The Republic of Ireland is a country in north-western Europe that officially covers the whole island of Ireland, with the Northern Counties Special Zone being a semi-autonomous region. It shares the British Isles with the United Kingdom of Great Britain.
Politics[]
Since 1930s, the Fianna Fáil party, which was founded by Éamon de Valera, has held control of Ireland, with a fairly comfortable majority in the Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas). Fianna Fáil is still the largest party in 1962, however, it has been forced out of a majority, due to influence of Fine Gael.
In 1962, there are four main parties in the Dáil Éireann:
- Fianna Fáil (FF) under Taoiseach Seán Francis Lemass is the largest party in the Dáil, which has 67 seats. Except 3 disloyal Teachtaí Dála, those seats are shared by three factions, which are Lemassites (L; Paternalism; 40 seats), reformists (SO; 15 seats), and hardliners (HL; 9 seats). The leader of the reformist faction is Jack Lynch, while the hardliners are led by Charles Haughey.
- Fine Gael (FG) under James Dillon is a mostly liberal party and the second largest party in the Dáil.
- Labour Party (LP) under Brendan Corish is a social democratic party. It has 11 seats.
There are also 10 independent Teachtaí Dála in the Dáil, two amongst them support Fianna Fáil.
National spirits[]
| Humiliation of a Giant |
For most of Ireland's short history, the Fianna Fáil Party has held control of Ireland, and within a fairly comfortable majority of the Dail. Even as the political situation devolved into violence and clashes throughout the country in the '50's, de Valera continued to hold power with tight media controls and and centralizing powers around the Ceannire. However, nothing lasts forever, and a strong showing by Fine Gael has forced Fianna Fáil out of a majority. While still the largest party, they are now struggling to find a path forward to ensure their agenda can still get done. |
| Not Much to Gain, Mr. Hitler |
People say that Ireland was on the winning side of the Second World War, but it doesn't feel like it in Ireland. The free world and the OFN wants nothing to do with a Pakt nation, and to them, the island is essentially a non-entity. Having its economy tied to Germany has proved a disaster, with it being in stagnation since the German crash. And worst of all, it can't do anything about the situation. By joining the winning side of the war, Ireland has lost far more. |
| Political Paranoia Has Its Consequences |
Tensions in Fianna Fáil have exploded since the defeat in the Dail elections in 1961. |
Cabinet[]
| Cabinet member | Role | Ideology | Trait(s) and effects |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seán Francis Lemass | Head of state | Authoritarian Democracy | No Traits |
| Sean MacEntee | Head of government | Authoritarian Democracy | Trusted Right-hand Man:
|
| Frank Aiken | Foreign minister | Authoritarian Democracy | Honest Peacemaker:
|
| Donogh Brendan O'Malley | Economy minister | Despotism | Tought and Incompetent:
|
| Charles Haughey | Security minister | Authoritarian Democracy | Loyal and Useful:
|
