Pádraigín Bláthanna
Patricia Flowers Ghaillish: Pádraigín Bláthanna | |
|---|---|
 Flowers in 2016 | |
| Taoiseach of Caldia | |
| In office 21 June 1982 – 22 June 1992 | |
| Monarch | Ellen II |
| Deputy | Ruadhrí Mac Ceallach |
| Preceded by | Mícheál Ó Muilleoir |
| Succeeded by | Niamh Nic Uilliam |
| Leader of His Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition | |
| In office 3 July 1977 – 21 June 1982 | |
| Preceded by | Mícheál Ó Muilleoir |
| Succeeded by | Fíona Nic Chonsaidín |
| Leader of the Liberty Party | |
| In office 3 July 1977 – 13 June 1992 | |
| Preceded by | Dáibhí Mac Coinneach |
| Succeeded by | Bríd Nic Loingsigh |
| Minister of Industry and Petroleum | |
| In office 19 June 1972 – 29 June 1977 | |
| Taoiseach | Dáibhí Mac Coinneach |
| List Teachta Comhthionól | |
| In office 12 June 1982 – 1 July 1992 | |
| Teachta Comhthionól for Aerach North | |
| In office 12 June 1972 – 12 June 1982 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Patricia Grania Ní Loingsigh 17 February 1929 Spálgleann, Caldia |
| Political party | Liberty Party |
| Spouse | Clive Flowers (m. 1954; died 2005) |
| Children | 4 children |
| Alma mater | University of Warminster |
Patricia Grania Flowers (née Ní Loingsigh , born 17 February 1929) is a Caldish politician who served as the Taoiseach of Caldia from 1982 to 1992.
A corporate lawyer by profession, Flowers was first elected to the Comhthionól Náisiúnta as a Teachta Comhthionól for Aerach North in 1972. She gained a reputation for her "no-nonsense" approach to legislating and eloquence. Flowers served as Minister of Industry and Petroleum in the Second Mac Coinneach Government. She became leader of the Liberty Party and lead the party in opposition. While in opposition, she moved the party towards neoliberal economic policy.
In the 1982 general election, Flowers led her party to a landslide victory. Her free-market ethos saw the privatization of publicly-owned enterprises of and welfare services. Flowers also made substantial changes to the Caldish tax code, introducing a flat tax and special economic zones. Her economic reforms increased economic growth and foreign investment in Caldia. Despite strong economic growth, income inequality grew considerably.
Flowers' favored continued economic integration of the Euclean Community and agreed to adopt the euclo in 1983. However, she was opposed to increased political integration and focused Caldish foreign policy back towards neutrality, reversing the foreign policy of her predecessor and re-distancing the country from Swetania.
She was defeated in 1992 by Niamh Nic Uilliam and resigned as leader the following month. Flowers had a major impact on her party, shifting it ideologically and initiated a lasting realignment towards economic liberalism. Supporters of Flowers continued to dominate her party until the rise of Alexis Walker in 2007.