Progressive Democrats
|
Progressive Democrats
An Páirtí Daonlathach |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Founder & Leader |
Desmond O'Malley (1985–93) |
| Leader |
Mary Harney (1993–2006), (2007–08) |
| Leader |
Michael McDowell (2006–07) |
| Leader |
Ciarán Cannon (2008–09) |
| Leader |
Noel Grealish (2009) |
| Founded | 21 December 1985 |
| Dissolved | 20 November 2009 |
| Headquarters | 25 South Frederick Street, Dublin 2 |
| Youth wing | Young Progressive Democrats |
| Ideology |
Liberalism Conservative liberalism Classical liberalism |
| Political position | Centre-right |
| European affiliation | European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party |
| International affiliation | Liberal International |
| European Parliament group | LDR (1989–94) |
| Colours | Green, Dark blue |
| Website | |
| http://www.progressivedemocrats.ie | |
The Progressive Democrats (Irish: An Páirtí Daonlathach, lit.: The Democratic Party), commonly known as the PDs, was a liberal and conservative-liberalpolitical party in the Republic of Ireland.
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, they formed coalition governments with Fianna Fáil during the 26th Dáil (1989–92), the 28th Dáil (1997–2002), the 29th Dáil (2002–07) and the 30th Dail (2007–09). 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. In particular, the party has been credited with shaping the low-tax, pro-business environment that contributed to Ireland's Celtic Tiger economic boom during the 1990s and 2000s, as well as blamed for contributing to the subsequent Irish financial and economic crisis.
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