Garret FitzGerald RIP

[RedandGreenSniper]

http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/0519/fitzgeraldg.html


Former Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald dies aged 85

Updated: 08:13, Thursday, 19 May 2011

Former Taoiseach Dr Garret FitzGerald has died in hospital in Dublin after a short illness.

Dr FitzGerald, who was 85, served twice as Taoiseach between 1981 and 1987 at the head of Fine Gael/Labour coalition governments.

In a statement, his family paid tribute to the doctors, nurses and staff at the Mater Private hospital.

'They would like to thank the doctors, nurses and staff at The Mater Private hospital for the wonderful care he received during his illness.

'He was a much loved and adored father, grandfather and great-grandfather and will be sadly missed by his extended family.

'Details of Funeral arrangements will announced later.'

Born in 1926, both of Garret FitzGerald's parents had been involved in Sinn Féin during the War of Independence.

His father, Desmond, later served as Minister for External Affairs in the State's first government.

In later life, Garret FitzGerald often spoke of his desire to bring together the southern Catholic tradition of his father with the northern Protestant tradition of his mother, Mabel.

He met his wife Joan at UCD. They were to have a famously close relationship. The couple had three children.

Dr FitzGerald worked for Aer Lingus for some years before becoming an economic consultant and academic, and then a politician. He was elected to the Seanad in 1965 and the Dáil in 1969, where he quickly made his mark, particularly in the debates on the arms crisis.

The political career of former Taoiseach and Fine Gael leader Garret FitzGerald in pictures

A supporter of the liberal, Just Society wing of the party, he campaigned strongly in favour of Ireland joining the EEC in the 1972 Referendum.

When Fine Gael entered Government in 1973, he became Minister for Foreign Affairs, playing a leading role during Ireland's first Presidency of the EEC.

He was also a key figure in negotiating the Sunningdale Agreement, which set up a short-lived power-sharing Executive in Northern Ireland.

He succeeded Liam Cosgrave as Fine Gael leader after the 1977 election defeat, encouraging the party in a more liberal direction while rebuilding the organisation from the ground up.

In 1981, he formed a minority coalition government with Labour's Michael O'Leary as Tánaiste, and announced his desire for a constitutional crusade to create a more pluralist Irish society.

But the coalition fell the following February when Budget proposals to extend VAT to children's clothing and footwear were defeated.

Dr FitzGerald's great rival, Charles Haughey, returned to power at the head of a shortlived minority government before, in November 1982, Fine Gael achieved its best result in over half a century, coming within five seats of Fianna Fáil.

A difficult economic situation led to tough and unpopular medicine, while in 1983 the electorate voted against Dr FitzGerald's advice to amend the Constitution to protect the life of the unborn, and three years later rejected the introduction of divorce.

On Northern Ireland, the New Ireland Forum aimed to unite constitutional nationalists but its recommendations were rejected by British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

Despite the set-back, Dr FitzGerald kept working, signing the Anglo-Irish Agreement in 1985, which gave the Irish government a role in Northern Ireland and marked the high point of his political career.

But the economic situation remained dire and at the beginning of 1987 the Labour ministers walked out of government.

Charles Haughey returned to office, with Garret FitzGerald offering conditional support in the Dáil, foreshadowing Fine Gael's Tallaght Strategy.

The next day, Dr FitzGerald resigned from the Fine Gael leadership.

Although he retired from the Dáil in 1992, he still took part in some political campaigns, particularly in the referenda on the Nice and Lisbon Treaties.

He also served as Chancellor of the National University of Ireland for 12 years, from 1997 to 2009, during which time he presided over the NUI's Centenary in 2008.

He wrote books and newspaper articles, lectured and travelled widely, and appeared on many radio and television programmes, including election coverage, most recently last February.

[mayogodhelpus@gmail.com]

RIP Garret Fitzgerald.

[Croí na hÉireann]

Surprised and saddened to hear that, probably the most honourable of our recent Taoisigh, ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

[Shamrock Shore]

His is to be mourned to be sure.

Croí - I would have thought Albert and Brutal would have been 'honourable' as well.

