Soviet Policies in Dáil Éireann
Soviet Policies in Dáil Éireann
Workers’ Party advances ‘Irish neutrality’ and attacks NATO
Ronald Reagan’s visit to Ireland in 1984 proved controversial, owing to the unpopularity of his Central American policy. Having dropped ‘Sinn Féin’ from its title, the WP opposed the visit and faced criticism from the three main parties in the Irish state for being ‘anti-American’ and ‘silent’ on Russian interference in Afghanistan and Poland. The taoiseach, Garret FitzGerald said the WP lacked ‘credibility’ because of its ‘selective pro-Soviet stand’. No longer seen as a subversive threat in the 1980s, it supported Charles Haughey’s minority government. This chapter will highlight Cold War perceptions of the WP’s relationship with the Soviets and its links with Iraq and North Korea. Over the course of the decade, a small party, seen to have good electoral prospects in the south, advanced the Soviets’ agenda in an EC member-state.
Keywords: Ronald Reagan, subversive, Garret FitzGerald, Charles Haughey, Soviet agenda, ‘anti-American’, Afghanistan, Poland, Iraq, North Korea
Liverpool Scholarship Online requires a subscription or purchase to access the full text of books within the service. Public users can however freely search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter.
Please, subscribe or login to access full text content.
If you think you should have access to this title, please contact your librarian.
To troubleshoot, please check our FAQs, and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us.
