Caldish Democrats
Caldish Democrats | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader | Máire Mac Briain |
| Chairperson | Liam Callaghan |
| Founded | 1857 |
| Headquarters | Spálgleann, Glytter |
| Youth wing | Democratic Youth |
| Membership (2012) | 9,170 |
| Ideology | Liberalism Social Liberalism Classic Liberalism |
| Political position | Centre-right |
| Euclean Parliament group | Euclean Liberal Party |
| Colours | Yellow Orange |
| Seanad Glítteann | 0 / 60
|
| Comhthionól Náisiúnta | 16 / 389
|
| Euclean Parliament | 0 / 15
|
| Website | |
| glytdems.gl | |
The Glytter Democrats (Ghaillish: Daonlathach Glítteannach), commonly known as the Glyt Dems, is a liberal and social liberal political party in Glytter. More recently, the party has supported a mixed economy and comprehensive but market-based welfare state programs. It is the nation's oldest active political party, having been established in 1857 by Dónall Ó Conaill and several liberal members of the Seanad Glítteann. Along with the defunct National Conservative Party, the Glytter Democrats acted as one of the nation's main political parties, forming numerous governments between 1857 and 1937. The party's popularity has since been in decline and it is currently the seventh-largest party in the Comhthionól.
Since its 1937 defeat, the party has often acted as the third or fourth party in the Comhthionól. It has been included once in a government since 1937 under the Liberty-Dems Coalition formed by Taoiseach Wallace P. Fitzgerald, Sr., lasting from in 1957 to 1962. The party has gradually lost grounds in the legislature, failing to win more than 25 seats since the 1987 Comhthionól election.
The party generally maintains a platform rooted in social liberal ideals. It supports a progressive income tax, universal healthcare, and a comprehensive welfare state. The Glytter Dems are opposed to legalized euthanasia and Glytter's liberal drug laws. As such, they remain popular among Sotirians and have marketed themselves as a Sotirian democratic party. At times, the party has also maintained classic liberal stances and portrayed itself as such. It is the only Glytteronian political party to officially back increased ties with the Federation-led Joint Defense Force and supports ending Glytter's century's old policy of neutrality. The party is also strongly Pro-Eucleanist and supports further centralisation of the Euclean Community. Since the party's defeat in the 2012 Comhthionól election, party leader Máire Mac Briain has moved to bring the party further to the political right in response to the centrist tendencies of Taoiseach Alexis Walker and the Liberty Party. Adjustments to the party's platform on issues such as immigration have changed and the Glytter Democrats now support the implementation of a new, tougher citizenship test. Mac Braiain also introduced support for the restoration of Glytter's national currency, the Crown, and a Glytteronian withdrawal from the Euclozone to the party platform. As a result, leftist activists such as Greens leader Blanche O'Patrick have accused the party of adopting right-wing and populist rhetoric. However, the party supports an increased in the number asylum seekers admitted on an annual basis, with a particular emphasis on women and children. Since the 2017 Comhthionól election the party has also walked back its support for a withdrawal from the Euclozone after joining the O'Reilly Government. Much of the party's support base consists of middle-class professionals or entrepreneurs in cities and suburbs.
Currently the party has sixteen seats in the Comhthionól Náisiúnta and none in the Seanad Glítteann. The party is currently in government as part of the coalition led by Taoiseach Jimmy O'Reilly. Previously, the party entered into a supply agreement with the Walker Government in 2012. It is a member of the Euclean Liberal Party and has no MEPs.
History
The party was founded in preparation for the 1857 Comhthionól election, the first election of the Comhthionól Náisiúnta. It originally represented the left-wing of Glytteronian politics in the 19th century, supporting classical liberal policies such as a free market, strong civil liberties, and representative democracy. This was in opposition to the National Conservative Party, which was far more traditionalist and had absorbed much of the support of the aristocracy and other elitists. The Glytter Democrats initially came to represent groups such as traders, industrialists, the middle class, and to an extent the working poor. For example, the party supported universal suffrage from its creation, as opposed to the National Conservatives who supported suffrage only for landowners. Historically, the party was divided into two factions: the Uirbeacha (Urbanists) and Tuaithach (Ruralists). The party enjoyed the support of those in urban areas as well as many labourers in the rural regions of the country. A split over the issue of prohibition led to the creation of the Democratic Liberal Party in 1916, resulting in its defeat at the 1917 Comhthionól election. The Glytter Democrats were in government for the entire duration of the Great War. Their actions during the war, such as allowing the Allied forces to occupy the nation, led t the start of the Quasi-War. After coming under heavy pressure to suspend the 1932 Comhthionól election, the party entered its formal decline and was defeated in a landslide by the newly formed Liberty Party.
