Soviet Policies in Dáil Éireann

Ronald Reagan’s visit to Ireland in 1984 proved controversial, owing to the unpopularity of his Central American policy. Having dropped ‘Sinn Féin’ from its title, the WP opposed the visit and faced criticism from the three main parties in the Irish state for being ‘anti-American’ and ‘silent’ on Russian interference in Afghanistan and Poland. The taoiseach, Garret FitzGerald said the WP lacked ‘credibility’ because of its ‘selective pro-Soviet stand’. No longer seen as a subversive threat in the 1980s, it supported Charles Haughey’s minority government. This chapter will highlight Cold War perceptions of the WP’s relationship with the Soviets and its links with Iraq and North Korea. Over the course of the decade, a small party, seen to have good electoral prospects in the south, advanced the Soviets’ agenda in an EC member-state.