We don’t like (to) party. A typology of Independents in Irish political life, 1922–2007
Loading...
Files
Accepted Version
Date
2009-02
Authors
Weeks, Liam
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Routledge (Taylor & Francis)
Published Version
Abstract
This article examines the phenomenon of Independents, or non-party candidates, in Irish political life. It has two main aims: the first is to disaggregate Independents from ‘others’ to provide a definitive dataset of their electoral performance, and to enable more reliable and valid analysis about this actor. The second, and primary, aim is to use this disaggregation to construct a typology of Independents. The background of every Independent candidate contesting a general election between 1922 and 2007 is examined, from which they are grouped into a number of Independent families and sub-categories. A detailed profile is provided of each of these categories, describing their key characteristics and respective electoral performances. It is shown that Independents are a residual heterogeneous category, about whom a better understanding can be achieved if their diversity is appreciated.
Description
Keywords
Irish politics , Elections , Candidates
Citation
Weeks, L., 2009. We don’t like (to) party. A typology of Independents in Irish political life, 1922–2007. Irish Political Studies, 24(1), pp.1-27.
doi: 10.1080/07907180802551068