Editing Charles Haughey (section)

==Leadership years==
{{More citations needed section|date=February 2007}}

=== Opposition to Jack Lynch ===
In 1975, Fianna Fáil was in opposition and Haughey had achieved enough grassroots support to warrant a recall to [[Jack Lynch]]'s opposition front bench. Haughey was appointed Spokesman on Health and Social Welfare, a fairly minor portfolio at the time, but Haughey formulated innovative and far-reaching policies. Two years later in 1977, Fianna Fáil returned to government with a 20-seat majority in [[Dáil Éireann]], having had a very populist campaign (spearheaded by Colley and O'Malley) to abolish rates, vehicle tax and other extraordinary concessions, which were short-lived. Haughey returned to the [[Government of Ireland|cabinet]], after an absence of seven years, as [[Minister for Health (Ireland)|Minister for Health]] and [[Minister for Social Protection|Minister for Social Welfare]].

In this position he continued the progressive policies he had shown earlier by, among others, beginning the first government anti-smoking campaigns and legalising contraception, previously banned. In ''[[McGee v. The Attorney General]]'' (1973), the [[Supreme Court of Ireland|Supreme Court]] held that the use of contraception was protected by a right of marital privacy. Haughey was responsible for the introduction of the [[Health (Family Planning) Act 1979]] which allowed a pharmacist to sell contraceptives on presentation of a medical prescription. Haughey called this bill "[[an Irish solution to an Irish problem]]". It is often stated that the recipient of the prescription had to be married, but the legislation did not include this requirement.

The fallout from the giveaway concessions that had re-elected the government under Lynch, led to a succession race to succeed Lynch. As well as this a group of backbenchers began to lobby in support of Haughey. This group, known as the "gang of five", consisted of [[Jackie Fahey]], [[Tom McEllistrim (1926–2000)|Tom McEllistrim]], [[Seán Doherty (Roscommon politician)|Seán Doherty]], [[Mark Killilea Jnr]] and [[Albert Reynolds]]. Haughey was also helped by the [[Teachta Dála|TD]] [[Síle de Valera]], who was highly critical of [[Jack Lynch]]'s policy regarding Northern Ireland. In a speech at the Liam Lynch commemoration at [[Fermoy]] on 9 September, de Valera made a series of thinly veiled attacks on Lynch.{{sfn|Sweeney|2010|p=182}} Although Lynch quickly tried to impose party discipline, attempting to discipline her for opposing party policy at a parliamentary party meeting held on 28 September, de Valera correctly pointed out that she had not opposed the party policy regarding Northern Ireland which called for the declaration of the British intent to withdraw from Northern Ireland.{{sfn|Sweeney|2010|p=182}} Lynch left for a trip to the United States on 7 November. On the same day the government lost two by-elections to [[Fine Gael]] in [[Cork City (Dáil constituency)|Cork City]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://electionsireland.org/result.cfm?election=1977B&cons=51%20&ref=101|title=21st Dail By Elections – Cork City First Preference Votes|publisher=ElectionsIreland.org|access-date=28 December 2010|archive-date=21 February 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110221193313/http://www.electionsireland.org/result.cfm?election=1977B&cons=51%20&ref=101|url-status=live}}</ref> and in [[Cork North-East (Dáil constituency)|Cork North-East]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://electionsireland.org/result.cfm?election=1977B&cons=58&ref=102|title=21st Dail By Elections – Cork North-East First Preference Votes|publisher=ElectionsIreland.org|access-date=28 December 2010|archive-date=30 November 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101130171217/http://electionsireland.org/result.cfm?election=1977B&cons=58&ref=102|url-status=live}}</ref> During the trip Lynch claimed in an interview with ''[[The Washington Post]]'' that a five-kilometer air corridor between the border was agreed upon during the meeting with [[British Prime Minister]] [[Margaret Thatcher]], to enhance security co-operation.<ref>Ireland in the 20th Century – Tim Pat Coogan</ref>{{sfn|Sweeney|2010|p=186}} When Lynch returned he was questioned on this by a [[Clare (Dáil constituency)|Clare]] backbencher [[Bill Loughnane]], along with [[Tom McEllistrim (1926–2000)|Tom McEllistrim]] at a parliamentary party meeting.{{sfn|Sweeney|2010|pp=186–187}} Lynch stated that the British did not have permission to overfly the border. Afterwards, Loughnane went public with the details of the meeting and accused Lynch of deliberately misleading the party. An attempt to remove the whip from Loughnane failed. At this stage, Lynch's position had become untenable, with supporters of Haughey and George Colley caucusing opinion within the party.

