Ireland: The A-Z Irish Glossary - 'P' is for 'Progressive Democrats'
'Progressive Democrats'
The PDs were the newest political party in Ireland and the smallest for twenty years. Headed at the time by Desmond O'Malley and Mary Harney (!) they formed in 1985 when a bunch of politicians left Fianna Fáil when the stench of corruption there got just a tad too strong.
As a result, the PDs claimed to occupy the high moral ground in Irish politics - they did take liberal positions on contraception, divorce and other social issues at the time, despite their enthusiasm for leaping into bed with their former party-mates on the slightest provocation to form coalition governments along the way. (Harney now, anyone?) The truth is they held the moral high ground simply because they were too small and insignificant to be worth bribing.
Their name is somewhat misleading; they were neither very progressive nor democratic (They should have been called the Compromise Democrats). Instead, they peddled a wishy-washy form of right-wing Thatcherism to young Celtic Tiger cubs and other self-obsessed lowlifes.
The PDs dissolved and disbanded in 2009 and Harney is still getting paid to stay on as the Minister for Health and Children. It would be great if she had a clue about either.