Berties Newsletter from around 1993 I think. Its some production and really illustrates the image on the ground as the person who gets jobs done. Literally every road in the area has had a problem addressed at Berties behest.

1987 and the tax burden on the PAYE worker was massive. The tax rates for PAYE workers were 40% and 65%.
Even after the tax marches of the 70s and 80s there was still a major issue in that sectors of society such as the self-emplyed/farmers and the super rich were able to avoid paying tax. In hindsight, we also know now of the non resident accounts, Ansbacher and so on.
As far as I’m aware, The Tax Reform League only fielded candidates in one general election and may not have been registered as a party at the time.
Their call to arms failed to excite the electorate with none of their candidates being elected. Mairead Duchon polled 1,253 votes.
From the records I have a second TRL candidate, Padraig O’Neill, may have stood in the constituency also, without much success either.
There were high hopes that both Michael Enright and Catherine Murphy could put down a marker for future Dail progress. A General election was held on the same day and it was hoped that their candidacy in the Euro Elections would give them a boost.
Although the Workers Party vote increased from 1984s Euro Election, both candidates lost their deposits with a combined 4.38% of the vote.
In the General election Enrights vote actually fell, whilst Murphys 1,520 vote was decent enough in the circumstances (An ‘Army Wives’ candidate, Carol Tiernan also stood in Kildare polling 2,690 votes, some of which would have gone to Murphy).
The thorny issue of party policy towards Farmers must have also had an impact on the vote. “Reorganisation of Agricultural production…”
wasn’t the policy to have rural voters flocking to the party. Also we had another new party ‘Logo’.

The 2004 European Elections and Fianna Fail have high hopes that Berties boy Royston Brady may help win a second seat for the party.
A popular Lord Mayor Brady was seen as having a great chance and opinion polls early in the campaign had him winning a seat……..
…then came a series of gaffes in interviews.. among them, being unable on a number of occasions to name the new countries joining the EU and also a claim that his fathers Taxi was stolen and used as a getaway car by the loyalists who bombed Dublin in 1974.
From hogging the limelight he suddenly went off the airwaves with a number of weeks left in the campaign. … This poster was seen around Dublin at the time.
This is fantastic, gives a glimpse of domestic life in the late 60s as well as warning the many many pitfalls that may arise.
At the time too not that many had cars, so the Driver was a very important figure at election time, especuially in rural areas.
Yet You’d think that giving lifts to voters was a simple enough matter…….
Its full of handy tips
“Try to have your car as clean as possible….. do not take any alcohol while polling is in progress”
“…Encourage the women to vote early as this will leave the men free in the evening… ”
and of course “Don’t forget to vote yourself!”
Michael Quinn was a pro- life Independent who later ran for the National Party. He polled over 1700 first preferences in the Dun Laoghaire 92 election.
He later became involved with the Democratic Right Movement.
From 2007, one of the most bizarre leaflets I’ve seen. Alan Shatter dressed up (or photoshoped) in Star Trek gear.
Comparing himself to William Shatner and lots more besides…. Shatter regained the seat he had lost in 2002. (his record at electionsireland.org)
Funnily enough William Shatners middle name is Alan, William Alan Shatner.
Alan Shatter ….Alan Shatner … Its a pity Alan Shatters not younger , otherwise there would be a chance that he was named Alan as a tribute to the Star Trek Actor!
I’ve pared down the size but given the amount of colour involved the images are still big.
Saw this and it bought back memories of the 2002 election, when Fine Gael were decimated. Each house would have got this in the run up to the election. I can visualize Michael Noonan saying ‘I want to see our public services become the envy of Europe’…..
… and wasn’t “Vision, With Purpose” one of the worst slogans ever.
So whilst Fine Gael had Michael Noonan witha shocking slogan, Fianna Fail had the blue eyed Bertie with ‘A lot done, more to do’
Not quite the fancy stuff he produces now! At least it was a proper ‘Sorry I missed you’ rather than the pre printed ones we get now.

A ‘Thank You’ card arrives on the doorstep…. you open it to see who is thanking you…. Conor Lenihans mug pops out.
4th of June 2005 and Ireland take on Israel at soccer, a two all draw which costs us dearly in our qualification hopes for the World Cup. This leaflet was to advertise a protest and ways to protest at the game.
The leaflet was issued by the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign.
Eye catching leaflet from Eric Byrne on house prices and the money being made by developers . It made a lot of sense at the time . Although what those houses are worth now is anyones guess.
In the 1987 General Election aside from the TDs, Senators and councillors with a Fianna Fail background the PDs also had a number of candidates whos fathers were ex Fianna Fail Ministers. Amongst them Anne Colley and Martin Gibbons were both elected.
One who stood but wasn’t elected was Frank Aiken in Louth. This is his 1989 manifesto.

“….we are assailed from many quarters, and by determined individuals advancing their own sectional interest to our detriment…”
Ring a bell? a good deal of this could be applied to today.
I just like the design of these two leaflets, the mother carrying her shopping with a boy and girl either side, the warm greeting ‘Dia bhur mbeatha’ and even the colurs are unusual for election flyers.
Martin MacFeorais polled 107 votes.
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)
With Jim Fitzsimons staying in Europe. Colm Hilliard was the only sitting Fianna Fail TD to contest the 1987 General Election in Meath.
Hilliard, Former TD Michael Lynch and newcomers Mary Wallace and Noel Dempsey were on the Fianna Fail ticket.
Lynch topped the poll as Fianna Fail won three of the five seats with Colm Hilliard and Noel Dempsey joining him in the Dail.
In 1989 Lynch lost his seat pipped on the final count by party colleague Dempsey.
In that 1989 election on the first count just 723 votes separated the four Fianna Fail candidates.
Lynch was unlucky that the two Dail terms he served were short, one period was from February to November 1982 and the other from 1987 to 1989.
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.
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