British Election: Implications for Ireland of Tory win less than salubrious

The 385,000 voters born in Ireland will have some influence on the result of the British election, but its outcome could yet have a great deal of significance for the Republic. 

The prospect of an in-out EU referendum driven by David Cameron’s desperate attempts to keep the Conservatives together on Europe while fending off the threat from the UKIP right is a nightmare scenario for the Irish government.

Dublin often takes comfort from hiding behind Britannia’s skirts in Brussels when the British take all the flak for opposing tax and other financial harmonisations in a belligerent stance that also benefits Ireland.