In December 1979, Lynch announced his resignation as [[Taoiseach]] and leader of [[Fianna Fáil]]. The [[1979 Fianna Fáil leadership election|leadership contest]] that resulted was a two-horse race between Haughey and the [[Tánaiste]], [[George Colley]]. Colley had the support of the entire cabinet, except for [[Michael O'Kennedy]], and felt that this popularity would be reflected within the parliamentary party as a whole.

Haughey on the other hand was distrusted by a number of his cabinet colleagues but was much more respected by new backbenchers who were worried about the safety of their Dáil seats. Haughey emerged as the victor by a margin of 44 votes to 38, a very clear division within the party. On 11 December 1979, Charles Haughey was elected [[Taoiseach]] and leader of [[Fianna Fáil]], almost a decade after the Arms Crisis set back his political career. In a conciliatory gesture, Colley was re-appointed as [[Tánaiste]] and had a veto over whom Haughey would appoint as Ministers for Justice and for Defence. This was due to his distrust of Haughey on security issues (because of the Arms Crisis). However, he was removed from the senior role of Minister for Finance. In 2010, a founder of the [[Saatchi & Saatchi]] advertising firm, said that Haughey had asked for "a new image" similar to the one provided for [[Margaret Thatcher]] for the [[1979 United Kingdom general election|1979 general election]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Coyle |first=Colin |title=Haughey 'wanted a new image' |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/ireland/article7017966.ece |work=[[The Times]] |date=7 February 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604184540/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/ireland/article7017966.ece |archive-date=4 June 2011 }}</ref>

===Taoiseach (1979–1981)===
Within days of his becoming Taoiseach, [[Allied Irish Banks]] forgave Haughey £400,000 of a £1,000,000 debt.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rte.ie/news/1999/0217/583-moriarty/|title=AIB wrote off almost £400,000 of Haughey's £1.14 million|work=[[RTÉ News]] |date=27 February 1999|access-date=9 December 2024}}</ref> ''[[The Economist]]'' obituary on Haughey (24 June 2006) asserted that he had warned the bank "I can be a very troublesome adversary". When Haughey came to power, the country was sinking into a deep economic crisis, following the [[1979 energy crisis]]. Haughey effectively acted as his own Minister for Finance, ignoring the views of his Minister. One of his first functions as Taoiseach was a televised address to the nation – only the third such address in the Republic's history – in which he outlined the bleak economic picture:<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/haughey-1-14m-in-debt-went-on-tv-to-lecture-the-nation-on-overspending-1.1258709 |title=Haughey, £1.14m in debt, went on TV to lecture the nation on overspending |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116111658/https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/haughey-1-14m-in-debt-went-on-tv-to-lecture-the-nation-on-overspending-1.1258709 |archive-date=16 November 2018 |newspaper=[[The Irish Times]] |date=30 January 1999}}</ref>

{{cquote|I wish to talk to you this evening about the state of the nation's affairs and the picture I have to paint is not, unfortunately, a very cheerful one. The figures which are just now becoming available to us show one thing very clearly. {{em|As a community we are living away beyond our means}}. I don't mean that everyone in the community is living too well, many are not and have barely enough to get by, but taking us all together we have been living at a rate which is simply not justified by the amount of goods and services we are producing. To make up the difference we have been borrowing enormous amounts of money, borrowing at a rate which just cannot continue. A few simple figures will make this very clear ... we will just have to reorganise government spending so that we can only undertake those things we can afford… |14px|14px|Charles Haughey, 9 January 1980}}

[[File:1981 Europese Top Maastricht, Oud-Gouvernement (3).jpg|thumb|Haughey (left) arriving in [[Maastricht]], for the 1981 Top Conference of the [[European Council]] ]]

