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88-569: Fine Gael ( / ˌ f iː n ə ˈ ɡ eɪ l , ˌ f ɪ n -/ FEEN -nə GAYL , FIN - , Irish: [ˌfʲɪnʲə ˈɡeːl̪ˠ] ; lit.   ' Family (or Tribe) of the Irish ' ) is a liberal-conservative and Christian democratic political party in Ireland . Fine Gael is currently the third-largest party in the Republic of Ireland in terms of members of Dáil Éireann . The party had

176-446: A right-wing populist posture. Being liberal often involves stressing free market economics and the belief in individual responsibility together with the defense of civil rights and support for a limited welfare state . Compared to other centre-right political traditions such as Christian democracy , liberal conservatives are less socially conservative and more economically liberal, favouring low taxes and minimal state intervention in

264-581: A country with "a smaller, more dynamic and more responsive political system" by reducing the size of the Dáil by 20, changing the way the Dáil works, and by abolishing the Irish senate, Seanad Éireann . The question of whether to abolish the Seanad or not was put to a referendum in 2013 , with voters voting 51% to 49% to retain bicameralism in Ireland. The Irish health system , being administered centrally by

352-583: A landmark moment in Fine Gael history, Costello proposed moving the party to the left in a social democratic direction with a document entitled "Towards a Just Society". The document was adopted as the basis for the party's manifesto for the 1965 general election ; however, when the party failed to make headway at the polls the momentum behind the Just Society document wilted and faded. It was not until leader Liam Cosgrave secured an election pact with

440-643: A membership of 25,000 in 2021. Simon Harris succeeded Leo Varadkar as party leader on 24 March 2024. Fine Gael was founded on 8 September 1933 following the merger of its parent party Cumann na nGaedheal , the National Centre Party and the Blueshirts . Its origins lie in the struggle for Irish independence and the pro-Treaty side in the Irish Civil War , with the party claiming the legacy of Michael Collins . In its early years,

528-590: A mobile phone license to Esat Telecom by Michael Lowry when he was Fine Gael Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications in the Rainbow Coalition of the mid-1990s. Lowry resigned from the Cabinet after it was revealed at the Moriarty Tribunal that businessman Ben Dunne had paid for an IR£395,000 extension to Lowry's County Tipperary home. Lowry, now an independent TD , supported

616-605: A preference for postmaterialist values. Fine Gael supported civil unions for same-sex couples from 2003, voting for the Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Bill 2010 . In 2012, the party approved a motion at its Ardfheis to prioritise the consideration of same-sex marriage in the upcoming constitutional convention. In 2013, party leader and Taoiseach Enda Kenny declared his support for same-sex marriage. The Fine Gael–led government held

704-425: A pro-enterprise point of view. Its fairer budget website in 2011 suggested that its solutions are "tough but fair". Other solutions conform generally to conservative governments' policies throughout Europe, focusing on cutting numbers in the public sector, while maintaining investment in infrastructure. Fine Gael's proposals have sometimes been criticised mostly by smaller political groupings in Ireland, and by some of

792-525: A referendum on the Eighth Amendment , the provision in the Irish constitution which forbid abortion . The party campaigned to repeal the amendment and were successful. After the 2020 general election , for the first time in history, Fine Gael entered into a coalition government with its traditional rival Fianna Fáil , as well as the Green Party , with Leo Varadkar serving as Tánaiste for

880-409: A referendum on the subject on 22 May 2015. The referendum passed, with the electorate voting to extend full marriage rights to same-sex couples, with 62.1% in favour and 37.9% opposed. In 2015, months before the marriage equality referendum , Leo Varadkar became the first Irish government minister to come out as gay. In May 2019, former Rose of Tralee Maria Walsh , was elected as a Fine Gael MEP for

968-489: A service in Ireland more akin to the Canadian , German , Dutch and Austrian health systems . Fine Gael's current healthcare policy revolves around the implementation of Sláintecare , a cross-party plan for the reform of the Irish health system. Sláintecare is focused on introducing "a universal single-tiered health service, which guarantees access based on need, not income… through Universal Health Insurance". Fine Gael

