ABSTRACT
The two main parties had experienced leadership change since the 1965 election. In late 1966 Sean Lemass resigned as Taoiseach and Fianna Fail leader and, without a clear front-runner to succeed him, Fianna Fail had exhibited novel signs of internal conflict. Labour too was engaged in vigorous policy debate. It moved to the left at ever-increasing speed, joining the Socialist International in 1967, and in January 1969 unveiled a set of proposals that included a fifteen-year plan for economic development and the nationalisation of building land and building societies. The general expectation was that Fianna Fáil would lose its majority, but the implications for government formation were unclear. Fine Gael and Labour were further apart than ever; to Labour, Fine Gael was still one of the ‘two conservative parties’, while Fine Gael was not above the occasional sideswipe at Labour’s ‘doctrinaire’ left-wing policies.