While Haughey had identified the problem with the economy, his actions made the problem worse. He increased public spending, which soon became out of control, and led to increases in borrowing and taxation at an unacceptable level. By 1981, Haughey was still reasonably popular and decided to call a general election. However, the timing of the election was thwarted twice by external events, in particular the [[hunger strike]]s of [[Provisional Irish Republican Army|IRA]] volunteers for political status. The [[Anti H-Block|Anti H-Block Committee]] announced that they would field abstentionist candidates which many predicted correctly would take Republican votes away from [[Fianna Fáil]]. This coincided with the [[Stardust fire]], where a fire destroyed a nightclub in Haughey's constituency and claimed the lives of 48 young people; these caused Haughey to delay the Ard Fheis and the election. The [[1981 Irish general election|poll was eventually held in June]], much later than Haughey had intended. In the hope of winning an overall Dáil majority, Haughey's campaign took a populist line about taxation and spending. The campaign was enhanced and hyped up by a live debate on [[RTÉ]] between Haughey and the Leader of the Opposition [[Garret FitzGerald]], of Fine Gael, over the major issues. On the day of the vote, Fianna Fáil won 45.5%, failing to secure a majority in the 166-seat Dáil. A [[Fine Gael]]–[[Labour Party (Ireland)|Labour Party]] coalition came to office under FitzGerald, and Haughey went into opposition.

===Opposition (1981–1982)===
FitzGerald's government lasted until January 1982, when it collapsed due to a budget which proposed the application of [[value-added tax]] to children's shoes, previously exempt. FitzGerald, no longer having a majority in the Dáil, went to [[Áras an Uachtaráin]], to advise [[President of Ireland|President]] [[Patrick Hillery|Hillery]] to dissolve the Dáil and call a general election. However, the night the government collapsed the Fianna Fáil Front Bench issued a statement encouraging the President not to grant the dissolution and to allow Fianna Fáil to form a government. Phone calls were also made to the President by [[Brian Lenihan Snr|Brian Lenihan]].{{efn|This attempted contact with the president proved a major embarrassment to Lenihan subsequently in 1990.}} Haughey, on attempting to contact his former colleague, the President, and on failing to be put through to him, was reported to have threatened the president's [[aide de camp]] by telling him that he would be Taoiseach one day and when that happened, "I intend to roast your fucking arse if you don't put me through immediately".<ref>{{cite book|last=Finlay |first=Fergus |author-link=Fergus Finlay |title=Snakes and Ladders |publisher=New Island Books|year=1998}}</ref>{{efn|Haughey told the Dáil that he never insulted an army officer and he never would. Lenihan in his subsequent account noted that no one ever claimed Haughey had insulted an army officer but that he had threatened him, a subtle but important difference, and that Haughey never denied threatening the army officer, merely denied ever insulting an army officer.}} Hillery considered such pressure to be gross misconduct and granted the dissolution.

A biography of [[Patrick Hillery|Hillery]] blames Haughey for the sex scandal rumours which almost destroyed the presidency of Hillery in 1979.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.independent.ie/national-news/haughey-blamed-for-sex-smear-against-hillery-1573729.html|title=Haughey blamed for sex smear against Hillery|newspaper=[[Irish Independent]]|date=13 December 2008|access-date=2 December 2010|archive-date=16 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121016203022/http://www.independent.ie/national-news/haughey-blamed-for-sex-smear-against-hillery-1573729.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Second term as Taoiseach (1982)===
[[File:President Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan with Charles Haughey.jpg|thumb|right|Haughey with [[President of the United States|President]] [[Ronald Reagan]] and First Lady [[Nancy Reagan]] in March 1982]]
After the [[February 1982 Irish general election|February 1982 election]], when Haughey failed to win an overall majority again, questions were raised about his leadership. Some of Haughey's critics in the party suggested that an alternative candidate should stand as the party's nominee for [[taoiseach]]. [[Desmond O'Malley]] emerged as the likely alternative candidate and was ready to challenge Haughey for the leadership. However, on the day of the vote, O'Malley withdrew and Haughey went forward as the nominee. He engineered [[confidence and supply]] agreements with the Independent Socialist TD, [[Tony Gregory]] (in return for £100 million of investment in the Dublin North Inner City; a deal dubbed the Gregory Deal), the [[Independent Fianna Fáil]] TD [[Neil Blaney]] and three [[Workers' Party (Ireland)|Workers' Party]] TDs, which saw him return as taoiseach for a second time.

In August 1982, the [[Attorney General of Ireland|Attorney General]] [[Patrick Connolly]] was the subject of controversy when a man in his house was arrested for murder. At a press conference on the affair, Haughey was paraphrased as having described the affair as "grotesque, unbelievable, bizarre and unprecedented", from which journalist and former politician [[Conor Cruise O'Brien]] coined the term [[GUBU]].

