray

From the 1991 local elections, a leaflet for Liz McManus, Dermot Tobin, and Anne Egan running for The Workers Party in Bray.
We also have a smiling Prionsias De Rossa pictured with a happy family. The Workers Party with a new logo and leaflet design. They went back to the old logo (or something very similar) after the split.

“Anne is well known as a Lollipop lady..” .

Liz Mc Manus

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Labour -Yes to Divorce 1986

This is from the 1986 Divorce Referendum. The Yes side had the simple argument of recognising when a marriage had broken down and giving people a second chance. The No side had legal, moral and other arguements against. As Far as I’m aware Fine Gael whilst in favour of the referendum didn’t officially campaign. Labour were the only major party advocating a Yes vote.

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Tom Kitt, Seamus Brennan, Ann Ormonde -Fianna Fail – Dublin South 1987

Both Seamus Brennan and Tom Kitt were elected.  Ann Ormonde failed to be elected. She was an Fianna Fail candidate four times in Dublin South, each time with no success. To cushion the blow somewhat, she has been a Senator since 1993.

Note how each candidate had separate concerns and priorities, with some in common.

Click on image to make it larger

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The Community Party -Letterkenny UDC 1985

I know nothing about this Party or its policies. Sean Maloney later joined the Labour Party and then Fine Gael.

Letterkenny has another small party these days represented on the council “The Letterkenny Residents Party” which I have no literature for but would love to get some. I gather they may be a break away from The Socialist Party.

 

Leaflet from Tony Gregory -1985 Local Elections -North Inner City September 23, 2009

The late Tony Gregory spent 25 years in the Dail, yet it was for “The Gregory Deal” in his first term that many remember him most for. He was an avid community activist and worker, staunchly anti drugs and was jailed for his stand with the Street traders. This leaflet is from the 1985 Local elections.

 

Fianna Fail February 1982 – ‘Nail the Lies’ leaflet

A Nail the Lies leaflet from the Fianna Fail Feb 1982 campaign.Hitting out at Fine Gaels 1981 promises. Mentions the famous Vat on clothing and footwear that brought down that government.
Mention too of ‘housewives’… you wouldn’t get that today.
(click on image to make it larger)

 

Fianna Fail- Dun Laoghaire – Nov 1982 , David Andrews, Lady Valerie Goulding,Martin O’Donoghue and Owen Hammond

Fianna Fail Dun Laoghaire November 1982.The line up including Lady Valerie Goulding.
How often, if ever has a ‘Lady’ or ‘Lord’ run for Fianna Fail? (Henry Mountcharles ran for Fine Gael in Louth in 1992 and later as an Independent for the Seanad.)
Included too are David Andrews, Owen Hammond and the supposed author of the infamous 1977 Fianna Fail Manifesto Martin O’Donoghue. David Andrwews won a seat, O’Donoghue lost his seat at this election as Fine Gael took 3 of the five seats in Dun Laoghaire.
It was also the first electoral outing of now Labour Leader Eamon Gilmore who stood for the Workers Party.
Click on Images to make them larger.

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Progressive Democrat Pre 1987 -“Party Philosophy” and Membership form

This Leaflet was produced after the initial set up and discussion on policies. Pictured on the Front are the PD TDs Mary Harney, Pearse Wyse,  Bobby Molly , Michael Keating and Dessie O’Malley.
Lots of interesting stuff here… The Parties original aims including ‘Institutional Reforms’ and in the Social Welfare section “encouraging a more self reliant society”.

Click on images to make them larger

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Green Party Membership Form 1989

I got this in September 1989. Mentions Roger Garlands recent election to the Dail. Its also far more left wing and idealistic than todays Green Policies. No mention of Global Warming as it wasn’t known about then (or at least by most people).

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1997 Rainbow Government- “Partnership Works” slogan

In 1997 the Rainbow government went to the country looking for a new term. It was an already agreed joint platform which is highly
unusual. Each party had a ‘Partnership works’ slogan on their literature asking voters to continue their preferences to other
Government parties.
They also produced a joint policy document. And some joint election material.
In previous times Fine Gael/Labour had on occassion asked voters to continue preferences to the other party. At times it was unrequited as Fine Gael asked , but Labour didn’t. Indeed there are examples here where Fine Gael asked for Transfers to Labour where no Labour Party candidate stood.

 

Tony Clarke -Independent Socialist – Dun Laoghaire Nov 1982. September 22, 2009

Tony Clarke Independent Socialist Dun Laoghaire November 1982.  Although the fashion may be out of date, some of his ideas were slightly ahead of their time. Equal rights for Fathers wasn’t something talked about much then , at least openly anyhow. The salaries of TDs is a common complaint and of course the demand for Irish Unity was mainstream at the time. A demand too for a Divorce Referendum…. He polled 205 votes.

 

Communist Party Of Ireland (Marxist-Leninist)- ‘Marxist-Leninist Weekly’ Feb 3rd 1988

A copy of Marxist-Leninist Weekly from 3rd Feb 1988. Hits out at Britain and also Israeli Zionism. I’m not sure if this is the full version of the paper or a smaller pamphlet (Tabloid!) version of that weeks edition.

I can only presume that the group organizing the advertised Rally and march to the British Embassy ,”The Spirit of Freedom Committee” was the CPI-ML in ‘disguise’. A theme that runs through a lot of the Irish Left literature I have and I’d imagine internationally.

Click on Images to Enlarge

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