The late Declan Costello’s contribution to Ireland through politics and judicial service has been highlighted but perhaps his writings also had a significant influence across the Atlantic? Declan Costello collated the Just Society policy document which was prominent in the 1965 General Election campaign by espousing new thinking in a country where a more traditional and old-fashioned style of politics typically prevailed. In 1968, a politician then aspiring to become Canadian Liberal Party leader, Pierre Trudeau, introduced an adapted form of the Just Society concept for Canada in a campaign which ultimately preceded his successful bid for the office of Prime Minister. These principles as expressed by Mr. Trudeau were a major contribution to his popularity, dubbed “Trudeaumania”, a phenomenon which attracted considerable worldwide press attention that year. Over the course of his terms in office, which spanned until 1984, the Just Society was the most famous slogan which encapsulated the ideals that Trudeau set out to achieve for his country while in Government, to such an extent that the associated democratic ideas still formulate an important legacy as far as Canadian politics are concerned.
Although the term “Just Society” was alluded to previously by such philosophers as Plato, the usage by Costello in policy formulation was significantly similar to that which was promoted by Trudeau a mere couple of years later. Trudeau was a particularly erudite and well-read man of an academic disposition and it is therefore highly possible that he would have been aware of the usage of the “Just Society” terminology in the 1965 Irish General Election campaign.
This success of the “Just Society” concept observed in Canada demonstrates that, in initially promoting the Just Society proposal within Fine Gael, Mr. Costello was perfectly attuned to the need for updated political thought more appropriate to 1960s Western culture, and was a pioneer in that respect.
