The Commons: A New Landscape of Irish Politics and the Rise of Sinn Féin

This most recent Irish General Election marks a colossal shift in the landscape of Irish politics. On February 8, 2020, the stronghold parties of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil met the full force of Sinn Féin, a party that until recently had been plagued by a controversial history of violence.

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Named ever so mutedly, The Troubles were a three-decade violent conflict between the Protestant Loyalists and Catholic Nationalists in Northern Ireland. The conflict was not inherently religious, despite where the divide occurred. Since the formation of Protestant-majority Northern Ireland in 1922, the Catholic minority faced cultural and political mistreatment. The dominance of Protestants, loyal to the British crown, was easily identifiable in the unequal distribution of employment opportunities, the lack of education on Irish history in Northern Irish schools, gerrymandering that guaranteed the continued power of the Protestant majority, among other manifestations. Historically closer in culture and ideology with the Irish Republic, the Catholic minority learned to navigate this discrimination. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, groups such as the Northern Irish Civil Rights Association (NICRA) advocated non-violently for equal rights and treatment of Catholics in Northern Ireland. It wasn’t until 1968 that this ongoing civil unrest boiled over and the Troubles began. The next 30 years bred violence and the death of 3600 people, nearly 60% at the hands of the Irish Republican Army (the IRA). The group has been “long accused of aligning with terrorism and violence” and with Sinn Féin acting the “political wing of the IRA,” this violent legacy has plagued any legitimate bid for power from the party. 

For the last 2 decades, Sinn Féin has struggled to amass significant support in Ireland. This February election   – in which Sinn Féin received 24.5%, of the vote, compared to Fianna Fail’s 22% and Fine Gael’s 21% – is proof that public perception is changing. 

Key to the resurgence of Sinn Féin is Ireland’s desire for change, especially among younger voters. Together, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have presided over a center-right Irish political establishment for nearly a century; power has shifted from one to the other with little threat from other parties. In the last decade, Ireland has been seen rising rent costs, a growing homelessness issue, and steadily increasing costs of living – phenomena that have invigorated voters to question whether Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are those most appropriate to lead. The controversial legacy of Sinn Féin no longer dominates their identity, and as they have shifted further away from a bid to reunite Ireland, the party has been able to shine a light on the failures of the center-right leadership. Under the leadership of Mary Lou MacDonald, Sinn Féin’s positive presence has grown and they’ve managed to arrange themselves “as the center-left alternative to an old pals network” that they would argue has failed the Irish people. 

Sinn Féin’s rise in popularity can also be attributed to the median age of voters in Ireland. As of 2020, “a third of the population remains under 25,” meaning that the Troubles and thus Sinn Féin’s violent involvement with the IRA, holds no memorable weight for them. All in all, Sinn Féin’s surge in popularity signifies a radical shift in the Irish political landscape. The February results make clear that people want change. As Sinn Féin leader MacDonald has put it, people are not satisfied with the “status-quo” of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil; they will no longer be pawns of  “broken politics” that have “failed workers and families.” 

Sinn Féin’s electoral victory indicates a desire for a drastic rethinking of the Irish political establishment, but the recent actions of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil may serve to nullify that desire. In the wake of February's results, many had hoped that one of the former stronghold parties would form a majority coalition with Sinn Féin, breaking the Irish Parliament out of its political deadlock and truly acknowledging the election results. In lieu of working with Sinn Féin, the center-right parties have proposed a deal that would see them join forces with the Green Party, meaning that they would again hold majority in parliament. These historically ideologically aligned but oppositional parties would rather work together than with Sinn Féin. Leaders of the former strongholds, Leo Varadkar and Micheál Martin, “ruled out entering government with Sinn Féin, citing ethical and policy reasons.” Pearse Doherty, Sinn Féin’s deputy leader denounced the actions of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, stating on June 14: 

“These parties, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil specifically, cannot be trusted. They created many of the major challenges we have in terms of health and housing. Regardless of what party props them up, these two parties will not change. So it is over to the membership now. They have seen what these parties have failed to deliver despite all their flowery language and I think it would be naive in the extreme to think they will change into what the public wanted.” 

Doherty made Sinn Féin’s position very clear: This coalition is “not the change that people voted for.”  Many see Varadkar and Martin’s justification for not working with Sinn Féin as but a thinly veiled attempt to maintain the status quo and reject the changing axis of Irish politics. 

If the proposed coalition goes through, Sinn Fein’s leader, Mary Lou MacDonald has promised that “Sinn Féin will provide ‘the most effective opposition in the history of this State.’” Both MacDonald and deputy leader Doherty believe that the results of the election make it overwhelmingly clear that a change needs to be made and that Sinn Féin will use the results as a “mandate to force the changes that are needed,” in the case of a continued Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil dominated parliament. 

No matter what comes from the proposed coalition, the future of Ireland will be forever marked by this election. Even if Sinn Féin is only an opposition party, they have proven that Irish voters, especially those of younger generations, want a nation that prioritizes fairness, wealth distribution, and other more center-left ideals than Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil offers them.