The "ac" code is for "adequacy-confidence"--a
data
quality measure
ranging from 0 (low) to 9 (high)
Party name and code
number
Irish Labour Party, ILP,
053
Information base and
researchers
Information on the Irish Labour
Party was coded from 79 documents and 811 pages of literature, all
in English, on party politics in Ireland. 109 pages, or 13 per
cent, deal with the Labour Party. Jeffrey Millstone indexed the
literature. Qonnie Laughlin coded the first two variable clusters,
Alan Kaplan coded the fifth, sixth, and seventh clusters, and Mary
Welfing coded the eighth through eleventh clusters.
Institutionalization Variables,
1.01-1.06
1.01 year of origin and 1.02 name
changes
1912, AC8
0, AC6
Two sources indicate that the Irish Labour Party was formed in
1912 by the Trade Union Congress. There have been no name
changes.
1.03 organizational
discontinuity
5, AC6
There are several references regarding splits and mergers,
although none indicate their size. The split of 1944 and the
merger of 1950 are assumed to be minor, primarily because there is
little attention given to them and because the split and merger
involve the same group, the national Labour Party.
1.04 leadership
competition
11, AC4
There is one leadership change after 1950, when William Norton
became leader of the party. Brendan Corish succeeded Norton upon
his resignation. There is no information on the process of change,
and it is assumed that it was an overt process involving less than
100 members.
1.05 / 2.05 legislative
instability and strength
Instability is .15, AC8
Strength is .11 for first half, AC8 and .09 for second half,
AC7
Labour was a distant third, fluctuating around 10 per cent of the
seats, throughout our time period.
1.06 / 2.06 electoral instability
and strength
Instability is .09, AC9
Strength is .11 for first half, AC9, and .10 for second half,
AC9
In elections in 1951, 54, 57, and 61, labour received between 9 to
12 per cent of the vote.
Governmental Status Variables,
2.01-2.07
2.01 government discrimination
0 for the first half, AC3
-1 for the second half, AC6
There is no information for the first half. One reference states
that in the second half, the Fianna Fail used the electoral system
to favor itself and discriminate against other
parties.
2.02 governmental leadership
0 out of 7 for first half,
AC9
0 out of 6 for second half, AC9
The Labour Party has never held the position of government
leader.
2.03 cabinet
participation
5 out of 7 for first half,
AC9
1 out of 6 for second half, AC9
The Labour Party held cabinet positions when it was in coalition
with the Fine Gael and when the Fine Gael held the position of
government leader during our period-- that is, 1950, 1954, 1955,
1956, and portions of 1951 and 1957. It never held cabinet
positions when the Fianna Fail was in power the other
years.
2.04 national
participation
5, AC7
References indicate that the Labour Party was national, that is,
it participated in national elections across the country, but its
success was highly variable. Its main strength had been in the
rural areas of the southeast and southwest. Although it has failed
to attract the bulk of urban trade unionists, our consultant
states that since the mid-1930s it has begun to capture increasing
portions of its "natural" constituency--the urban workers-- to the
detriment of its rural support.
2.07 outside origin
8, AC9
The Labour Party was formed by a major legal social organization,
the Irish Trade Union Congress.
Issue Orientation Variables, 5.01-5.15
5.01 ownership of means of
production
3, AC9
The ILP favors the concept of government ownership. The party
constitution states that "essential industries and services shall
be brought under public ownership" to promote "the common good."
it does not advocate ownership of all industry, only those
considered essential or in economic difficulty.
5.02 government role in economic
planning
3, AC9
The ILP favors an active role for governmental economic planning.
It advocates subsidization without taxation, government action to
check economic accession, and the pay pause, an act which would
put into effect a system similar to wage and price
controls.
5.03 redistribution of
wealth
3, AC8
The ILP is in favor of redistributing wealth. It advocates lower
taxes for workers, a capital gains tax on industry, and
resettlement of church and large landowners" land for poorer
farmers.
5.04 social welfare
5, AC9
The ILP favors universally available social welfare programs
including free treatment for all those with incomes under 600
pounds, social security, and a new health scheme for equal
opportunities of all people to receive medical aid. The party
constitution advocates that the ILP will provide many
services.
