The Price of Power: Inside Ireland's Crisis Coalition

by Pat Leahy

When Fine Gael and Labour swept into government, in February 2011 they knew they were facing the greatest crisis in the history of the state. What confronted them was beyond their direst imaginings. Pat Leahy's The Price of Power is the riveting inside story of how they have led - and misled - Ireland.


If there's one writer who can get the inside story on what's really going on at the higest levels in Irish poltiics, it's leading political journalist Pat Leahy. His account of Fianna Fáil in government, Showtime, is the considered the go-to book for anyone who wants to understand the disastrous politics led Ireland into economic meltdown.

The Price of Power tells the story of trying to govern a country on the verge of ruin - the favours, the deals, the policy compromises and previously unthinkable choices that had to be made. It is a gripping tale of high drama (and high dudgeon), of betrayal, backstabbing and disillusionment, of those who rose to the challenge and those who withered under the strain.

In Showtime Pat Leahy got under the skin of the Fianna Fáil-led government that wrecked Ireland. Now, with the same mix of unrivalled inside information, astute analysis and exciting writing, he lifts the lid on the coalition that is supposed to get us out of the fix.

Genres: Politics, Irish Literature

320 pages, Paperback

First published September 9, 2013

Reviews

[Rory Shankar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written, but should have waited until after the government ended. So much of the book is setting up conflicts that aren’t resolved.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up

Fast-paced, detailed and entertaining inside account of the early years of Ireland’s austerity government.

Leahy is a brilliant writer and gets loads out of his sources. The book suffers for finishing halfway through the coalitions lifespan and definitely dies out a bit near the end, but it’s well worth a read for anybody looking go get an insight on the austerity years.

[George Morrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid overview of the Fine Gael & Labour coalition which governed Ireland from 2011-2016 though the book was published in 2013 so it only covers the story until that point.

I enjoyed this more than showtime. Leahy has room to properly flesh out the coalition's life here. Chief among them are Ireland's dealings with the Troika of the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund. This is highly technical but Leahy's writing style is entertaining and witty enough to compensate for the technical jargon.

Much of the book is devoted to the Labour party and the problems and stresses they endured while being the minority partner. Kenny himself doesn't really feature all that much surprisingly. The chief issue facing Labour was having to implement austerity policies as a left wing party. I can't help but be reminded of the Liberal Democrats in the UK. Like the Lib Dems, the Irish voters punished Labour after the coalition but left Fine Gael largely intact.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It has a less rushed feel than Showtime and is all the better for it. I hope Pat Leahy continues to produce these as they're an invaluable resource for an expat such as mé féin.

[Matthew Finlay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very insightful look at the Fine Gael-Labour coalition.