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1056-410: A strong state is necessary to ensure law and order and that social institutions are needed to nurture a sense of duty and responsibility to the nation. Liberal conservatives also support civil liberties , along with some socially conservative positions. They differ on social issues , with some being socially conservative and others socially liberal, though all liberal conservatives broadly support

1144-589: A way that is right for Ireland, regardless of dogma or ideology". It lists its core values as " equality of opportunity , free enterprise and reward, security, integrity and hope." In international politics, the party is highly supportive of the European Union , along with generally supporting strengthened relations with the United Kingdom and opposition to physical force Irish republicanism . The party's autonomous youth wing, Young Fine Gael (YFG),

1232-481: A way to enhance energy security and the digital reputation of Ireland. A very broad-ranging document, it proposed the combined management of a portfolio of semi-state assets, and the sale of all other, non-essential services. The release of equity through the sale of the various state resources, including electricity generation services belonging to the ESB , Bord na Móna and Bord Gáis , in combination with use of money in

1320-490: A year and suggesting Ireland needed a "fundamental rethink" of its security approach. Since Brexit , Fine Gael has taken a strong pro-European stance, stating that Ireland's place is "at the heart of Europe". In government, the party has launched the "Global Ireland" plan to develop alliances with other small countries across Europe and the world. Fine Gael is a founding member of the European People's Party (EPP),

1408-848: Is also associated with support for moderate forms of social safety net and environmentalism (see also green conservatism and green liberalism ). This variety of liberal conservatism has been espoused by Nordic conservatives (the Moderate Party in Sweden, the Conservative Party in Norway and the National Coalition Party in Finland) which have been fending off competition from right-wing populists to their right and do not include Christian democrats; and at times

1496-668: Is among the most pro- European integration parties in Ireland, having supported the European Constitution , the Lisbon Treaty , and advocating participation in European common defence. The party have been supportive of NATO . In 1998, party leader John Bruton called on Ireland to join the NATO-led Partnership for Peace . The party's youth wing, Young Fine Gael , passed a motion in 2016 calling on

1584-510: Is commemorated each year in August. Although Fine Gael was historically a Catholic party, it became the de facto home for Irish Protestants. Its membership base had a higher proportion of Protestants than that of Fianna Fáil or Labour. The party promoted a strong Catholic image and depicted itself as a defender of Catholicism against Atheistic Communism , of which it accused the two aforementioned parties of being sympathetic to. Fine Gael adopted

1672-474: Is far more anti-statist than liberal conservatism and is much more hostile to government intervention in both social and economic matters. Combining conservative cultural principles but with less social intervention and a more laissez faire economic system. Neoconservatism is sometimes described as the same or similar to liberal conservatism in Europe. However, Peter Lawler has regarded neoconservatism in

1760-561: Is the case in continental Europe , Australia and Latin America . Teachta D%C3%A1la A Teachta Dála ( / ˌ t j ɒ x t ə ˈ d ɔː l ə / TYOKH -tə DAW -lə , Irish: [ˌtʲaxt̪ˠə ˈd̪ˠaːlˠa] ; plural Teachtaí Dála ), abbreviated as TD (plural TDanna in Irish , TDs in English), is a member of Dáil Éireann , the lower house of

1848-1115: The Christian Democratic Appeal in the Netherlands, the Christian Democratic Union in Germany and the People's Party in Austria) have become almost undistinguishable from other liberal-conservative parties. On the other hand, newer liberal-conservative parties (such as New Democracy in Greece, the Social Democratic Party in Portugal, the People's Party in Spain, Forza Italia / The People of Freedom / Forza Italia in Italy,

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1936-627: The Fianna Fáil – Green Party government in Dáil Éireann until March 2011. It was also revealed in December 1996 that Fine Gael had received some £180,000 from Ben Dunne in the period 1987 to 1993. This was composed of £100,000 in 1993, £50,000 in 1992 and £30,000 in 1989. In addition, Michael Noonan received £3,000 in 1992 towards his election campaign, Ivan Yates received £5,000, Michael Lowry received £5,000 and Sean Barrett received £1,000 in

