Editing Liam Cosgrave (section)

==="Blow-Ins": 1977 election===
In May 1977, Cosgrave addressed a Fine Gael Ard Fheis on the eve of the [[1977 Irish general election|general election]]. He made a strong attack on "blow-ins" who could "blow out or blow up". This was taken to be an attack either on [[Kader Asmal]],<ref name=IrishTimes2017-10-04a>{{cite news |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/fintan-o-toole-how-liam-cosgrave-embodied-the-state-1.3244561 |title=How Liam Cosgrave embodied the State |newspaper=The Irish Times |location=Dublin |first=Fintan |last=O'Toole |author-link=Fintan O'Toole |date=4 October 2017 |access-date=8 October 2017 |quote=or the unnamed "blow-ins" (assumed to be the foreign-born Kadar Asmal and/or Bruce Arnold) he threatened to "blow up". |archive-date=8 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171008081444/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/fintan-o-toole-how-liam-cosgrave-embodied-the-state-1.3244561 |url-status=live }}</ref> founder of the Irish Anti Apartheid Movement and the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, or on [[Bruce Arnold (author)|Bruce Arnold]],<ref name=IrishTimes2017-10-04a/> the British-born political writer in the ''[[Irish Independent]]'' newspaper who had been vociferously opposed to Cosgrave's policies, particularly regarding the President and the wealth tax. While the Fine Gael grassroots loved it,<ref name=SligoToday2017-10-08a>{{cite web |url=http://www.sligotoday.ie/details.php?id=47563 |title=Liam Cosgrave – life and duty observed |work=Sligo Today |first=Eugene |last=McGloin |date=8 October 2017 |access-date=8 October 2017 |quote=No less funny to his own party but no less menacing to others was a speech by Cosgrave when I sat just yards away at an Árd Fhéis. He was talking about journalists who had the temerity to criticise his government, the Cosgrave and Corish Cabinet with ''all the talents.'' The Taoiseach had a message for them; these blow-ins should blow out or blow up. |archive-date=8 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171008130339/http://www.sligotoday.ie/details.php?id=47563 |url-status=live }}</ref> it backfired politically.<ref name=McCarthy2006a>{{cite book| last = McCarthy| first = John Patrick McCarthy| title = Ireland: A Reference Guide from the Renaissance to the Present| publisher = [[Infobase Publishing]]| year = 2006| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=8Olr8Iu9RAwC&q=%22Liam+Cosgrave%22+Blow-ins&pg=PA520| isbn = 9780816074730| page = 520| quote = 1977 - Taoiseach Liam Cosgrave's attack on a journalist as a "blow-in" at Fine Gael party conference backfires politically (May).| access-date = 29 April 2021| archive-date = 29 April 2021| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210429151055/https://books.google.com/books?id=8Olr8Iu9RAwC&q=%22Liam+Cosgrave%22+Blow-ins&pg=PA520| url-status = live}}</ref>

[[James Tully (Irish politician)|James Tully]], the Labour [[Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage|Minister for Local Government]] had redrawn the constituency boundaries (the "[[Tullymander]]") and had expected that the new boundaries would favour the two government parties. [[Dublin]], apart from [[Dún Laoghaire]], was divided into some 13 three-seat constituencies where Fine Gael and Labour were to take one seat each reducing Fianna Fáil to a minority rump in the capital. The election campaign started without Cosgrave taking any opinion polls in advance and was therefore unaware of the extent of Fianna Fáil's support. During the campaign, the National Coalition made up some ground but the Fianna Fáil manifesto of promises (including the abolition of rates, and the car tax) was proved very popular in the electorate and the National Coalition was heavily defeated, with Fianna Fáil winning an unprecedentedly large parliamentary majority, including unexpected second seats in many Dublin constituencies.

In the immediate aftermath, Liam Cosgrave resigned as Fine Gael leader, to be succeeded by [[Garret FitzGerald]]. Cosgrave retired at the [[1981 Irish general election|1981 general election]].