National Progressive Democrats
National Progressive Democrats | |
|---|---|
| Founders | Noël Browne, Jack McQuillan |
| Founded | 1958 |
| Dissolved | 1963 |
| Merged into | Labour Party |
| Ideology | Socialism Progressivism |
| Political position | Left Wing |
TheNational Progressive Democratswas a smallsocialistpolitical party in theRepublic of Ireland,active between 1958 and 1963.
The party was founded as aleft-wingprogressivesecularparty.[1]Its founders wereNoël Browne(formerMinister for Health) andJack McQuillan,former members of the social democratic wing ofClann na Poblachta.The party was noted for its vigorous role inDáil Éireann.Between 1958 and 1961, 7 of the 9 motions discussed in Private Member's Time had been proposed by one of them. In 1961 and 1962, they asked 1,400 parliamentary questions, 17% of the total.TaoiseachSeán Lemasspaid them a compliment by referring to them as "the real opposition". Both were re-elected at the1961 general election,but the party won little support as it fielded only one other candidate.
The party was disbanded when it merged into theLabour Partyin 1963.[2]However, both Browne and McQuillan lost their seats in the next election contesting for the Labour Party.
List of National Progressive Democrat candidates[edit]
| Election | Constituency | Candidate | 1st Pref. votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 Dublin South-Central by-election | Dublin South-Central | Noel Hartnett | 2,688 | 15.3 |
| 1961 general election | Carlow-Kilkenny | Kathleen Brady | 1,484 | 3.4 |
| Dublin South-East | Noël Browne | 4,717 | 19.1 | |
| Roscommon | Jack McQuillan | 5,289 | 15.1 |
General election results[edit]
| Election | Seats won | ± | Position | First Pref votes | % | Government | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2 / 144
|
 2
|
4th
|
11,490 | 1.0% | Opposition | Noël Browne |
References[edit]
- ^"Browne and McQuillan to form new party".The Irish Times.17 May 1958. p. 2.Retrieved8 July2022.
- ^"Browne and McQuillan join Labour Party".The Irish Times.28 November 1963. p. 1.Retrieved8 July2022.
Further reading[edit]
- Barberis, Peter, John McHugh and Mike Tyldesley, 2005. Encyclopedia of British and Irish Political Organisations. London: Continuum International Publishing Group.ISBN0-8264-5814-9,ISBN978-0-8264-5814-8
- Manning, Maurice (1972).Irish Political Parties: An Introduction.Dublin: Gill and Macmillan.ISBN978-0-7171-0536-6.