2024-564: The Free State Dáil (1922–1937), and of the modern Dáil Éireann. The initials "TD" are placed after the surname of the elected TD. For example, the current Taoiseach (head of government) is " Simon Harris , TD". The style used to refer to individual TDs during debates in Dáil Éireann is the member's surname preceded by Deputy ( Irish : an Teachta ): for example, "Deputy McDonald", "an Teachta Ní Dhomhnaill/Bhean Úi Dhomhnaill" or "an Teachta Ó Domhnaill" . The basic salary of

2112-582: The Health Service Executive , is seen to be poor by comparison to other countries in Europe, ranking outside expected levels at 25th according to the Euro Health Consumer Index 2006. Fine Gael has long wanted Ireland to break with the system of private health insurance, public medical cards and what it calls the two tiers of the health system and has launched a campaign to see the system reformed. Speaking in favour of

2200-575: The Irish Free State in 1922 until the 1932 general election , which it lost to the newly emergent Fianna Fáil . The National Centre Party was a new party that had done well at the 1932 election, and represented the interests of farmers. The National Guard were not a political party, but a militant group made up of former pro-Treaty Irish Army soldiers, and was previously known as the Army Comrades Association. Following

2288-543: The Labour Party that Fine Gael returned to government in 1973. This period also saw Fine Gael becoming increasingly liberal in ethos, particularly under the leadership of Garret FitzGerald who took the reins of the party in 1977; It was during this time that Fine Gael campaigned in a number of referendums: the party supported Irish entry into the European Economic Community , supported lowering

2376-461: The Live Register in a year by combining a National Internship Program, a Second Chance Education Scheme, an Apprenticeship Guarantee and Community Work Program, as well as instituting a German style Workshare program. In 2010 Fine Gael's Phil Hogan published the party's proposals for political and constitutional reform. In a policy document entitled New Politics , Hogan suggested creating

2464-658: The Mansion House in Dublin on 21 January 1919 to create a new Irish parliament: the First Dáil Éireann. Initially, the term Feisire Dáil Eireann (F.D.E.) was mooted, but 'Teachta' was used from the first meeting. The term continued to be used after this First Dáil and was used to refer to later members of the Irish Republic 's single-chamber Dáil Éireann (or 'Assembly of Ireland') (1919–1922), members of

2552-520: The Minister for Justice. Liberal conservatism The ideology incorporates the classical liberal view of minimal government intervention in the economy, according to which individuals should be free to participate in the market and generate wealth without government interference. However, liberal conservatives also hold that individuals cannot be thoroughly depended on to act responsibly in other spheres of life; therefore, they believe that

2640-532: The Oireachtas , the parliament of Ireland . It is the equivalent of terms such as Member of Parliament (MP) or Member of Congress used in other countries. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", although a more literal translation is "Assembly Delegate". Ireland is divided into Dáil constituencies , each of which elects three, four, or five TDs. Under the Constitution ,

2728-662: The Pro-Life Amendment Campaign (PLAC) and Catholic bishops, and Fianna Fáil , the largest party in the State at the time, but then in opposition. The amendment resulted in the addition of Article 40.3.3° to the Constitution, giving the unborn child a qualified equal right to life to that of the mother. In 1992, in the X Case , the Supreme Court held that a risk to the life of woman from suicide

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2816-638: The Union for a Popular Movement / The Republicans in France and most centre-right parties from countries once belonging to the Eastern Bloc and Yugoslavia ) have not adopted traditional labels, but their ideologies are also a mixture of conservatism, Christian democracy and liberalism. In the modern European discourse, liberal conservatism usually encompasses centre-right political outlooks that reject at least to some extent social conservatism. This position

2904-469: The X case ruling of the Supreme Court, granting access to a termination of a pregnancy where there is a real and substantial risk to the life, not the health, of the mother, including a threat of suicide. Five TDs and two Senators, including Minister of State Lucinda Creighton , lost the Fine Gael party whip for voting against the legislation. Creighton later left Fine Gael to found Renua . The Act

