General Election, 17th February 1987 General Election, 17th February 198725th DAIL (166 DEPUTIES)
Others include: the Progressive Democrats; the Workers Party; the Communist Party of Ireland; the Democratic Socialist Party; the Green Alliance - Comhaontas Glas; Sinn Fein; and non-party candidates
Turnout 73%
Number of women elected - 14 (8%)
Elected for Clare : Sile de Valera (FF), Donal Carey (FG),
Brendan Daly (FF), Madeleine Taylor - Quinn (FG)
Election held against background of economic crisis with highest ever recorded current budget deficit, and record unemployment at 250,178
Four-week campaign dominated by key issues of the economy, emigration and unemployment
Progressive Democrats, founded January 1986, contest their first general election and win fourteen seats, now third largest party in new Dail
FG wins two of the four seats in Clare with just 28% of first preference vote; PDs poll 11% first preferences in Clare
Outgoing Tanaiste Dick Spring (Lab) holds Kerry North seat by margin of five votes
Fianna Fail election slogan: "Cuts hurt the old and the poor"
Workers Party slogan: "Tax the greedy not the needy"
FF targets 1985 Anglo - Irish - Agreement, proposes amendments in face of all-party consensus on Agreement ; subsequently FF decides to accept Agreement
FF proposes abolishing unpopular DIRT tax, subsequently have second thoughts about it leading to media accusations of U-turn on policy issues
Sinn Fein, contesting first election on participationist policy, protests at section 31 media restrictions
Amongst new parliamentarians are Michael McDowell (PD), Geraldine Kennedy (PD), Charles Flanagan (FG), Anne Colley (PD), Jimmy Deenihan (FG), Senator Brendan Howlin (Lab), Emmet Stagg (Lab), Michael Lowry (FG), Mairin Quill (PD), Mary Coughlan (FF), Tom Kitt (FF), John O’Donoghue (FF), Dermot Ahern (FF), Jim Higgins (FG), Noel Dempsey (FF), Dick Roche (FF)
Barry Desmond (Lab, Dun Laoghaire) subjected to anonymous "whisper campaign" alleging he favours widespread availability of contraceptives
PD billboard slogan "Dessie can do it"
Final election result : FF 81, FG 51, Lab 12, Others 22
March 10 : Charles Haughey elected Taoiseach of minority FF govt on casting vote of Ceann Comhairle after tied Dail vote 82 - 82, Brian Lenihan Tanaiste
March 11: Garret Fitzgerald resigns as FG leader; March 21, Alan Dukes elected new leader
"They can’t think and they can’t speak but, by
God, those fellows go out in the rain."
- Anonymous PD strategist on FF election workers
"We do not inherit the earth from our parents - we borrow
it from our children"
- Green Alliance - Comhaontas Glas
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