By Megan Fricisca
Sinn Féin, an Irish left-wing political party founded in 1905, recently took the lead in pre-election polls for the first time since entering the Irish Parliament in 1977. In the recent 2020 general election, the party won its highest percentage of votes since 1927 and procured the highest popular vote of all parties and the second most seats in parliament.
This long-awaited return of Sinn Féin to the forefront of Irish politics is exceedingly notable. The political party had deeply rooted ties to the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in its early existence and is thought to be run by IRA interests by Ireland’s police chief. However, the party has more recently been associated with progressive ideals, visible thought their solidarity with powerful global left-wing movements such as Free Palestine, Anti-Apartheid, and their support of Bernie Sanders’ U.S. campaign for presidency. The positive global reputation that Sinn Féin is earning as a result of this solidarity is in turn leading to further cultural diversity and a more globalized Ireland.
It appears as though Ireland’s economy and the election of Sinn Féin are also largely intertwined in a reciprocal manner. Ireland’s economy has substantially improved since 2018 with direct investment rising by 52% and, on a similar note, Ireland’s employment rate has continued to rise since 2013. This aided in the election of Sinn Féin, as the economy bolstered the party’s platform. Sinn Féin’s platform includes solving the housing crisis, reducing the costs of childcare, decreasing the pension age, and more. All of the aforementioned would be difficult in the wake of poor economic performance, however, with the prosperous economy of Ireland today, this platform has had a more substantial impact. In fact, Sinn Féin claims that its platform is not only viable but it will lead to economic surplus and an eventual decrease in annual taxes.
Thus, the booming Irish economy and Sinn Féin have a mutually beneficial relationship, in that the Irish economy substantiates Sinn Féin’s ideologies and progressive goals, all the while Sinn Féin’s promises for a better Ireland continue to grow.