External Shocks, Leadership Replacement and Party Change. The Case of Fianna Fáil
19 Pages Posted: 22 Aug 2013 Last revised: 21 Oct 2013
Date Written: 2013
Abstract
The Irish general election of 2011 was viewed generally as an 'earthquake' election, particularly for its impact on the Fianna Fáil, a party that has been the dominant force in Irish politics throughout much of the history of the state. As a result of the election, FF was reduced to third position in the Irish parliament -- an unprecedented result. Commentators at the time predicted that the party would not survive. This paper uses party organisation theory to assess the state of the party three years on from the election, showing that things are not quite as dismal as first appeared.
Keywords: party organisation, Irish politics
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