The issue of his leadership cropped up again when in October, [[Charlie McCreevy]], a backbench TD, put down a motion of no-confidence in Haughey. Desmond O'Malley disagreed with the timing but supported the hasty motion of no confidence. O'Malley resigned from the cabinet before the vote. A campaign was started by Haughey's supporters, with threats made to the careers of those who dissented from the leadership. After a marathon 15-hour party meeting, Haughey, who insisted on a roll-call as opposed to a secret ballot, won the open ballot by 58 votes to 22. Not long after this, Haughey's government collapsed when the Workers' Party TD's and [[Tony Gregory]] withdrew their support for the government over a Fianna Fáil policy document called "The Way Forward", which would lead to massive spending cuts. Fianna Fáil lost the [[November 1982 Irish general election|November 1982 election]] and FitzGerald once again returned as taoiseach at the head of a Fine Gael–Labour coalition with a Dáil majority. Haughey found himself back in opposition.

===Return to opposition (1982–1987)===
Haughey's leadership came under scrutiny for a third time when a report linked Haughey with the [[Irish phone tapping scandal|phone tapping of political journalists]]. Despite huge pressure, Haughey refused to resign and survived yet another vote of no-confidence in early 1983, albeit with a smaller majority. Haughey's success was partly due to the death of the Fianna Fáil TD [[Clement Coughlan]], a supporter of O'Malley. Haughey's supporters managed to have the meeting moved to the following week after the funeral, which gave him more time to manoeuvre. Having failed three times to oust Haughey, most of his critics gave up and returned to normal politics.

In May 1984, the [[New Ireland Forum]] Report was published. Haughey was involved in the drafting of this at the time he was in office and had agreed to potential scenarios for improving the political situation of Northern Ireland. However, on publication, Haughey rejected it and said the only possible solution was a United Ireland. This statement was criticised by the other leaders who forged the New-Ireland Forum, [[John Hume]], Garret FitzGerald and [[Dick Spring]]. Desmond O'Malley supported the Forum report and criticised Haughey's ambiguous position, accusing him of stifling debate. At a Fianna Fáil Parliamentary Party meeting to discuss the report, the whip was removed from O'Malley, which meant he was no longer a Fianna Fáil TD. When Haughey returned to office he embraced the [[Anglo-Irish Agreement]] that had developed from the New Ireland Forum Report.

In early 1985, a bill was introduced by the Fine Gael–-Labour government to liberalise the sale of contraceptives in the country. [[Fianna Fáil]] in opposition opposed the bill. O'Malley supported it as a matter of principle rather than a political point to oppose for opposition's sake. On the day of the vote, O'Malley spoke in the Dáil chamber and stated:
{{blockquote|But I do not believe that the interests of this State or our Constitution and this Republic would be served by putting politics before conscience regarding this ... I stand by the Republic and accordingly, I will not oppose this Bill.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1985-02-20/speech/89/|title=Health (Family Planning) (Amendment) Bill, 1985: Second Stage (Resumed)|work=Dáil Debates. Vol. 356 No. 2|date=20 February 1985|access-date=5 January 2021|archive-date=11 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211211221056/https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1985-02-20/3/|url-status=live}}</ref>}}

He abstained rather than vote with the government. Despite this Haughey moved against O'Malley and in February 1985, O'Malley was charged with "conduct unbecoming". At a party meeting, even though O'Malley did not have the party whip, he was expelled from the Fianna Fáil organisation by 73 votes to 9 in a roll-call vote. With [[George Colley]] dead, O'Malley expelled and other critics silenced, Haughey was finally in full control of Fianna Fáil. On 21 December 1985, Desmond O'Malley announced the formation of the [[Progressive Democrats]]. Several Fianna Fáil TDs joined including [[Mary Harney]] and [[Bobby Molloy]].

In November 1985, the [[Anglo-Irish Agreement]] was signed between Garret FitzGerald and British Prime Minister [[Margaret Thatcher]]. The agreement gave [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]] a formal say in [[Northern Ireland]] and its affairs. As was the case with the New Ireland Forum Report, the Anglo-Irish Agreement was harshly criticised by Haughey, who said that he would re-negotiate it, if re-elected. 

