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 Although the fashion may be out of date, some of his ideas were slightly ahead of their time.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.
Fine Gael in November 1982. Garret Fitzgerald is used prominently. Note the reference to “after the Shambles of Fianna Fail”. Most elections up until the late 90s FF would have campaigned on the benefits and stability of single party government. This was a good dig at that. The outgoing Fianna Fail government had had all sorts of scandals as well as the usual internal dissent over Haugheys leadership.
You got your picture taken once with Esther Rantzen ….so have it as the centrepiece of your campaign for the 1991 Local elections…..
Wonder did the electors know you had your picture taken with Alice Glenn and Michael Keating 10 years earlier though?
Fianna Fail November 1982. This was the second election in the year and also the shortest serving Government. It was the GUBU government that did the ‘Gregory Deal’ and was to an extent dependent on support from Sinn Fein The Workers Party who later withdrew their support. That doesn’t get a mention in Haugheys message. Instead he refers to the death of Bill Loughnane and the illness of the late Jim Gibbons for this ‘unwanted and unneccessary General Election’. Yet it was a motion of confidence proposed by Mr Haughey upon which the government fell.
We have a stern Haughey trying to look Statesmanlike on the front …… a friendly but menacing looking Charlie on the inside….
The Pro-life Amendment is now an issue. The usual stuff about stability (give me an overall majority please) is there too.
The part regarding “a sovereign Independent Nation with own policy on international issues …..settlement of international disputes by peaceful means” is a reference to the Falklands war. Haughey whilst initially not supportive of Britain towed the EEC line, He broke ranks after the sinking of the Belgrano, much to Britain’s displeasure.
Monica Barnes, Sean Barrett and Liam Cosgrave running for Fine Gael in the November 1982 General Election in Dun Laoghaire. All three were elected as Fine Gael took 3 seats, Barry Desmond a seat for Labour and David Andrews a seat for Fianna Fail.
The candidates pictures haven’t changed since Feb either, indeed some candidates used the same pictures for the three elections that were in quick succession.That Barnes, Barrett, Cosgrave ticket ran for five successive elections for Fine Gael in Dun Laoghaire. They all stood in the 1981 General election too, but Aine Elliot was also on the ticket.
Click on the images to enlarge.
From the November 1982 General Election, a Flyer for John De Courcy Ireland running for the Democratic Socialist Party in Dun Laoghaire. Despite the calibre of the candidate he polled 1,036 votes.
The Democratic Socialist Party were founded by Limerickman Jim Kemmy who had been elected to the Dail initially as an independent. They lasted until 1990 when they joined up with Labour. Labour TD Jan O’Sullivan and Councillors Michael Conaghan, Eamonn Maloney are former DSP members.
Irish Election Literature 
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