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Irish Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Politics
- Irish Daily Mirror
Get set for the presidential election, the dirtiest in Irish politics
Politics is a dirty game, but it doesn't get grubbier than the presidential election. The race for the Áras has suddenly got more interesting with the news that Michael Flatley is to seek a nomination to run. The Irish-American dancer will make a bid as President, his High Court case over his Castlehyde mansion heard last week. But if the Riverdancer goes for it, he needs to be prepared for the toughest and roughest contest in Irish politics. Campaigns are known controversies, scandals and shock revelations. Fake tweets, mud-slinging, smears and anonymous letters are all part of the game. Front runners - such as Brian Lenihan in 1990 and Sean Gallagher in 2011 - were taken out at the last minute. Celebrity candidates such as Eurovision singer Dana and charity boss Adi Roche were put through the wringer. Dana recalled it as a "a truly terrible time", while Roche described it as "mental torture". Even two-term Michael D Higgins was deemed "too old" and his predecessor Mary McAleese was called a "tribal time bomb". David Norris' bid was one of the biggest surprises, with the senator being pummelled throughout the campaign until he was eventually forced to stand down. Political pundit Ivan Yates described entering the race as "a punishment beating - it's open f***ing season on your life". David Norris pulled out of the presidential race Since the role was created by Eamon De Valera in 1937, it's been controversial. De Valera, who served two terms as president himself, once joked: "I wanted to create a nice quiet job without too much work in my old age." In 1973, there was a poignant battle between Fine Gael's Tom O'Higgins and winner Erskine Childers, whose families were on either side of the Civil War. Erskine's father had been executed by the Free State authorities, while his rival's uncle Kevin O'Higgins was the justice minister who signed the orders. But it wasn't until the 1990s that the contest got really intense. Labour candidate Mary Robinson was believed to have derailed her campaign when she gave, what was then, a controversial interview with Hot Press magazine. She told the publication that she would officiate at a stall selling contraceptives, which led to a newspaper calling the interview "the longest suicide note in history". Mary Robinson Her team initially said she was misquoted, but then the journalist Liam Fay produced an audio recording of it. Then Mary Robinson was subjected to a cutting personal attack from Fianna Fáil politician Padraig Flynn. He accused her of having a "new-found interest in her family" as part of her public persona in pursuit of the presidency. But it was all nothing compared to the scandal that engulfed her rival, Fianna Fáil's Brian Lenihan Snr. He gave an interview with an academic researcher of how he had been involved in controversial attempts to pressurise President Patrick Hillery not to dissolve the Dáil in 1982. But in an RTÉ interview, he said: "I want to say I'm absolutely certain on mature recollection I did not ring President Hillery. And I want to put my reputation on the line in that respect." It led to Fianna Fáil leader Charlie Haughey firing him a week out from the election. It triggered a sympathy vote for Lenihan, who nearly caught up with eventual winner Robinson. She made a veiled reference to Flynn's jibe when she later thanked the women of Ireland who voted for her and, "instead of rocking the cradle, rocked the system". Chernobyl children's charity boss Roche had a particularly bruising time in 1997. Anonymous letters were sent to national media outlets which falsely alleged her brother Donal de Roiste had IRA connections. Some were followed up by phone calls, saying: "Do we want somebody so close to the Provos in the Aras?" The smear campaign against Roche's campaign was vicious and entirely baseless. Dana was taken out with an attack on her family during her second attempt at the presidency in 2011. Accusations were made against her brother, John Brown, in the middle of the campaign. Dana (Image: BBC) She called the claims "vile, malicious and untruthful". He was acquitted of historic child sexual abuse charges in 2014. At one stage, it was suggested her car tyres had been knifed and there was a plot to kill her. She said afterwards: "No, I don't regret anything I've done but that was a truly terrible time." Former senator David Norris withdrew from the presidential campaign following the controversy over letters he wrote to the Israeli authorities seeking clemency for his former partner in relation to a serious crime. It finally led the academic and gay activist to pull out of the race, dramatically quoting Samuel Beckett: "Ever tried. Ever failed. Try again. Fail again. Fail better." Perhaps one of the biggest surprises in a presidential election was the takedown of 2011's front runner Sean Gallagher. Cavan entrepreneur and Dragons Den star Gallagher was set to walk into the Áras when it all went drastically wrong. Standing as an Independent, he was the favourite until he was unable to answer questions about his Fianna Fáil past. At the time, the party's brand was toxic, after the financial crash bailout, recession and persistent accusations of cronyism and corruption. The tweet that downed Gallagher's 2011 presidential campaign was fake news before the term had entered the public's consciousness. Gallagher was set to win. But in the final TV debate, before a live studio audience on RTÉ, a malicious tweet was read out by Pat Kenny, which falsely claimed a man had given him money for a Fianna Fáil fundraiser. Former presidential candidate Sean Gallagher (Image: Colin Keegan, Collins, Dublin) A momentarily panicked Gallagher said he had "no recollection" of "an envelope". To many people, that response was an unfortunate reminder of previous Fianna Fail scandals. His campaign could not recover and he ultimately lost to Michael D Higgins. However, Gallagher later received substantial damages and an apology from RTÉ over the false allegations. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here. The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week
