In December, a general election in the UK saw a landslide majority for the right-wing Conservative party. The scale of the victory was facilitated by significant gains in traditionally Labour-held seats. Three months later, Ireland also went to the polls. But the 2020 Irish general election told a wholly different story: in a country which has long been dominated by two center-right parties, a surge in popularity for left-wing Sinn Féin broke the two-party system. As the U.S. edges closer to a possible Trump v. Sanders election, we ask: why the diametrically different results? What determined the direction of recent political change in Ireland and the UK? We are delighted to welcome Dr. Barry Colfer to tackle this question. Barry is a visiting fellow at the Center for European Studies, and has previously worked at both the Irish and European parliaments.
