H-Block Ballots
Charles J. Haughey remained Taoiseach during the first half of the year, leading Fianna Fáil as it confronted a difficult economic and political environment. Ireland had entered the 1980s with high inflation, rising unemployment and strained public finances. An OECD survey published early in 1981 noted that unemployment had risen sharply during 1980, especially among younger people, while consumer prices had increased by more than 18 per cent in that year. These were conditions inherited by 1981 rather than figures that describe the whole calendar year, but they explain the intensity of debate over taxation, public spending and jobs.