===Final term as Taoiseach (1987–1992)===
{{More citations needed section|date=December 2006}}
Following the withdrawal of Labour from government, FitzGerald called a [[1987 Irish general election|general election for February 1987]]. The campaign was dominated by attacks on the government over severe cuts in the budget and the general mismanagement of the economy. Haughey had failed once again to win an overall majority for Fianna Fáil. When it came to electing a Taoiseach in the Dáil Haughey's position was volatile. Independent TD [[Tony Gregory]] voted against Fitzgerald but abstained on Haughey, seeing Haughey as the "lesser of two evils" (the reason for this was Gregory's opposition to the Anglo-Irish agreement as well as his dislike of Garret FitzGerald and Fine Gael). Haughey was elected Taoiseach on the casting vote of the [[Ceann Comhairle]].

Haughey now headed a minority [[Fianna Fáil]] government.{{efn|From 1987 to 1992, Haughey served as [[Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth|Minister for the Gaeltacht]] from 1987 to 1992 as well as Taoiseach.}} [[Fine Gael]] under leader [[Alan Dukes]], made the unprecedented move, with its [[Tallaght Strategy]], of supporting the government and voting for it when it came to introducing tough economic policies. The national debt had doubled under previous administrations, so the government introduced severe budget cuts in all departments. The taxation system was transformed to encourage enterprise and employment. One of the major schemes put forward, and one which would have enormous economic benefits for the country, was the establishment of the [[International Financial Services Centre, Dublin|International Financial Services Centre]] (IFSC) in [[Dublin]].

In late April 1989, Haughey returned from a trip to [[Japan]], to the news that the government was about to be defeated in a Dáil vote, on a private members' motion regarding the provision of funds for [[HIV/AIDS]] sufferers. The government lost the vote, which was seen as merely embarrassing, but Haughey, buoyed by opinion polls which indicated the possibility of winning an overall majority, called a [[1989 Irish general election|general election for 15 June]]. [[Fianna Fáil]] however ended up losing four seats and the possibility of forming another minority government looked slim. For the first time in history, a nominee for [[Taoiseach]] failed to achieve a majority when a vote was taken in the Dáil, on 29 June 1989.<ref name=IrishTimes27Feb2016a>{{cite news|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/1989-a-road-map-for-fine-gael-fianna-f%C3%A1il-deal-1.2550069|title=1989 a road map for Fine Gael-Fianna Fáil deal|newspaper=The Irish Times|author=Stephen O'Byrnes|date=27 February 2016|access-date=21 March 2017|archive-date=12 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170512093910/http://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/1989-a-road-map-for-fine-gael-fianna-f%C3%A1il-deal-1.2550069|url-status=live}}</ref> Constitutionally Haughey was obliged to resign, however he refused to, for a short period. He eventually tendered his resignation to President [[Patrick Hillery|Hillery]] and remained as taoiseach, albeit in an acting capacity.<ref name=IrishTimes27Feb2016a/> A full 27 days after the election had taken place a coalition government was formed between Fianna Fáil and the [[Progressive Democrats]]. It was the first time that Fianna Fáil had entered into a coalition, abandoning one of its "core values" in the overwhelming need to form a government.<ref name=rte-obituary/>

