The Presidential Election 2025

[deeahgwitch]

Your thoughts.
i’m in the ABB camp.
I accept he did a great job re The Good Friday Agreement but his government pre the economic crash !!!🙄🥲

I would have thought so. Mind you nothing would surprise me when it comes to fffg so him staying in post won't surprise me in the least. To me it shows up both MM and ff as a whole that they endorsed Gavin and he has now stepped down. They clearly didn't do their due diligence when selecting a candidate. Not that I am in anyway a ff supporter, but surely there were more suitable candidates than Gavin?

FF love their celebrity nominees. Billy Kelleher said the selection process was flawed and it looks like he was right. How that little matter of €3000 slipped Gavin's mind is beyond me, he's not a property mogul. I can't see the court case being successful. Those selected met the criteria, the unsuccessful didn't. The whole process probably needs review but the thoughts of another referendum....

I think Micheal will be out very soon.

I don't think the rules imposed by the parties this time round derived from the constitution. They were a stitch up and can be unstitched for future elections without a referendum.

I don't understand how Gavin has been judged as needing to pull out and its "the right thing to do" but Catherine Connolly gets to drive on.
Yes he messed up on several levels and had to go but look back at what I posted about the rap sheet for who CC employed and facilitated free access to Leinster House but its OK. The woman was caught just before going to rob an innocent citizen who happened to be an arms dealer. Stealing guns must have been the plan while wearing wigs and balaclavas and a stun gun etc ready to use.

She then got to wander government buildings freely by being buzzed in even after she was refused her own access based on risk. How Mary Lou etc have managed to bury that and keep CC in the race Is just amazing but its double standards!

100%. SF FG and FF just manipulated it for their own gain. FG and FF wanted to ensure their candidate had little competition. SF wanted to ensure there was only one other candidate so they could turn it into a 'referendum' on the government parties.

I don't understand how Gavin has been judged as needing to pull out

I think he made that decision for himself I don't think he was forced to pull out tbf but obviously didn't want the intrusion and interrogations that would come with the revelation.
Connolly imo would be a diplomatic disaster which is effectively the main role of the President and this will do us no favours as a result . No fan of Humphrey's but I feel left with little choice. I won't spoil my vote because I think that would help Connolly.

It’s a right mess.
Someone suggested voting for Jim Gavin anyway but it was pointed out that if that is done FF could quite possibly get the election expenses back, guestimated at between €200k - €500k by a guy on the radio last night.
Hit them (FF) where it hurts - in their pockets !!!!
Oops isn’t that what Jim Gavin did to his tenant.

Voting for Gavin as a protest would be foolish.
If he gets enough votes he could still accept the nomination, accepting the mandate of the people,not to mention the huge salary and free lodgings 😂.
MM implied yesterday evening that he, himself,has no intention of resigning, saying he was given a mandate by the electorate in the last election. FF won 21% of the vote and MM was of course only elected in his own constituency, but anything can be spun to suit their narrative.

If people want to spoil the vote as a protest then just spoil it, if enough are spoiled it will send a message that people are unhappy.
Either way it's either HH or CC in the Aras for 7 years, unless this court case throws a spanner in the works which seems unlikely.

HH or CC could be in the Áras for 14 years 🙄 @Onehorsetown

Oh God @deeahgwitch I hadn't even thought that far ahead!!

I seriously doubt that Gavin pulled out over the €3k thing, I wonder if there's more that he was worried would come out.

The whole thing feels like such a blooody shambles now. And why am I not even surprised 🙄

Well the woman in question served her sentence and was qualified for the role. Éamon Ó Cuív recommended her to Catherine Connolly.
Gavin had been ignoring his former tenant for 16 years despite solicitors letters.

I'm worried the Gardaí seem happy to leak a private citizen's information in order to influence an election.

Some bloke on the radio this morning said if we all protest-voted for Jim Gavin he would be duly elected, would then resign immediately and we would have to have a new election within 60 days. Which would be expensive but excellent, particularly if the bozo parties felt shamed into allowing independent candidates and open debate.

otoh, it would be un-excellent if it meant Fianna Fail got their cash back and the bozo parties decided to unilaterally nominate Bertie, the most skilful, the most devious, and the most cunning of them all.

would be duly elected, would then resign immediately
He would be under no obligation to do so.

you seem nearly as sceptical and untrusting as as me @Onehorsetown

I wonder what made us that way?

