Fine Gael has always been a conservative house, but an increasing chunk of its youth organisation is moving towards more right-wing, anti-abortion and anti-immigrant standpoints. Meanwhile, Young Fine Gael (YFG) has become a place to retreat to if you harbour strong, conservative right views. Young Fine Gael was established by Garret FitzGerald in 1977 as a way of modernising the party by bringing in a younger generation. "There are some really good people in Young Fine Gael who aren't like the right-wing-esque people that we read about," said one current member, who pointed to recent work on LGBT rights. April 30, 2002: It's pie in the eye for then Fine Gael finance minister Michael Noonan on a whistle-stop tour of Roscommon.

Source: Irish Examiner April 27, 2021 05:26 UTC