5.05 secularization of
society
3, AC7
The ILP takes a generally benevolent attitude towards the
christian church. It accepts catholic social teachings, and the
party advocates the development of the country's resources with a
christian social purpose.
5.06 support of the
military
1, AC6
The ILP does not favor a build up in military armaments or any
military alliances with other countries. Rather, it furthers peace
"by an international war on hunger, disease, and
destitution."
5.07 alignment with east-west
blocs
3, AC8
The ILP favors accepting aid from the western bloc only. It
favored the association of Ireland with the eec and stands for a
strengthening of the UN.
5.08 anti-colonialism
3, AC7
The ILP advocated complete independence from Great Britain and the
end of the partition, but the party realized that there was no
short-term solution. It did not advocate disruption of relations
with Great Britain, and Norton, the party leader, voted to prevent
further raids into ulster.
5.09 supranational
integration
3, AC8
The ILP favors political and economic federation with other
countries. The party constitution states that one of the purposes
of the party is "to increase Ireland's activity and influence in
international affairs." the ILP objects to any form of military
alliance. It favors joining the eec and strengthening the U.N.
Organization.
5.10 national
integration
3, AC7
The ILP is nationalistic. On the issue of the partition of
Ireland, the party constitution states that the party should
"foster friendly cooperation between the two parts of the
country," and that Ireland's national territory is the whole
island. The ILP has a connection with the Labour Party in northern
Ireland.
5.11 electoral participation
AC1
No information
5.12 protection of civil
rights
5, AC6
In its constitution, at least, the ILP advocates the outlawing of
discrimination and promotes civil and religious
liberties.
5.13 interference with civil
liberties
3, AC6
The ILP recognizes freedom of speech, and the party constitution
guarantees "civil and religious liberty and equal opportunities to
all citizens ." presumably, moral considerations imposed limits on
freedom for non-political material.
5.14 / 5.15 US-Soviet experts
left-right ratings
US says 3, non-communist left
Soviets say 3, an independent social reform organization sponsored
by some workers and intelligentsia
Goal Orientation Variables, 6.01-6.55
6.00 open competition in the
electoral process
4, AC8
The ILP relies exclusively on open competition in the electoral
process.
6.10 restricting party
competition
0, AC8
The is no evidence that the ILP has made any attempt to restrict
open competition in the political process.
6.20 subverting the political
system
0, AC8
There is no evidence that the ILP has made any attempt to subvert
the political process.
6.30 propagandizing ideas and
program
6.31--2, AC6. The party
frequently employs newspapers and periodicals as the voice of the
party.
6.32--ac1. No information
6.33--2, AC8. The ILP frequently issues resolutions about party
policy.
6.34--2, AC8. The administrative council of the ILP is responsible
for publishing position papers. It does this frequently,
especially around election time.
6.50 providing for welfare of
party members
6.51, 6.52, 6.54, 6.55--ac1. No
information
6.53--1, AC3. The teachta dala (member of parliament) is a contact
man, and labour "clinics" in urban areas are well
developed.
Autonomy Variables, 7.01-7.05
7.01 sources of funds
1 (sector 01), AC9
Two-thirds of the party's financial support comes from the labor
sector, especially the trade unions.
7.02 source of
members
3 (sector 01), AC9
Membership in the party is both direct and indirect, with more
than 66 per cent of the members coming from trade union
affiliations.
7.03 sources of
leaders
1 (sector 01), AC5
Two-thirds or more of the leadership comes from labor and trade
union backing.
7.04 relations with domestic
parties
4 for first half, AC9
7 for second half, AC7
The ILP entered into governing coalitions with the Fine Gael twice
during the first half of our time period. It eschewed the alliance
during the second half.
7.05 relations with foreign
organizations
5, AC6
The Irish Labour Party did not become affiliated with the
socialist international until 1969.
Organizational Complexity Variables,
8.01-8.07
8.01 structural
articulation
7, AC8
The Labour Party has three national organs--the national
conference, the administrative council, and the parliamentary
group. The constitution outlines the functions and selection
procedures for the first two organs, but the status of the
parliamentary group is less clear.