2992-645: The centre-left of the political spectrum, in contrast to many European countries where liberalism is often more associated with the centre and centre-right while social democracy makes up a substantial part of the centre-left. The opposite is true in Latin America , where economically liberal conservatism is often labelled under the rubric of neoliberalism both in popular culture and academic discourse. Although libertarian conservatism has similarities to liberal conservatism with both being influenced by classical liberal thought, libertarian conservatism

3080-502: The rule of law regarding civil rights , social equality and the environment . This is equated with the creation of a cohesive and tolerant society with increased levels of individual responsibility and less inequality . Liberal conservatism shares the classical liberal tenets of a commitment to individualism , belief in negative freedom , a lightly regulated free market, and a minimal rule of law state. A number of commentators have stated that many conservative currents in

3168-930: The rule of law , private property , the market economy and constitutional representative government, the liberal element of liberal conservatism became consensual among conservatives. In some countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States, the term liberal conservatism came to be understood simply as conservatism in popular culture, prompting some conservatives who embraced more strongly classical-liberal values to call themselves libertarians instead. However, there are differences between classical liberals and libertarians. In their embrace of liberal and free market principles, European liberal conservatives are clearly distinguishable from those holding national-conservative , fully socially conservative and/or outright populist views, let alone

3256-551: The trade unions , who have raised the idea that the party's solutions are more conscious of business interests than the interests of the worker. In 2008 the SIPTU trade union stated its opposition to then-Taoiseach Enda Kenny's assertion, in response to Ireland's economic crisis, that the national wage agreement ought to have been suspended. Kenny's comments had support however and the party attributed its significant rise in polls in 2008 to this. Fine Gael's Simon Coveney launched what

3344-403: The "Just Society" policy statement in the 1960s, based on principles of social justice and equality. It was created by the emerging social democratic wing of the party, led by Declan Costello . The ideas expressed in the policy statement had a significant influence on the party in the years to come. While Fine Gael was traditionally socially conservative for most of the twentieth century due to

3432-493: The 1980s, such as Thatcherism , were rejuvenated classical liberals in all but name. However, in contrast to classical liberalism there is a stronger social agenda and support for a greater degree of state intervention especially in certain areas of social life which liberal conservatives believe should not be subject to market forces. Particularly in regards to the family, sexuality, health and education, these should either always be periodically regulated or minimally protected by

3520-479: The Blueshirts, but was rebuffed by the majority of them, who chose to stay with Fine Gael. Under the stewardship of Cosgrave and Dillon, the party returned to the more traditional conservatism espoused by Cumann na nGaedhael, with the moribund League of Youth disbanded by 1936. Fine Gael remained out of government and at a low ebb for a prolonged period until the aftermath of the 1948 general election , which saw

3608-679: The British Conservative Party . In an interview shortly after taking office as Prime Minister in 2010, David Cameron introduced himself as a liberal conservative. During his first speech to a party conference in 2006, Cameron had defined this as believing in individual freedom and human rights , but being skeptical of "grand schemes to remake the world". Defunct Newspapers Journals TV channels Websites Other Economics Gun rights Identity politics Nativist Religion Watchdog groups Youth/student groups Miscellaneous Other In

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3696-537: The Eighth Amendment, which would be considered by an Oireachtas committee, to whose report the government would respond officially in debates in both houses of the Oireachtas. Fine Gael Oireachtas members were promised a free vote on the issue. Leo Varadkar succeeded Enda Kenny as Taoiseach on 14 June 2017 and promised to hold a referendum on abortion in 2018. Several Fine Gael TDs, notably Health Minister Simon Harris and Kate O'Connell , were prominent supporters of

3784-472: The European People's Party (YEPP). It is inferred from the party's relationship with its European counterparts via membership of the European People's Party that Fine Gael belongs on the centre-right . The party conforms generally with European political parties that identify themselves as being Christian democratic . The Moriarty Tribunal has sat since 1997 and has investigated the granting of

3872-626: The Fianna Fáil government banned the National Guard, fearing a planned parade in Dublin might be an attempt to emulate the March on Rome , which saw Benito Mussolini rise to power in Italy. In September 1933, the three groups combined forces and merged to form Fine Gael. The National Guard (referred to informally by this point as "the Blueshirts") were to serve as the youth wing of the new party, "The League of Youth". CnaG members dominated

