Power and Parties

Question 1

Australian Prime Minister (2010)

Answer 1

Julia Gillard
Became PM due to an internal party coup (no election!)
Incumbent PM (Rudd) lacked the support of 115 members of the Australian Labour Party
Her party actually lost 11 seats

Question 2

Right wing parties

Answer 2

Low taxes
State's laws should reflect God's laws
Prices should be decided by market forces
Christian Democrats (20-30%)
Conservatives (15-25%) 
Extreme Right wing parties (0-5%)
Nationalist/Regionalist Parties (0-5%)

Question 3

Left wing parties

Answer 3

High taxes
Laws should not reflect theology
Prices should be should be controlled by the state
Relative weakness of the leftwing (Ireland under 20%, rest of Europe closer to 33%-40%)
Former Communists (0-5%)
Radical Left Parties (0-5%)
Social Democrat, Labour, Socialist Parties (20-30%)

Question 4

Power of parties

Answer 4

Organisation (whip system)
Legitimacy from elections
Relative ideological coherence
Staying power

Question 5

Irish party family tree

Answer 5

Most Irish parties today are descendents of the original Sinn Fein party (radical nationalist) 1905-1922
1912: Labour party (left)
1926: Fianna Fail (right)
1933: Fine Gael (right) 
1977|82: Workers party (left) 
1985: Progressive Democrates (right)
1987: Sinn Fein (left), Green party (left)
1996: Socialist party (left)
1997: Christian Solidarity party (right)

Question 6

Weak Irish left wing

Answer 6

Catholicism
Lack of urban working class
Fragmentation and splits
Dominance of civil war

Question 7

Moderate nationalists

Answer 7

= Constitutional nationalists
Labour party, Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, Sinn Fein
We must work within the Belfast Agreement to secure peace and perhaps, or eventually, unity by peaceful consent and negotiation

Question 8

Post nationalists

Answer 8

The Northern Ireland problem is not the major issue facing Irish society, its shadow has dominated Irish politics for too long
Green party, Socialist party, Workers party

Question 9

Fianna Fail and Fine Gael

Answer 9

Two large civil war nationalist parties of the centre-right-who oppose each other
Fianna Fail: farmers, working class and some middle class
Fine Gael: middle class and much less from working class