Manchester University Press
7 Political funding and the legislative response: 1980s–2010
Abstract
Fianna Fáil's financial reliance on the beef industry in the 1980s was replaced by property and construction interests in the 1990s and 2000s. This chapter explores if this dependence impacted on policy decisions and if this reliance exacerbated the depth of Ireland's economic collapse from 2008-2010. The upshot of the financial crash was the subsequent intervention by the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank in November 2010 and the loss of Irish economic sovereignty. The regulatory framework on political finances is indicative of the political approach to public ethics. The legislation often expresses objectives without considering in sufficient detail how to implement the worthy intentions. The ensuing Ethics in Public Office Act, 1995 was the first substantive legislation on political corruption since the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1916.
Abstract
Fianna Fáil's financial reliance on the beef industry in the 1980s was replaced by property and construction interests in the 1990s and 2000s. This chapter explores if this dependence impacted on policy decisions and if this reliance exacerbated the depth of Ireland's economic collapse from 2008-2010. The upshot of the financial crash was the subsequent intervention by the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank in November 2010 and the loss of Irish economic sovereignty. The regulatory framework on political finances is indicative of the political approach to public ethics. The legislation often expresses objectives without considering in sufficient detail how to implement the worthy intentions. The ensuing Ethics in Public Office Act, 1995 was the first substantive legislation on political corruption since the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1916.
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Dedication v
- Contents vii
- List of Figures and Tables viii
- Preface and Acknowledgements x
- Foreword xii
- 1 Introduction 1
- 2 Why so little corruption? 1900s–1920s 19
- 3 Setting standards: 1930s–1940s 36
- 4 At a crossroads? 1950s–1970s 69
- 5 Golden circles: 1980s–1990s 103
- 6 The tribunal period: 1990s–2000s 143
- 7 Political funding and the legislative response: 1980s–2010 192
- 8 Political corruption in Ireland: 1922–2010 209
- Bibliography 245
- Index 263
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Dedication v
- Contents vii
- List of Figures and Tables viii
- Preface and Acknowledgements x
- Foreword xii
- 1 Introduction 1
- 2 Why so little corruption? 1900s–1920s 19
- 3 Setting standards: 1930s–1940s 36
- 4 At a crossroads? 1950s–1970s 69
- 5 Golden circles: 1980s–1990s 103
- 6 The tribunal period: 1990s–2000s 143
- 7 Political funding and the legislative response: 1980s–2010 192
- 8 Political corruption in Ireland: 1922–2010 209
- Bibliography 245
- Index 263