3960-529: The Labour Party returned with their best results ever. For the first time in its history, Fine Gael became the largest party in Dáil Eireann. Once more Fine Gael and Labour paired up to form a government, their tenure marked by the difficulty of trying to guide Ireland towards economic recovery. In 2013, a number of Fine Gael parliamentary party members, including Lucinda Creighton , were expelled from

4048-596: The Midlands-Northwest constituency in the 2019 European Parliament election , running alongside Mairéad McGuinness MEP. Walsh was Fine Gael's first openly lesbian candidate. Fine Gael has an LGBT+ section, Fine Gael LGBT, and in 2017, Leo Varadkar became the first Taoiseach to march in Dublin Pride . In 1983, the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution , which proposed to protect the life of

4136-518: The National Pensions Reserve Fund, was Fine Gael's proposed funding source for its national stimulus package. The plan was seen as the longer term contribution to Fine Gael's economic agenda and the basis of its program for government. It was publicised in combination with a more short term policy proposal from Leo Varadkar . This document, termed "Hope for a Lost Generation" , promised to bring 30,000 young Irish people off

4224-414: The United States as conservative liberalism and distinguished it from liberal conservatism. Historically, conservatism in the 18th and 19th centuries comprised a set of principles based on concern for established tradition , respect for authority and religious values . This form of traditionalist or classical conservatism is often considered to be exemplified by the writings of Joseph de Maistre in

4312-513: The United States, conservatives often combine the economic individualism of classical liberals with a Burkean form of conservatism that emphasizes the natural inequalities between men, the irrationality of human behavior as the basis for the human drive for order and stability and the rejection of natural rights as the basis for government. From a different perspective, American conservatism (a "hybrid of conservatism and classical liberalism") has exalted three tenets of Burkean conservatism, namely

4400-510: The basis of current liberal conservatism which can be seen both in the works of Raymond Aron and Michael Oakeshott . However, there is general agreement that the original liberal conservatives were those who combined conservative social attitudes with an economically liberal outlook, adapting a previous aristocratic understanding of natural inequalities between men to the rule of meritocracy , without directly criticizing privileges of birth as long as individual liberties were guaranteed. Over time,

4488-519: The campaign, Fine Gael then health spokesman James Reilly stated "Over the last 10 years the health service has become a shambles. We regularly have over 350 people on trolleys in A&;E, waiting lists that go on for months, outpatient waiting lists that go on for years and cancelled operations across the country..." Fine Gael launched its FairCare campaign and website in April 2009, which stated that

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4576-521: The conservative Christian ethos of Irish society during this time, its members are variously influenced by social liberalism , social democracy and Christian democracy on issues of social policy. Under Garret FitzGerald, the party's more socially liberal, or pluralist, wing gained prominence. Proposals to allow divorce were put to referendum by two Fine Gael–led governments, in 1986 under FitzGerald, and in 1995 under John Bruton, passing very narrowly on this second attempt. Its modern supporters have shown

4664-434: The diffidence toward the power of the state, the preference of liberty over equality and for patriotism while rejecting the three remaining tenets, namely loyalty to traditional institutions and hierarchies, skepticism regarding progress and elitism. Consequently, the term liberal conservatism is not used in the United States. Modern American liberalism happens to be quite different from European liberalism and occupies

4752-558: The disruption of Cumann na nGaedhael meetings by members of the Irish Republican Army , the ACA had begun providing security at their events. This led to the leadership of the ACA being taken over by a number of CnaG TDs , including Thomas F. O'Higgins . In early 1933, Eoin O'Duffy took over the ACA, renamed them the National Guard, and began instilling the organisation with elements of European fascism . However, in August 1933

4840-694: The dissolution of the Dáil. A candidate for election as TD must be an Irish citizen and over 21 years of age. Members of the judiciary, the Garda Síochána , and the Permanent Defence Forces are disqualified from membership of the Dáil. The term was first used to describe those Irish parliamentarians who were elected at the 1918 general election , and who, rather than attending the British House of Commons at Westminster , to which they had been elected, assembled instead in

