Fine Gael
The party holds 54 out of the 166 seats in D�il �ireann, and is the second
largest party in the Dail. The leader of Fine Gael is John Bruton.
Fine Gael
was founded in 1933 by the coming together of a number of parties. The
predominant party in this amalgamation was Cumann na nGaedheal. Cumann na
nGaedheal had been founded in 1923 to sustain the Government of the infant Free
State in its efforts to build and develop the new nation on the basis of the
treaty negotiated a few months earlier. The Cumann na nGaedheal party governed
from the foundation of the State until 1932.
Fine Gael has committed itself to
an ideal which was shared by Cumann na nGaedheal of developing a wider,
pluralistic sense of Irish nationalism.
Fine Gael policy is based on the
principles of the encouragement of enterprise combined with social justice and
with decision-making devolved to the appropriate level, as well as on the ideal
of reconciliation with the people of Northern Ireland.
Fine Gael favours a
planned approach to encourage expansion to counteract the effect of world
recession. This is to be done by a mixture of State encouragement for private
enterprise and effort and direct State involvement. It has as its immediate
objectives improved access for young people and women to decision-making,
greater tax equity, fairer opportunities in education and the maintenance or
improvement of social welfare provisions.
Fine Gael is also committed to the
development and unification of the European Union. Along with its fellow
Christian Democrats in the European People's Party, Fine Gael seeks solutions
on a European level to the problems and challenges of the 1990's. The EPP is is
a strong advocate of European integration.
Fine Gael's Head Office is at 51
Upper Mount Street, Dublin 2.