Well the woman in question served her sentence and was qualified for the role.
I keep seeing this, but I don't think anyone would say that David Drum is qualified to work in the Department of Finance, and as he served his sentence, he should be given the chance to do so.
The woman had the right to move on with her life, but she had a firearms conviction.
According to newspaper reports she was still a member of Eirigi when she was offered the position.
It doesn't seem to have affected Connolly too much though.
The next poll results will be interesting.

😂

Catherine Connolly's assistant is just a naive amateur. Certainly compared to the Fianna Fáil deputies of the 1932 Dáil , some of whom came armed. I don't blame them tbh : Eóin O Duffy and his toytown fascists had threatened to stop them taking office. We're all three generations from a farm. Or the IRA. Or the UVF come to that. Or the Orange Lodge indeed.

Might be no harm having an Ulster Protestant in the Park. I think either CC or HH would do a reasonable job. Disappointment at what a non event it has become must be weighed against relief we have been spared the insanity of President MacGregor, the inanity of Flatley and the religious fundamentalism of Steen.
If the rules have so far prevented the election descending into some squalid reality TV show , invariably won by the loudest and looniest contestant , then we should be careful what we replace them with.

That's exactly my point. Totally agree she had done her time and her life was hers but the conviction and her membership of eirigi meant she was not a suitable candidate for the role she was given. It shows v v poor judgement by CC and is much bigger an issue than gavins rental problem but has been swept under the carpet and yet he resigned.

@Abhannmor ... if right was right the voting public should be able to choose from a selection of candidates even if it includes the insanity of President MacGregor, the inanity of Flatley and the religious fundamentalism of Steen. No one has a greater or lesser right to representation. Unfortunately SF FF and FG think they they know better and here we are with a sham election.

I am particularly interested in the continued references to Steens religion. Given our new population changes i can't wait to see how references to religious fundamentalism will be applied to candidates of other religions in future elections.

It is sad that such a great country has such a poor selection of candidates...how did it come to this?! The whole process has to be reviewed.

I don't think Steen can be described as fundamentalist - that isn't a Catholic religious postition. Observant, devout, scrupulous are all possibilities. So is freedom of religion. The current fashionable rash of anti-Catholic fervour is one of the more tedious manifestations of middle class Ireland's social conformity.

I was just about to say something similar. Yes, Maria Steen is religious but she's not a fundamentalist. I mean we are traditionally a catholic country and I'm a lapsed Catholic myself ( as are most people probably) but I don't have any problem with anyone who chooses to practise religion.

@BruachAbhann exactly and honestly I don't care if she worships all gods or none but its sad that her religion is used as a stick to beat her with. I want more like her who are not afraid to say what is not populist even if they get flogged for it. Because of her the concept of female is in the constitution. We need constitutional experts like her to ensure we hear a balanced explanation of planned amendments as they are being used as vehicles to allow more.

@HayGal I agree. She was a measured, calm, reasonable voice on the family election. I thought I would be in the minority voting No No but was pleasantly surprised to see an overwhelming majority voted that way and she definitely helped protect mothers in the constitution. I think she really cares about women and children's rights and for serving the common good.

I've just seen an article in the Irish Times that she's called on the election to be cancelled after Jim Gavin's exit. It's behind a paywall but I'll link to it anyway.
She said if it's rerun she will run again. I'd personally love to hear more on what she has to say. I'm not holding my breath that it will be rerun but I think it's what is needed to restore the public's faith in the democratic process.

www.irishtimes.com/politics/2025/10/07/maria-steen-calls-for-presidential-election-to-be-cancelled-over-jim-gavins-departure/

Steen is quite welcome to practice her religion but she wants its rules/laws to be the rules/laws of Ireland. I don't want a Catholic Ireland. I reject any and all religions and I'm including atheism as practiced by a vocal segment of middle Ireland as a type of religion!

I'd like a complete separation of state and church as in France.

I would question the suitability of anyone who is fundamental in their views whether that fundamentalism is religious or political.