4928-557: The earlier 1987 election. John Bruton said he had received £1,000 from Dunne in 1982 towards his election campaign, and Dunne had also given £15,000 to the Labour Party during the 1990 Presidential election campaign. Following revelations at the Moriarty Tribunal on 16 February 1999, in relation to Charles Haughey and his relationship with AIB , former Taoiseach Garret Fitzgerald confirmed that AIB and Ansbacher wrote off debts of almost £200,000 that he owed in 1993, when he

5016-400: The economy. At the European level, Christian democrats and most liberal conservatives are affiliated to the European People's Party (EPP), while liberals (including conservative and social liberals) to the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party (ALDE Party). In this context, some traditionally Christian-democratic parties (such as Christian-Democratic and Flemish in Belgium,

5104-477: The fathers of liberalism , including economic liberalism , the separation of church and state , social liberalism and utilitarianism . According to scholar Andrew Vincent, the maxim of liberal conservatism is "economics is prior to politics". Others emphasize the openness of historical change and a suspicion of tyrannical majorities behind the hailing of individual liberties and traditional virtues by authors such as Edmund Burke and Alexis de Tocqueville as

5192-566: The first half of the government's five-year term, then becoming Taoiseach in December 2022. Leo Varadkar resigned as leader of Fine Gael on 20 March 2024, and was succeeded by Simon Harris , who was elected unopposed on 24 March. As a political party of the centre-right , Fine Gael has been described as liberal-conservative , Christian-democratic , liberal , conservative liberal , conservative , and pro-European , with an ideological base combining elements of cultural conservatism and economic liberalism . Although Ireland's political spectrum

5280-415: The first preference vote. Fine Gael formed a government between 1994 and 1997 with the Labour Party and the Democratic Left . This government legalised divorce after a successful referendum in 1995. The party's share of TDs fell from 54 in 1997 to only 31 in the 2002 general election , its second-worst result ever at that point. It was at this point Enda Kenny took over leadership of the party and began

5368-425: The government as a minority government , made possible by a confidence and supply agreement with Fianna Fáíl, who agreed to abstain in confidence votes. Enda Kenny resigned as party leader in 2017. Following a leadership contest , Leo Varadkar became his successor as well as Taoiseach. In doing so, Varadkar became one of the first openly LGBT heads of government in the world . In 2018 the Fine Gael government held

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5456-454: The government to apply for membership of NATO. Under Enda Kenny, the party called on the state to end Irish neutrality and to sign up for a European defence structure, with Kenny claiming that "the truth is, Ireland is not neutral. We are merely unaligned." Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine , Fine Gael called for an increase in defence spending, with Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney proposing an increase of €500 million

5544-420: The government's own bill. The arrangement between Fine Gael and Labour proved pleasing to both parties and their election pacts remained throughout the rest of the 1970s and into the 1980s, seeing the pair enter government a number of times together. In 1985, Fine Gael/Labour voted to liberalise access to contraceptives. That same year FitzGerald signed the Anglo-Irish Agreement with Margaret Thatcher , paving

5632-498: The health impacts" of cannabis. Fine Gael has, since its inception, portrayed itself as a party of fiscal rectitude and minimal government interference in economics, advocating pro-enterprise policies. In that they followed the line of the previous pro-Treaty government that believed in minimal state intervention, low taxes and social expenditures. Newly elected politicians for the party in the Dáil have strongly advocated liberal economic policies. Lucinda Creighton (who has since left

5720-450: The health service would be reformed away from a costly ineffective endeavour, into a publicly regulated system where compulsory universal health insurance would replace the existing provisions. This strategy was criticised by Fianna Fáil's then-Minister for Children, Barry Andrews . The spokesperson for family law and children, Alan Shatter TD , robustly defended its proposals as the only means of reducing public expenditure, and providing

5808-406: The largest European political party comprising liberal conservative and Christian democratic national-level parties from across Europe. Fine Gael's MEPs sit with the EPP Group in the European Parliament , and Fine Gael parliamentarians also sit with the EPP Groups in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and Committee of the Regions . Young Fine Gael is a member of the Youth of