8.02 intensiveness of
organization
4, AC6
On paper the basic organ of the Labour Party is the branch,
although in most areas organization does not extend beyond the
constituency level.
8.03 extensiveness of
organization
3, AC4
The Labour Party is a national party, but it appears that its
basic unit, the branch, is limited to the south and west. One
source indicates that outside of the south, local organization is
either inanimate or non-existent.
8.04 frequency of local
meetings
4, AC6
The party constitution states that the branches must hold an
annual meeting and four business meetings per year.
8.05 frequency of national
meetings
AC1
No information
8.06 maintaining
records
6, AC3
There is no evidence of archives. There is no evidence of
membership lists, but it is inferred that some lists exist, since
new members must pay a fee and sign a declaration accepting the
party program. The party publishes several periodicals and
pamphlets, and engages in considerable propaganda activity,
especially at election time.
8.07 pervasiveness of
organization
7, AC6
Trade unions are corporate members of the Labour Party, and the
party serves as the mouthpiece of the unions. However, the party
has created none of the unions, and it has little or no control
over them.
Organizational Power Variables,
9.01-9.08
9.01 nationalization of
structure
6, AC6
National party organs act directly on local organs, the branches
and constituencies. The constitution provides that regional organs
exist only where two constituencies choose to combine for
administrative reasons.
9.02 selecting the national
leader
AC1
No information
9.03 selecting parliamentary
candidates
5, AC8
Parliamentary candidates are chosen by constituency conventions,
while the administrative council prescribes selection procedures
and approves local choices.
9.04 allocating funds
AC2
Insufficient information
9.05 formulating
policy
6, AC7
The party constitution states that policy is derived from the
national conference and the administrative council, and another
source suggests that the parliamentary group plays a major role in
determining policy.
9.06 controlling
communications
5, AC3
There is no information on the control of party media, but it is
inferred that national organs control the Labour Party's
periodicals. The party's publications appear to be small and not
influential.
9.07 administering discipline
AC1
No information
9.08 leadership concentration
AC1
No information
Coherence Variables, 10.01-10.06
10.01 legislative cohesion
.95, AC3
There is no specific information on voting in the Irish
parliament, oreichtas, but is inferred from statements on the
strict discipline of Irish parliamentary parties that the Labour
Party is highly cohesive.
10.02 ideological factionalism
0, AC7
There was an apparent rift in the Labour Party before 1950 between
the congress of Irish unions and the british based unions.
However, this rift healed in the early 1950's and does not seem to
have created any ideological factions within our time
period.
10.03 issue factionalism
0, AC7
There was an apparent rift in the Labour Party before 1950 between
the congress of Irish unions and the british based unions.
However, this rift healed in the early 1950's and does not seem to
have created any issue factions within our time
period.
10.04 leadership factionalism
0, AC7
There is no evidence of leadership factionalism in the Labour
Party.
10.05 strategic or tactical
factionalism
0, AC5
There was an apparent rift in the Labour Party before 1950 between
the congress of Irish unions and the british based unions.
However, this rift healed in the early 1950's and does not seem to
have created any strategic or tactical factions within our time
period. There is a possibility that the question of whether or not
to join in coalition governments might have created factions, but
none are documented.
10.06 party purges
0, AC7
There is no evidence of purges in our time period.
Involvement Variables, 11.01-11.06
11.01 membership
requirements
3, AC6
To be a member of the Labour Party, one must sign an acceptance of
the party's principles and pay dues.
11.02 membership participation
AC1
No information
11.03 material incentives
0, AC3
Because the Labour Party had little access to government favors,
it is unlikely that material incentives were available to motivate
many militants.
11.04 purposive
incentives
1, AC3
The Labour Party of Ireland is not a socialist or an ideologically
oriented party. Probably little more than a third of the militants
are motivated by the purposes and goals of the Labour
Party.
11.05 doctrinism
0, AC5
Although the party constitution outlines the principles of the
Labour Party, there does not appear to be a body of literature
that could be called Labour Party doctrine. Our consultant,
however, suggests that the writings of james connolly might
qualify.
11.06 personalism
0, AC7
There is no evidence that any party militants are motivated by
personalism.