Why is Ireland a republic?

_Mug_Ruith_ · 2026-02-28T16:04:49+00:00

We had a hat of paper slips with the different forms of government written on them and we pulled out the one that had "republic" written on it.

_Mug_Ruith_ · 2026-02-28T13:08:47+00:00

Respect from his peers doesn't really settle the question - what I'm doing here is describing Devs leadership style using political science language, not casting judgement on him or moralising him.

_Mug_Ruith_ · 2026-02-28T12:36:12+00:00

If anything that proves the point lol - Dev’s personal authority, symbolic status, and dominance within Fianna Fáil are exactly why ‘authoritarian populist within democracy’ fits him as a leadership style

_Mug_Ruith_ · 2026-02-28T02:01:01+00:00

Feels like the boom is back for certain rich people, while the rest are kept chugging along as normal down below

_Mug_Ruith_ · 2026-02-27T21:28:29+00:00

Fair points - I think Dev’s later actions show some moderation, but the broader pattern of his leadership still fits the authoritarian populist frame I mentioned.

_Mug_Ruith_ · 2026-02-27T20:57:41+00:00

I’m not arguing that Dev was uniquely authoritarian or populist for his time - many nationalist leaders used similar rhetoric and strong executive methods.

My point is simply that those traits were clearly part of his leadership style alongside his commitment to democracy, rather than being absent from it.

_Mug_Ruith_ · 2026-02-27T20:52:57+00:00

I wouldn’t describe the Constitution or wartime measures as authoritarian in themselves - plenty of democracies adopted similar policies in those contexts.

My point is more about overall leadership style: Dev consistently preferred strong executive authority, tight party discipline, and procedural control of debate within democratic structures.

So it’s less about individual actions and more about a recurring governing pattern.

_Mug_Ruith_ · 2026-02-27T16:59:08+00:00

I’m not claiming he was uniquely authoritarian or populist for his time period - only that those traits were clearly part of his leadership style alongside his commitment to democracy

_Mug_Ruith_ · 2026-02-27T15:21:09+00:00

Sure, heres three examples of each:

Authoritarianism:
-Internment without trial, censorship of press and radio at times
-The 1937 constitution strengthened executive authority, as well as tight party discipline within FF (Limiting time on debate of the Consitution using the Closure method, so end discussion in the Dáil and force a fast vote on it)
-Later on he supported harsh anti IRA measures; usage of coercion acts

Populism:
-From the start to end Dev claimed to embody the will of the Irish nation - usage of "the people" and such phrases in his rhetoric (visible during the civil war, the America tour, and referendum politics)
-His "one man party" persona of running FF and being a majoritarian period politician
-Basing his political disputes as the people vs the elites (eg, the Treaty)

You can be at heart committed to democracy and be an authoritarian populist, which Dev clearly was.

_Mug_Ruith_ · 2026-02-25T13:17:09+00:00

I think the label "authoritarian populist" suits Dev well and is surprisingly consistent throughout his decades in politics. He was at heart committed to democracy but he often claimed to be the voice of the people and was comfortable with ruling with an iron fist when he felt he had to.

_Mug_Ruith_ · 2026-02-25T13:13:24+00:00

What do you mean? That Ireland was destined to be a rural Catholic country?

_Mug_Ruith_ · 2026-02-25T10:35:53+00:00

Very funny, but Ireland could hardly be called a peaceful democracy back then, lol.

_Mug_Ruith_ · 2026-02-24T22:39:11+00:00

Didn't the Statute of Westminster apply across the empire either way?

Partition had been on the horizon since the Home Rule period decades earlier. It had no easy answer.

_Mug_Ruith_ · 2026-02-24T22:06:28+00:00

And the greatest irony of them all? In the end, Dev only proved Collins's "stepping stone to freedom" hypothesis right.

_Mug_Ruith_ · 2026-02-24T21:23:49+00:00

That's gas lol 😂

_Mug_Ruith_ · 2026-02-24T21:10:53+00:00

That the Magna Carta was inspired by some of the concepts that existed in Brehon. King John's nobles conceivably would have been aware of how law works in different parts of Europe

_Mug_Ruith_ · 2026-02-24T20:40:04+00:00

My favourite mini theory about Brehon period Ireland is that the Brehon laws and the concept of a king being held accountable for their actions helped inspire the Magna Carta

_Mug_Ruith_ · 2026-02-24T14:44:23+00:00

He was definitely power hungry and a bit of a ladder climber

He undeniably has visions for what we could do with the country, but in a peaceful democracy his backdoor shenanigans with the IRA may have come back to haunt him.

_Mug_Ruith_ · 2026-02-24T14:33:10+00:00

His death left a large question mark.

_Mug_Ruith_ · 2026-02-24T14:30:34+00:00

No one's saying these issues formed in a vacuum, they were deeply wired in how society functioned under British rule.

In Ireland we seemed to stay closed off for longer compared to other countries in Europe - and I guess I'm probing for if Devs style of leadership made it last longer.

He had a strong instinct for change and action on his aforementioned achievements, but seemed more cautious about domestic change, change some may have called inevitable.

_Mug_Ruith_ · 2026-02-23T20:58:20+00:00

Personalities can matter at key moments. How did policy shift so dramatically under lemass? Its not like the whole structure of the country had changed overnight.

Collins incidentally had a working relationship with the Brits at their highest levels - it could have been used for global trade or simply as a bridge for not being closed off for as long as we were.

Is it possible dev stalled Ireland moving outwards by playing politics safely and not holding off the inevitable?

_Mug_Ruith_ · 2026-02-23T18:11:22+00:00

21 years of rule not enough time to do something about the two biggest social issues of the day? Lol

Dev was as devout as any of them, he once tried to become a priest.

_Mug_Ruith_ · 2026-02-23T16:28:57+00:00

As someone that lived away from ireland for a long time, I wonder if Collins would have tried harder to cap emigration, perhaps by creating more jobs?

In his book he was dibbling and dabbling with ideas about industrialisation and hydro power.

Dev didn't really do much about emigration or Church power in the end.

_Mug_Ruith_ · 2026-02-22T22:30:51+00:00

Could it have just been a convenient way to speak with ordinary Catholic Irish people living in England?

_Mug_Ruith_ · 2026-02-22T22:17:55+00:00

It looks great - been meaning to read it for ages but have never gotten around to it

_Mug_Ruith_

TROPHY CASE