This is the definitive analysis of the 2007 Irish general election and is the sixth book in the well established How Ireland Voted series. Thirteen separate chapters written by leading political scientists as well as by some of the candidates themselves, take the reader from the background during the 2002-2007 period to the implications of this election for Irish political life, while winners and losers provide views from the campaign trail. Contributors analyse pledges made by the previous government, examine the campaign strategies of the parties and the media's response, and dissect the election results to see how voters made sense of it all. A further chapter explains how the new government was formed. The polls and the record of betting are considered as indicators of change in opinion in the last few months of the campaign, while comprehensive appendices contain all the statistics on the results, the new Dail, and the new government. A series of carefully selected photographs capture the spirit of this intense and exciting election.