Answers to political stalemate may lie in the past

The current political stalemate is not unique, suggests Ryle Dwyer, who argues the past may provide the solution.

IN 1987, when there was no likely governmental arrangement apparent, the outgoing taoiseach Garret FitzGerald announced that Fine Gael would not attempt to bring down a minority Fianna Fáil government led by Charles Haughey, if it introduced the necessary corrective measures for the economy. Alan Dukes then pursued that policy after he was elected leader of Fine Gael.

This approach became known as the Tallaght Strategy. The new government turned out to be very effective and popular over the next couple of years.