In the years after its defeat, the Glyt Dems began to regain some lost ground. After the 1942 election they overtook the Social Democrats to become the second largest party. They became the third largest party after the 1947 election and maintained that position until the 1952 election. The party participated in the Liberty-Dems coalition government under The Duke of Holyhead from 1957 to 1962. The party's leader, Ossian Murphy, served as Tánaiste and Minister of Foreign Affairs. Murphy played a crucial role in Glytter's bid for membership within the International Council for Democracy and supported further integration with the Euclean Community. Under Murphy's leadership, the party was able to prevent Liberty from reversing the Flemming Government's policies of nationalization.
Since the 1960s, the party has called for Glytter to pursue closer ties with the International Council for Democracy and the Federation-led Joint Defense Force. The party also supported an increase in the amount spent on foreign aid. Throughout the Great Game, the party has been vocally opposed to leftist and nationalist dictatorships established in Coius and Asteria Inferior. In 1984, party leader Liam McEvoy called for international actions against some of the more oppressive regimes and accused Taoiseach Patricia Flowers of failing to act in the name of human rights. The party has consistently called for the privatization of the state oil company, RPG, and has been a vocal critic of the role oil profits plays in government spending.
Since 1987, the party has failed to secure more than 25 seats in the legislature. The part continued its declined well into the 1990s when the Social Democrats began to adopt Third Way positions, competing directly with the socially liberal platform of the Glytter Democrats. Rory Flanagan led the party to its biggest victory since the 1980s when the party secured 19 seats in the 2002 election. Moderate voters who supported outgoing Taoiseach Morgan Leneghan backed the Glyt Dems after a leadership coup prevented Leneghan from pursing a third term and the leftist wing of the SDs swung the platform to the left. It gained two additional seats in the 2007 election. However, support for the Glyt Dems collapsed in the 2012 election. The party found it difficult to resonate with voters due to the centrist positions of Taoiseach Alexis Walker, who led a coalition government with the Centre Party. Party leader Máire Mac Briain was chosen from the party's more traditional classic liberal wing in an attempt to swing the party to the right to attract more voters. Under the leadership of Máire Mac Briain, the Glytter Democrats adopted policies that would restrict immigration and called for the restoration of Glytter's national currency, the Crown, and a Glytteronian withdrawal from the Euclozone. Policies that favored small and medium businesses which would see regulations cut and government subsidized incentives were also adopted. Mac Briain agreed to a supply agreement with Walker following brief negotiations in June 2012. The party gained seats in the 2017 election and joined the Liberty-Centre coalition led by Jimmy O'Reilly. Mac Briain was appointed Minister of the Interior and the Glytter Democrats were in government for the first time since 1962. After entering the coalition, the Glyt Dems ended up supporting efforts to increase immigration to Glytter by Taoiseach Jimmy O'Reilly. The party supported the Immigration Reform Act (IRA) in exchange for a new citizenship test. However, some have accused the party of going back on its promises by supporting the IRA. It has also abandoned its call for Glytter to withdraw from the Euclozone.
Electoral history
Leaders
- Dónall Ó Conaill (April 1857 - June 1872)
- Maureen Guinness (June 1972 - August 1882)
- Eamon Brady (August 1882 - July 1897)
- Conán Ó Faoláin (July 1897 - April 1906)
- John McNamara (April 1906 - June 1907)
- Saorla Ní Chonaill (June 1907- June 1917)
- Liam Mahoney (June 1917 - November 1925)
- Éamon Ua Buachalla (November 1925 - June 1937)
- Niall Ó Flannagáin (June 1937 - July 1947)
- Ossian Murphy (July 1947 - June 1962)
- Sheila Canavan (June 1962 - October 1975)
- Liam McEvoy (October 1975 - June 1992)
- Caitlín Nic an t-Saoir (June 1992 - March 2002)
- Rory Flanagan (March 2002 - June 2012)
- Máire Mac Briain (June 2012 - present)