President of Ireland or President of the Republic of Ireland?

[Baby boomer]

Now Michael D is in full agreement with you, if anything he's consider that an under statement, but I find his narcissism a bit off putting.

Yes, he has a great welcome for himself. And an enthusiastic set of cheerleaders in RTE who are intent on turning him (and his dogs) into an Official National Treasure. The reality is he's an over-the-hill politician who fell into a handy and extremely well paid job which isn't too difficult or demanding and which he mostly manages to do passably well.

 

[Purple]

Yes, he has a great welcome for himself. And an enthusiastic set of cheerleaders in RTE who are intent on turning him (and his dogs) into an Official National Treasure. The reality is he's an over-the-hill politician who fell into a handy and extremely well paid job which isn't too difficult or demanding and which he mostly manages to do passably well.

I think he does an okay job as President. In my opinion he strays into the political far too often. His two predecessors' were much better.
I don't think I've ever seen or heard of a person with a higher opinion of themselves.

RTE should be fans of his since they put him there, ably assisted by Sinn Fein.

 

[SGWidow]

Let's face it, Purple, he probably has too much integrity to be popular in these here parts.

I am/was not mad about his two predecessors...........there is something about Mary (1 and 2) that grates

 

[WolfeTone]

RTE should be fans of his since they put him there, ably assisted by Sinn Fein.

Strange perspective. As far as I recall it was SF putting forward a candidate for election to President that other parties to put forward candidates who were otherwise content to give MDH a free pass into a second term.

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

Strange perspective. As far as I recall it was SF putting forward a candidate for election to President that other parties to put forward candidates who were otherwise content to give MDH a free pass into a second term.

I presume @Purple is referring to the RTÉ/SF sting that shafted Gallagher in 2011.

 

[SGWidow]

It's true that Gallagher got rightly shafted by RTE.............I haven't once quibbled about the licence fee since then

 

[Peanuts20]

Whilst I agree that he was right not to go, there is a devilish part of me that wonders should he have gone up and called out for a rememberence of all those who died in the troubles, recall the blatent discremination that existed in NI for decades against the Nationalist community and call out how much NI has grown up now?. Point out that Unionists can and are happily applying for Republic passports post Brexit after the majority of people in NI voted to stay in the EU. he could really have poked the DUP bear here.

 

[Purple]

I presume @Purple is referring to the RTÉ/SF sting that shafted Gallagher in 2011.

Yep, that's the one.

 

[Purple]

It's true that Gallagher got rightly shafted by RTE.............I haven't once quibbled about the licence fee since then

I thought you didn't like corruption and cronyism.
I have to admit my intense dislike of Micky-D does colour by views on the issue. Gallagher would have been fine at the job. Nothing special but fine. He wouldn't have been like a narcissistic spoiled child wrapping himself in a cloak of self congratulatory bombast so that would be an improvement on the little fella.

 

[SGWidow]

Not following you there, Purple?!

 

[WolfeTone]

I presume @Purple is referring to the RTÉ/SF sting that shafted Gallagher in 2011.

Perhaps he was referring to that. But I don't think that affair was about putting MDH in as much as it was about taking out the defacto FF candidate trying to get in through the back door as an 'independent'.
That was another political theatre masterclass by SF who had MMcG as candidate. Revered in their circles, MMcG was not put forward as a token candidate. SF had real intent in taking the office of President in their own right.

There has been another election since then and at the very least it is good to know that there are some in the political arena still not prepared to turn a blind eye to cosy, free pass, nod and wink appointments to public office.
Then, or now.

 

[Purple]

Perhaps he was referring to that. But I don't think that affair was about putting MDH in as much as it was about taking out the defacto FF candidate trying to get in through the back door as an 'independent'.
That was another political theatre masterclass by SF who had MMcG as candidate. Revered in their circles, MMcG was not put forward as a token candidate. SF had real intent in taking the office of President.

There has been another election since then and at the very least it is good to know that there are some in the political arena still not prepared to turn a blind eye to cosy, free pass, nod and wink appointments to public office.
Then, or now.

It is also good to know that there are some in the political arena still prepared to lie and cheat and smear the integrity of their opponents for their own political ends. At least they aren't shooting them any more so that's a positive.

 

[WolfeTone]

to lie and cheat and smear the integrity of their opponents for their own political ends.

I don't recall any lies or cheating in that affair. I recall an accusation, that was allowed to air without being substantiated, in which the accused was unable to handle because there was more than a whiff of truth behind it.
As such his whole campaign came crumbling down around him. The subsequent outrage of unfair treatment only further exposed the extent of political and media backing that was behind this 'independent'.
As I said, it was a political masterclass performance by MMcG and SF in taking out the de facto FF candidate.

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

Does anybody in the land actually celebrate partition? Ok, unionists may thank their lucky stars for being saved from an RC theocracy but partition was clearly a second best to the Union of Great Britain and Ireland.
Partition is the very undesirable result of our divisions not their cause as some like to argue. I cannot see why anybody would want to celebrate/commemorate/recognise its centenary.

 

[Purple]

I don't recall any lies or cheating in that affair. I recall an accusation,

I do recall lies or cheating in that affair. I recall an accusation, which was a lie, which the Shinners used to remove a candidate from the election.
At least they didn't shoot him, so that's an improvement on their previous behaviour.

