Blissful union? Fine gael and the European Union

Fine Gael presents itself as a model pro-EU party but as in so many areas of EU politics, it provides a case study of how the dichotomy of elite commitment and popular disillusionment is manifested and managed. This article will examine the Europeanization of Fine Gael using the Ladrech (2002) framework. It begins by outlining the elite level positions which drive Fine Gael involvement in EU politics and identifies the ways in which the party has used its membership of the European People's Party–European Democrats (EPP-ED) and European elections to further its political agenda and contribute indirectly to the development of public policy in Ireland. Attitudes to the EU, as displayed by ordinary party members, are also considered and serve to expose the dichotomy which exists between elites and lower level members. Europeanization, although evident, is not widespread and is invariably guided by wider domestic party objectives.