Irish general election: 25 February 2011

[tpfkaw]

So the closest US equivalent would be something like 1894, or even the collapse of the Whigs?

[tpfkaw]

So Fianna Fail's ideology (or lack of one) could be considered similar to that of the GOP c. 1920-1980?

[tpfkaw]

So Fianna Fail's ideology (or lack of one) could be considered similar to that of the GOP c. 1920-1980?

Irish politics is fairly similar to American politics in the century following the Civil War, in that both parties are pretty much the same and the one you vote for depends on which side your ancestors were on in the Civil War.

I think that's a bit of an oversimplification (of post-Civil War politics).  The Republicans were the party of protectionism, nativism, prohibition, "progressive" racial policies, and isolationism, while the Democrats favored free trade, free immigration, legal liquor, states' rights, and more internationalist policies.  Considering that New York and Massachusetts were among the more important swing states, I'd say that people really only voted along "Civil War" lines in the South (though people did generally vote on ethnic lines).

[tpfkaw]

Hmm, I would think that you'd eventually start to see FG voters tactically voting for FF in the hopes of an FG-FF coalition rather than FG-Labour.  I suppose FF is really that hated.

[tpfkaw]

Well look at that, Irish Labour is making the same mistake that the Lib Dems did next door!

Or that the Irish Greens did...

Is it possible for FG to form a government with independents?

[tpfkaw]

The GOP never dropped to anywhere near 17% of the vote. Never say never I suppose, but it looks to me like the party's over. FF's chances of returning to major party status are probably a  worse than SF's chances of taking their place.

They did drop to 23.17% of the vote...

(Worst result for the GOP in a two-candidate election was 36.54% in 1936, worst result for the Dems was 28.82% in 1924, worst result for the Dems in a two-candidate election was 34.15% in 1920).