Political opportunism Political opportunism Political opportunism refers to the attempt to maintain political support, or increase political influence, in a way which disregards relevant ethical or political principles. The political philosophy of Niccolò Machiavelli as described in "The Prince" is often regarded as a classic manual of opportunist scheming, and indeed a "Machiavellian" is nowadays defined as "a cunning, amoral, and opportunist person, especially a politician". Political opportunism is interpreted in different ways, but usually refers to one or more of the following: Typically, opportunist political behavior is criticized for being short-sighted or narrow-minded. That is, in the urge to make short-term
David Farrell (political scientist) Systems (CSES) Scholarship, and "Electoral Systems" (second edition, 2011). He is the founding co-editor of "Party Politics", the President of the Political Studies Association of Ireland and the Speaker of the Council of the European Consortium for Political Research. In 2013 he was elected a Member of the Royal Irish Academy. David Farrell (political scientist) David M. Farrell (born 1960) is a political scientist. He was appointed to the Chair of Politics at University College Dublin in 2009, having returned to Ireland after two decades working at the University of Manchester, where from 2006-09 he was Head of the School