[armaghniac]

RIP. Very sad news indeed. His work on the Sunningdale agreement and Anglo-Irish agreement was the forerunner of later developments and had he been in health he would have been an important guest at the dinner last night.

[Croí na hÉireann]

His is to be mourned to be sure.

Croí - I would have thought Albert and Brutal would have been 'honourable' as well.

Most honourable SS, he was a cut above them two IMO.

[balladmaker]

RIP Garret Fitzgerald

It was just over a month ago when he appeared on the Saturday night show on RTE.  An extremely intelligent man.

[Tubberman]

RIP Garret Fitzgerald. A man of great intelligence and integrity.

It tells you a lot about the Irish mentality and the expectations of politicians in the early 80s when the title 'Garret the Good' was used in a sneering way, as if to say being honest and well-intentioned was somehow a fault.
It suggested only those who knew the ways of the 'nod and a wink' (and an envelope) could get things done.
In the last couple of decades we've learnt what really went on when that approach was followed.

[AQMP]

RIP.  I didn't always agree with him but he always came across as a decent and honest man and you don't get many of them in the world of politics.

[Galwaybhoy]

May he Rest In Peace

[Tubberman]

Great little story told on radio this morning.
Garret worked in Aer Lingus for about 10 years before entering politics, and was apparently able to recite the full Aer Lingus timetable.
When he left, the story goes he was replaced by four men and two computers 

[Ulick]

RIP Garret Fitzgerald. A man of great intelligence and integrity.

It tells you a lot about the Irish mentality and the expectations of politicians in the early 80s when the title 'Garret the Good' was used in a sneering way, as if to say being honest and well-intentioned was somehow a fault.
It suggested only those who knew the ways of the 'nod and a wink' (and an envelope) could get things done.
In the last couple of decades we've learnt what really went on when that approach was followed.

Garret wasn't adverse to an oul nod and a wink himself.

http://www.rte.ie/news/1999/0217/fitzgerald.html

[lynchbhoy]

RIP alright.

He took a lot of flak for his apperance to be 'lacking balls' in dealing with the northern troubles during his term as taoiseach. He was also 'blamed' for backing down and because of this the hunger strikers were allowed die - only for the british gov to quietly u turn and give the 5 demands eventually.
However Garret told republicans at the time (and in a meeting with him not too long ago a relation and neighbour of mine when at a function) that he felt powerless to help , that the british gov (thatcher) had told him that there was nothing he could do to intercede - so Garret got a bad rep with republicanism over this - and he was really only being practical, which I think he was all along as a politician.
He certainly tried to get involved in the northern problems, the sunningdale treaty is now attributed to being the fore runner of the GFA etc - but sure any one of us can predict a reunited Ireland with all citizens included with equality, single police force, single health care and benefits system and be 100% correct when this time comes. Sunningdale was useless as the establishment in the north didnt subscribe to the equality ideals at that time.
Its only since the majority vote garnered by SF & SDLP made the establishment and unionist/loyalist parties HAVE to play ball and embrace 'equality' at long last.

Garret , a highly intelligent man, good for the country as a forward thiking democracy as well as he made FF shake themselves up after Garret's gove made huge and disasterous economic mistakes.

I'd say he was a patriot. RIP Garret.

[Ulick]

Was he not also part of Cosgrove's "Heavy Gang" government in the 70s which brought in Section 31 while sitting on their thumbs as Dublin and Monaghan were bombed? Then the treatment of Uachtarán Ó Dálaigh. Then there was the economic performance of the government he led, the Anglo-Irish Agreement sop to the SDLP which probably held back peace by 10 years, the Hunger Strikes, the New Ireland Forum which excluded a substantial part of Irish citizens. He might have been a nice man an all but let's not dishonour him by eulogising him beyond his life. A good thinker, an intellectual yeah, but by no means was he a successful politician. 

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

[ross matt]

I think he was a decent man who did his best and for what he believed were the right reasons. I also considered him a bit of an Anglophile and a distant academic. He was a far more honest man than Haughey and Ahern etc but he himself did have a bank loan written off also. To me he seemed weak in terms of NI troubles and would never have had the trust of the nationalists. But overall he served his country well. May he rest in peace.