I do agree that it was a political masterclass, right out of the 70's gombeen FF playbook. That's what the Shiners are; FF from the 70's.

 

[Purple]

Does anybody in the land actually celebrate partition? Ok, unionists may thank their lucky stars for being saved from an RC theocracy but partition was clearly a second best to the Union of Great Britain and Ireland.
Partition is the very undesirable result of our divisions not their cause as some like to argue. I cannot see why anybody would want to celebrate/commemorate/recognise its centenary.

Unionism is defined by what it isn't, not what it is, and this is a celebration of not being part of a united Ireland run by the papists (now the godless sodomites).

 

[Purple]

Let's face it, Purple, he probably has too much integrity to be popular in these here parts.

All those pensions and a landlord as well? Well, according to the great man himself he's been on the right side of every social issue in this country in his lifetime.

I am/was not mad about his two predecessors...........there is something about Mary (1 and 2) that grates

I liked them both, for different reasons.

 

[WolfeTone]

I recall an accusation, which was a lie, which the Shinners used to remove a candidate from the election.

I think you protesteth too much.

No candidate was removed from the election, let alone by SF.

I do agree that it was a political masterclass, right out of the 70's gombeen FF playbook.

Sometimes you got to meet fire with fire. FF was engaged in trying to get their candidate into an Áras at a time when they knew the electorate would dump on the brand FF. The brass neck of their own narcissism and their allies in the media (Eoghan 'Barbara J Pym' Harris being to the forefront of this campaign) ensured that they would not stop for anyone or anything to get their man into the Áras.
The were engaged in trying to pull another stroke over the publics eye by putting Gallagher up as an 'independent'.
They were rumbled, and once so, the public gave their verdict.
The subsequent whinging for years afterwards by Gallagher and Harris was nothing more than the sound of self-anointed, righteous air being squeezed out of them.

 

[Purple]

Sometimes you got to meet fire with fire. FF was engaged in trying to get their candidate into an Áras at a time when they knew the electorate would dump on the brand FF. The brass neck of their own narcissism and their allies in the media (Eoghan 'Barbara J Pym' Harris being to the forefront of this campaign) ensured that they would not stop for anyone or anything to get their man into the Áras.
The were engaged in trying to pull another stroke over the publics eye by putting Gallagher up as an 'independent'.
They were rumbled, and once so, the public gave their verdict.
The subsequent whinging for years afterwards by Gallagher was nothing more than the sound of self-anointed, righteous air being squeezed out of him.

I'll have to learn that off so I have the right answer when your guys get into office.
It'll be in the green version of the 'Little Red Book'.

 

[gianni]

I don't recall any lies or cheating in that affair. I recall an accusation, that was allowed to air without being substantiated, in which the accused was unable to handle because there was more than a whiff of truth behind it.
As such his whole campaign came crumbling down around him. The subsequent outrage of unfair treatment only further exposed the extent of political and media backing that was behind this 'independent'.
As I said, it was a political masterclass performance by MMcG and SF in taking out the de facto FF candidate.

SF are proven liars. But Gallagher not being sure about receiving money in envelopes was what done him in. "I have no recollection" is too weak a response. It suggests that it may have happened but he doesn't remember. Which in itself suggests he was embroiled in this practice at some stage. This practice, if done correctly, is perfectly fine. But the optics weren't great.

Excerpts from broadsheet.ie:

Pat Kenny: “A development which I want to put to Sean Gallagher. On the Martin McGuinness for president Twitter account, Sinn Fein are saying they are going to produce the man who gave you the cheque for five grand. Now, do you want to change what you said or are you still saying that it simply didn’t happen? Are they up to dirty tricks or what?”
Gallagher: “Well, you know I’ve always tried to stay above any negative
campaigning and I understand from a query during the week in one of the newspapers and when my campaign team sent back the information on the said character, I don’t want to cast any aspersions on him….”
Kenny: “So you know who he is?”
Gallagher: “He’s a convicted criminal, a fuel smuggler, investigated by the Criminal Assets Bureau and rented the office out to Gerry Adams, Martin’s colleague, in the last general election. I don’t want to get involved in this, I don’t believe….”
(Audience noise and cheers)
Kenny: “Can we put this to rest now. Did you get a cheque from this guy or not?”
Gallagher: “I have no recollection of getting a cheque from this guy…”
(Audience boo and hiss – someone shouts “Liar!”)
Gallagher: “I can tell you, let me explain this very simply.”
McGuinness: “The man said you went to his house Sean.”
Gallagher: “I explained that they’re were two or three people that I asked….invited, I don’t know the man very well that’s in question…”
Kenny: “Hang on a second, you’re saying you went around to a fuel smuggler and all sorts of things and invited him to a Fianna Fail do?”
Gallagher: “I’ll tell you quite simply Pat, I was asked…”

.....

McGuinness: I think Sean should answer the question. And the question is, did he go to a man’s house, a man who spoke to me on the telephone several hours ago, and collect a cheque for €5,000 euro?”
Gallagher: “What Martin has said is that I drove to the man’s house to deliver a photograph of the event and that he gave me a cheque. I may well have delivered the photograph if he gave me an envelope…I…”
(Audience laughs)
Gallagher: “The point is, if he gave me the cheque, it was made out to Fianna
Fail headquarters and it was delivered, and that was that. It had nothing to do with me.”