CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2024
| Author | O Hannrachain, Lorant |
|---|---|
| Title | Why is there Still no Major Far-Right Party in Ireland? |
| Summary | Almost every country in the West now has a significant far-right movement, yet the non-emergence of far-right politics has been comparatively understudied. Ireland is one of the only democracies where there is still no significant far-right party, yet many of the typical conditions for far right emergence, such as high levels of immigration; a globalised, neoliberal economy; and rapid cultural changes are present, and there has been an increase in far-right violence and protests recently. This puzzle, therefore, gives rise to the central research question of this thesis: why is there still no major far-right party in Ireland? I systematically examine the main theories of far right emergence in the political science literature on both the demand and supply-side, and assess the extent to which they are applicable to the Irish case. This thesis finds that the weakness of the far right in Ireland is best explained by supply-side factors, emphasizing their importance in understanding the emergence of the far right. Specifically, the central argument focuses on the political space available to a far-right party in Ireland, asserting that Sinn Féin, a left-wing nationalist party, limits this space and attracts potential far-right voters. Using 2020 Irish election data, I show that Sinn Féin commands significant support from potential far-right voters and explain how this situation has developed. |
| Supervisor | Bogaards, Matthijs |
| Department | Political Science MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2024/o-hannrachain_lorant.pdf |
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