5896-403: The majority of conservatives in the Western world came to adopt free market economic ideas as the Industrial Revolution progressed and the monarchy, aristocracy and clergy lost their wealth and power, to the extent that such ideas are now generally considered as part of conservatism. Nonetheless, the term liberal is used in most countries to describe those with free-market economic views. This

5984-400: The merger of three political organisations; Cumann na nGaedhael (CnaG) led by W. T. Cosgrave , the National Centre Party led by Frank MacDermot and James Dillon , and the National Guard (better known as the Blueshirts ), led by Eoin O'Duffy . Cumann na nGaedhael, born out of the pro- Anglo-Irish Treaty side in the Irish Civil War , had been the party of government from the creation of

6072-471: The new party. However, to avoid the perception that Fine Gael was simply Cumann na nGaedhael under a new name, O'Duffy was made leader of the new party. Following poor results at the 1934 local elections and concerns over his increasingly rabid rhetoric, O'Duffy resigned from the leadership after the party attempted to control what he said in public. He was replaced by W. T. Cosgrave, with James Dillon becoming deputy leader. O'Duffy attempted to regain control of

6160-429: The party for defying the party whip on anti-abortion grounds to oppose the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill . These members subsequently formed a political party called Renua . In 2015, the Fine Gael/Labour government held a referendum to allow gay marriage under the constitution . The government campaigned for a yes vote and were successful. Following the 2016 general election , Fine Gael retained control of

6248-520: The party form a grand coalition with several other parties in order to oust Fianna Fáil and place Fine Gael member John A. Costello as Taoiseach. The coalition was short-lived but revived again between 1954 and 1957. However, following this stint Fine Gael returned to opposition for 16 years. The party went through a period of soul-searching during the 1960s, in which a new generation of Fine Gael politicians led by Declan Costello sought to revitalise Fine Gael with new ideas. In what has later been hailed as

6336-515: The party termed a radical re-organisation of the Irish semi-state company sector. Styled the New Economy and Recovery Authority (or NewERA), Coveney said that it is an economic stimulus plan that will "reshape the Irish economy for the challenges of the 21st century". Requiring an €18.2 billion investment in Energy, Communications and Water infrastructure over a four-year period, it was promoted as

6424-432: The party was commonly known as Fine Gael – The United Ireland Party , abbreviated UIP , and its official title in its constitution remains Fine Gael (United Ireland) . Fine Gael holds a pro-European stance and is generally considered to be more of a proponent of economic liberalism than its traditional rival, Fianna Fáil . Fine Gael describes itself as a "party of the progressive centre" which it defines as acting "in

6512-445: The party) and Leo Varadkar in particular have been seen as strong advocates of a neoliberal approach to Ireland's economic woes and unemployment problems. Varadkar in particular has been a strong proponent of small, indigenous business, advocating in 2008 that smaller firms should have benefitted from the government's recapitalisation program. Its former finance spokesman Richard Bruton's proposals were seen as approaching problems from

6600-472: The post- Enlightenment age. Contemporaneous liberalism , now recalled as classical liberalism , advocated both political freedom for individuals and a free market in the economic sphere. Ideas of this sort were promulgated by John Locke , Montesquieu , Voltaire , Jean-Jacques Rousseau , Ben Franklin , Thomas Jefferson , Thomas Paine , Edward Gibbon , David Hume , Adam Smith , Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill , who are respectively remembered as

6688-430: The pro-choice side before and during the referendum. While the party was divided, the majority of Fine Gael TDs and Senators, as well as most members, were in favour of repealing the Eighth Amendment. A referendum to repeal the Eighth Amendment was held on 25 May 2018 and was approved by 66.4% of voters. The party has traditionally held a strong stance against the decriminalisation of drugs. In 2007, Fine Gael's leader at

6776-468: The process of rebuilding it. At the 2007 general election Kenny was able to bring Fine Gael back to its 1997 levels with 51 TDs. The collapse of the Celtic Tiger resulted in the post-2008 Irish economic downturn , which threw Ireland not only into economic turmoil but also political upheaval. The 2011 Irish general election saw the governing Fianna Fáil collapse at the polls, while Fine Gael and