[[File:Rueda de prensa de Felipe González y el primer ministro de Irlanda. Pool Moncloa. 25 de abril de 1990.jpeg|thumb|Haughey (left) and Spanish Prime Minister [[Felipe González]] (right) in the [[Moncloa Palace]], 1990]]
Haughey in 1990 had more difficulties than successes. The first half of the year saw Haughey in a leading role as a European statesman when Ireland held the [[Presidency of the Council of the European Union|presidency of the European Community]], which rotated semi-annually between the member states of the [[European Economic Community]]. Haughey supported [[German reunification]] and during the extraordinary [[List of European Council meetings|Dublin Summit]], which he called for in April, he pressed this viewpoint forward.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://aei.pitt.edu/1397/1/Dublin_april_1990.pdf|title=The European Council, Dublin, 28 April 1990|access-date=2021-09-07|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304201205/http://aei.pitt.edu/1397/1/Dublin_april_1990.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release |title=Press corner |url=http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_DOC-90-1_en.htm?locale=en |publisher=European Commission |access-date=7 September 2021 |date=28 April 1990 |archive-date=11 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211211221126/https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/DOC_90_1 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Scally|first=Derek|title=Germany will 'never forget' Ireland's help|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/germany-will-never-forget-ireland-s-help-1.658399|access-date=2021-09-05|newspaper=The Irish Times|date=Apr 29, 2010|archive-date=11 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111193746/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/germany-will-never-forget-ireland-s-help-1.658399|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Presidency of the Council of the European Union |url=http://ec.europa.eu/ireland/how_the_eu_works/presidency/index_en.htm |publisher=European Commission |access-date=2015-07-08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150711144901/http://ec.europa.eu/ireland/how_the_eu_works/presidency/index_en.htm |archive-date=11 July 2015 |df=dmy }}</ref> He believed both [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]] and [[Germany]] were similar in that both countries were divided. During a [[Dáil]] debate on [[German reunification]], Haughey stated "I have expressed a personal view that coming as we do from a country which is also divided many of us would have sympathy with any wish of the people of the two German States for unification".<ref>{{cite web |title=Ceisteanna—Questions Oral Answers – German Reunification – Dáil Éireann (26th Dáil)|date=13 December 1989 |url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1989-12-13/12/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121119004720/http://debates.oireachtas.ie/dail/1989/12/13/00007.asp |archive-date=19 November 2012}}</ref>

The [[1990 Irish presidential election|presidential election]] was disappointing for Haughey with Brian Lenihan, the [[Tánaiste]], who was nominated as the party's candidate, being defeated by [[Mary Robinson]]. During the campaign the controversy over the phone calls made to the [[Áras an Uachtaráin]] in 1982, urging the then President not to dissolve the Dáil resurfaced. Lenihan was accused of calling and attempting to influence the president, who as [[head of state]] is above politics. The Progressive Democrats threatened to pull out of the coalition and support a Fine Gael no-confidence motion unless Haughey forced Lenihan out. Haughey tried to force Lenihan to resign and sacked him when he refused to do so. Lenihan's dismissal damaged Haughey's standing in the Fianna Fáil organisation.

Haughey's grip on political power began to slip in the autumn of 1991. There was a series of resignations by chairmen of semi-state companies, followed by an open declaration by [[Minister for Finance (Ireland)|Minister for Finance]] [[Albert Reynolds]], that he had every intention of standing for the party leadership if Haughey resigned. Following a heated parliamentary party meeting, [[Seán Power (politician)|Seán Power]], one of Reynolds's supporters, put down a motion of no-confidence in Haughey. Reynolds and his supporters were sacked from the government by Haughey, who went on to win the no-confidence motion by 55 votes to 22.

[[File:Plaque at former Hells Kitchen pub Castlerea (2018).jpg|thumb|Plaque at the [[Castlerea Railway Museum]] in [[Castlerea]] ]]
Haughey's victory was short-lived, as a series of political errors would lead to his demise as [[Taoiseach]]. Controversy erupted over the attempted appointment of [[Jim McDaid]] as Minister for Defence, which saw him withdraw his nomination under pressure from O'Malley. Worse was to follow when [[Seán Doherty (Roscommon politician)|Seán Doherty]], who as [[Minister for Justice (Ireland)|Minister for Justice]] had taken the blame for the [[Irish phone tapping scandal (1983)|phone-tapping scandal]] of the early 1980s, went on [[RTÉ]] television, and after ten years of insisting that Haughey knew nothing of the tapping, claimed that Haughey had known and authorised it.<ref name=rte-obituary/> Haughey denied this, but the [[Progressive Democrats]] members of the government stated that they could no longer continue in government with Haughey as Taoiseach. Haughey told Desmond O'Malley, the Progressive Democrats leader, that he intended to stand down shortly, but wanted to choose his own time of departure. O'Malley agreed to this and the government continued.

On 30 January 1992, Haughey resigned as leader of Fianna Fáil at a parliamentary party meeting. He remained as [[Taoiseach]] until 11 February 1992, when he was succeeded by the former Finance Minister, [[Albert Reynolds]]. During his final address to the Dáil, he quoted [[Othello]], saying "I have done the state some service, they know it, no more of that". Haughey then returned to the backbenches before retiring from politics at the [[1992 Irish general election|1992 general election]]. His son, [[Seán Haughey]], was elected at the election that followed, in his father's old constituency. Seán Haughey was appointed as a [[Minister of State at the Department of Education|Minister of State at the Department of Education and Science]] in December 2006.