The State Is Paramount: Collapse and Resilience in Irish Electoral Politics

• In Event: Political Studies Association of Ireland

Abstract

The 1036 days that Brian Cowen served as Taoiseach from 7 May 2008 to 9 March 2011 are commonly seen as amongst the grimmest in the history of independent Ireland. His is widely regarded as the worst Taoiseach to hold the great office. Many see him as a rather tragic figure; the brightest boy in the class who once he got the top job was unable to do anything with it except flail about helplessly as the economy crashed. Some attest a more malign motivation to Cowen’s tenure accusing him of behaving in a partisan manner, putting his party, Fianna Fáil, before country and protecting vested interests of bankers and builders to the detriment of the wider good. Others take a more benign view and point to a man deeply committed to public service, to the idea of governing to enable people to live better lives, but one who was caught up in a financial maelstrom of global proportions which he did not fully understand and could do little about.

It is generally thought that leaders are important for the performance and activities of political parties. In that context this paper examines the role of Brian Cowen in the collapse of Fianna Fáil as Ireland’s natural party of government and explores the question of the importance of leadership in electoral politics given that under his watch the entire Irish political system was transformed.

Author

• Gary Murphy, Dublin City University