Progressive Democrats An Páirtí Daonlathach | |
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Leader |
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Founder | Desmond O'Malley |
Founded | 21 December 1985 |
Dissolved | 20 November 2009 |
Headquarters | 25 South Frederick Street, Dublin 2 |
Youth wing | Young Progressive Democrats |
Ideology | Conservative liberalism Economic liberalism |
Political position | Centre-right[5] |
European affiliation | European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party |
European Parliament group | LDR (1989–1994) |
International affiliation | Liberal International |
Colours | Green, dark blue |
Website | |
http://www.progressivedemocrats.ie/ | |
The Progressive Democrats (Irish: An Páirtí Daonlathach, literally "The Democratic Party"), commonly referred to as the PDs, was a conservative liberal[6][7] political party in Ireland. The party's history spanned 24 years, from its formation in 1985 to its dissolution in 2009.
Launched on 21 December 1985 by Desmond O'Malley and other politicians who had split from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, the Progressive Democrats took liberal positions on divorce, contraception and other social issues. The party also supported economic liberalisation, advocating measures such as lower taxation, fiscal conservatism, privatisation and welfare reform. It enjoyed an impressive début at the 1987 general election, winning 14 seats in Dáil Éireann and capturing almost 12 per cent of the popular vote to temporarily surpass the Labour Party as Ireland's third-largest political party.
Although the Progressive Democrats never again won more than 10 seats in the Dáil, it formed coalition governments with Fianna Fáil during the 26th Dáil (1989–1992), the 28th Dáil (1997–2002), the 29th Dáil (2002–2007) and the 30th Dail (2007–2009). These successive years as the government's junior coalition partner gave the party an influence on Irish politics and economics disproportionate to its small size. The party was credited with shaping the low-tax, pro-business environment that contributed to Ireland's Celtic Tiger economic boom during the 1990s and 2000s;[8] however, it was also blamed for contributing to the post-2008 Irish financial and economic crisis.[9]
Mary Harney became party leader in 1993, the first woman to lead any major Irish political party. She stepped down in 2006 and was succeeded by Michael McDowell, who led the party into the 2007 general election, where it lost six of its eight seats in the Dáil. The party never recovered from this electoral collapse. On 8 November 2008, delegates to a special conference in Mullingar voted to disband the party, which was formally dissolved on 20 November 2009.[10][11] The two Progressive Democrats elected to the 30th Dáil, Harney and Noel Grealish, continued to support the government as independent TDs. Harney continued to serve as Minister for Health and Children until January 2011.