SSPS Seminar Series

You are invited to join this seminar, “To what extent does Sinn Féin’s policy preferences differ between the North and South of Ireland?”

Time and Location: 1-2pm Wednesday 31 January in MB0312 (Minerva Building, Brayford Campus) and Microsoft Teams

For a variety of reasons Sinn Féin can be considered an unusual party both on the island of Ireland and internationally. However, one underexplored area of difference is its position as an electorally competitive party that operates simultaneously in two separate jurisdictions. Sinn Féin’s vote-seeking strategy – North and South – combines relatively mainstream social democratic policy solutions with left-wing populist rhetoric. But does this electoral strategy lead to similar policy preferences in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland? Or does Sinn Féin strategically adapt its policy preferences to cater to the different vote – and office – seeking incentives influencing the party, North and South?

This research finds that Sinn Féin in the North tends to prioritise representation of nationalist concerns, while Sinn Féin in the South focuses on more typical social democratic issues. But during periods of stability for Irish nationalism in Northern Ireland, Sinn Féin’s policy focus reverts to bread-and-butter issues that resemble its policy agenda in the South.

Dr Jonathan Arlow researches comparative politics, with a special focus on Irish and British politics. He is interested in how radical political movements interact with the institutions of liberal democratic states. His PhD thesis explored the influence of the libertarian movement on mainstream right-wing party policy change within Europe. He has also researched the Antifa’s role in combating the electoral ambitions of the extreme right. His current research (a Marie Curie postdoctoral fellowship) examines Sinn Féin’s evolution into a party that is electorally competitive both sides of the Irish border since the Great Recession. This project compares Sinn Féin’s operations in the North to the South and contrasts its unusual all-island position (one party, two jurisdictions) to other anti-systemic European parties of the left. In addition to this main research agenda, he researches and publishes on youth unemployment policy and the ‘revolving door’ in Irish politics.

If you got any queries please direct them to Dr Aideen O’Shaughnessy at aoshaughnessy@lincoln.ac.uk.

Story submitted by Antonio
aruizmartos@lincoln.ac.uk