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.
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”.
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PD ‘Yes’ to Single European Act letter. The SEA Referendum took place in May 1987. Again we have the Neutrality, Abortion as potential issues. The constitutional challenge to the Bill refers to a case taken by Ray Crotty that meant in future the ratification of any European Treaty would require a Referendum.
The answers to the ‘What if we vote No?’ and ‘Re-negotiation’ are very plain too.
1987 was the PDs first Gerneral Election. There was a bit of a buzz about Dessie (another such as Bertie,Charlie and Garret that the electorate were on first name terms with). This shows what their initial policies were.
They included abolition of the Seanad and Ministerial Pensions……
A Letter from the late Pearse Wyse announcing his retirement to the electorate.
Pearse Wyse was one of the first Fianna Fail TDs to join the Progressive Democrats.
A young Martin Cullen in 1987. Cullen had been an Independent councillor(as his father had been too) before joining the PDs.
Here in 1987 he was ‘A fighter for Waterford’ …….
Martin was, amongst other things, looking for ‘……a more Professional Dail with fewer TDs….’
He switched to Fianna Fail after the 1992 General Election.
Some Early Progressive Democrat Letters. The meeting at the Royal Marine mentioned in the first letter(which I was present) would have been their second public meeting in Dublin. Their first public meeting (which I was present) was in Sutton.
The second Letter here is to do with the inaugural branch meeting of the Deansgrange branch.
The the third one is towards the end of the campaign.
Of the three candidates, Geraldine Kennedy was Elected in 1987.
Mary Harney in the 1989 European Elections….
‘She has the courage to stand up for what is right’
‘She Champions the cause of the weak and underprivileged’
‘An outspoken critic of wrongdoing’
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Irish Election Literature 
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