6864-465: The state. Both conservatism and liberalism have had different meanings over time in different centuries. The term liberal conservatism has been used in quite different ways. It usually contrasts with aristocratic conservatism, which deems the principle of equality as something discordant with human nature and emphasizes instead the idea of natural inequality. As conservatives in democratic countries have embraced typical liberal institutions such as

6952-439: The time Enda Kenny called for drug and alcohol testing to be performed in schools, saying cocaine usage at schools was "rampant" in some areas. At the party's 2014 Ard Fheis, a proposed motion to support the legalisation of cannabis was voted down by the membership. In 2016, the Fine Gael health minister James Reilly said that they would not be changing their policy on the legalisation of cannabis, due to "serious concerns about

7040-493: The total number of TDs must be fixed at one TD for each 20,000 to 30,000 of the population. There are 160 TDs in the 33rd Dáil , elected at the 2020 general election under the Electoral (Amendment) (Dáil Constituencies) Act 2017 . At the 2024 general election , under the Electoral (Amendment) Act 2023 , there will be 174 TDs. The outgoing Ceann Comhairle is automatically returned unless they announce their retirement before

7128-519: The unborn, was put to a referendum. Fine Gael initially supported the proposal, but then came out in opposition to it. Under leader and Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald , the party campaigned for a 'No' vote, arguing, on the advice of the Attorney General Peter Sutherland , that the wording, which had been drafted under the previous government, was ambiguous and open to many interpretations. Its stance conflicted with that of

7216-633: The voting age from 21 to 18, and supported a proposal to remove the "special position" of the Roman Catholic Church from the constitution. It was on the successful side in all three of these campaigns. The party also began to take a more liberal approach to the introduction of contraceptives to Ireland, although an attempt by the Fine Gael/Labour coalition to legalise contraceptives in 1974 stumbled after six members of Fine Gael, most prominently Taoiseach Liam Cosgrave, voted against

7304-658: The way to devolved government in Northern Ireland . In 1986 the party campaigned for a Yes in that year's referendum on legalising divorce , which was defeated, with the No side obtaining 63.5% of the vote. The 1980s had proven fruitful electorally for Fine Gael, but the 1990s and early 2000s saw this momentum decline quickly. One of the first signs of this was the party's poor result in the 1990 presidential election , in which their candidate Austin Currie obtained just 17% of

7392-555: Was a permissible ground under Article 40.3.3° for abortion. In 2002, Fine Gael campaigned against the Twenty-fifth Amendment to the Constitution , which proposed to remove suicide as a grounds for granting a termination of a pregnancy. The amendment was rejected by Irish voters. In 2013 it proposed, and supported, the enactment of the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act 2013 , which implemented in statute law

7480-399: Was criticised by various anti-abortion groups and Catholic bishops, but supported by a majority of the electorate in opinion polls, with many indicating they wished to see a more liberal law on abortion. Enda Kenny's Fine Gael–led minority government took office after the 2016 election with a programme which promised a randomly selected Citizens' Assembly to report on possible changes to

7568-403: Was formed in 1977. Having governed in coalition with the Labour Party between 2011 and 2016, and in a minority government along with Independent TDs from 2016 to 2020, Fine Gael currently forms part of a historic coalition government with its traditional rival, Fianna Fáil, and the Green Party , with Simon Harris serving as Taoiseach since April 2024. Fine Gael was created in 1933 following

7656-460: Was in financial difficulties because of the collapse of the aircraft leasing company, GPA, in which he was a shareholder. The write-off occurred after Fitzgerald left politics. Fitzgerald also said he believed his then Fine Gael colleague, Peter Sutherland , who was chairman of AIB at the time, was unaware of the situation. The leader of the Fine Gael party is Simon Harris . The position of deputy leader has been held since 2024 by Helen McEntee TD,

7744-483: Was traditionally divided along Civil War lines, rather than the traditional European left–right spectrum , Fine Gael is described generally as a centre-right party, with a focus on "fiscal rectitude". As the descendant of the pro-Treaty factions in the Irish Civil War, Fine Gael cites Michael Collins as an inspiration and claims his legacy. He remains a symbol for the party, and the anniversary of his death

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