The Fine Gael–Labour Coalition Government, 1982–1987
In this chapter you will learn about: • The Fine Gael–Labour coalition of 1982–1987 • Garret FitzGerald’s leadership and his ‘Constitutional Crusade’ • The New Ireland Forum and the Anglo-Irish Agreement • The founding of the Progressive Democrats
By the end of this chapter you will be able to: • Assess Garret FitzGerald’s career and the contribution he made to Irish politics
• Understand the significance of the Anglo-Irish Agreement in the context of finding a solution to the Troubles and developing stronger Anglo-Irish relations
• Discuss how the divisions in Fianna Fáil led to the emergence of the Progressive Democrats • Judge the effectiveness of Fine Gael–Labour’s economic policies and the divisions these caused
A New Coalition
Following the 1982 election, Fine Gael under Garret FitzGerald and the Labour Party led by Dick Spring agreed to form a coalition government. FitzGerald was elected Taoiseach and Spring took the position of Tánaiste. The cabinet included ten members of Fine Gael and four members of the Labour Party.
Members of the coalition cabinet included: Office
Taoiseach
Tánaiste and Minister for the Environment Minister for Finance
Minister for Foreign Affairs Minister for Justice
Minister for Agriculture Minister
Garret FitzGerald Dick Spring Alan Dukes Peter Barry
Michael Noonan Austin Deasy
Minister for Health and Minister for Social Welfare Barry Desmond Minister for Education
494 LEAVING CERTIFICATE HISTORY Gemma Hussey Party