Extra.ie
2 days ago
- Politics
- Extra.ie
Mexican stand-off over Áras for Mary Lou and Micheál
Senior figures in Fianna Fáil believe a Mexican stand-off is developing between Micheál Martin and Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald where, if Ms McDonald declares for the Presidency, Mr Martin will feel compelled to take her on to keep the Áras out of the hands of Sinn Féin. The Fianna Fáil leader has struggled to resist the entreaties of a growing number of backbench TDs that he run for the Park. Asked on RTÉ's Morning Ireland last week if he is going to run, he said: 'No, I'm not. Definitely not.' Taoiseach Micheál Martin. Pic: Leah Farrell/ However, should Ms McDonald declare, the reluctant Mr Martin would come under serious pressure from his own party to save the Áras from Sinn Féin. One senior party figure said: 'Are we really going to put up Mary Hanafin against Mary Lou? Gerry Adams maybe… Mary Lou no.' Fianna Fáil has struggled to find a compelling candidate for its first tilt at the Áras in more than a quarter of a century, since Mary McAleese won in 1997. Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald. Pic: Fran Veale One despairing minister said: 'It has been a farce crossed with an embarrassment: the sad reality is that the option left for the parliamentary party is a choice between Mary Hanafin, Pat the Cope Gallagher and some academic no one knows a single thing about. ' Ms Hanafin has the strong support of the party whip, Mary Butler, but it ends there. Éamon Ó Cuív is apparently waiting for a call too. He had better tune up his political antennae for it will be very faint.' Mary Hanafin. Pic: Gareth Chaney/Collins Photos Another minister confirmed the lack of any interest noting: 'It is an utterly second-tier election. Not even junior, let alone senior hurling.' In another addition to the list, they said: 'Newstalk's Ciara Kelly would be a good addition. She is a kind of a younger Miriam O'Callaghan.' Mr Martin is expected to announce his decision on who will represent Fianna Fáil in the third week of August. Several senior members of the party said that the strategic position would change utterly were Ms McDonald, who has displayed a similar lack of ambition for the job to Mr Martin, to be chosen to represent Sinn Féin. One senior Fianna Fáil figure said: 'That would completely change the game plan. There is no way Micheál could allow Sinn Féin to waltz in and take the keys of the Áras.' Dr Ciara Kelly. Pic: Fran Veale Another said: 'There is a bit of an accidental Mexican stand-off between Micheál and Mary Lou. 'He would be in a terrible bind. He could not stand idly by if such a possibility emerged. He would have no choice.' Another Fianna Fáil source said: 'The issue of how we deal with a Mary Lou McDonald challenge is a growing feature of our internal dialogue. A significant degree of momentum has built up behind the Micheál comeback. 'Let's be blunt about it. Who do you want taking on Mary Lou? Is it Micheál or Tony Holohan facing a host of questions about Cervical Check or his departure as CMO?' Tony Holohan. Pic: Sasko Lazarov/ But other senior Fianna Fáil sources counselled against getting 'too carried away over the Mary Lou Micheál stand-off.' One minister said: 'He is very good at calculating the political odds and may come to the conclusion that it is safe to calculate that Mary Lou won't win in the end. 'He will also have to factor in how much damage would be done to his authority if he were to ren and lose to Mary Lou. Would he even be able to campaign as a Taoiseach?'
Irish Independent
4 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Independent
From Volodymyr Zelensky to Donald Trump and Kanye West: The good, the bad and the wacky celebrity presidential candidates
With the revelation in a Dublin court on Friday that Michael Flatley is moving back to Ireland ahead of launching a presidential bid, an otherwise dull campaign for the Áras could finally be set alight by the Lord of the Dance.
Irish Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
‘It would be a waste': Little appetite in Sinn Féin for Mary Lou McDonald to run for president
There is little appetite among Sinn Féin for Mary Lou McDonald to run for president as party figures move closer to the idea of backing Catherine Connolly . Sinn Féin's Ard Chomhairle has not yet considered a report consulting the party's membership on its views, and the party will not make a formal decision until September. But a number of figures in the party neither believe nor support the idea that Ms McDonald would run. 'I don't want her in the Áras,' one said. 'It would be a waste.' 'I don't see a universe where she would run.' READ MORE A number of sources within Sinn Féin said they would favour keeping Ms McDonald in the Dáil to lead the party's ongoing bid to get into government. There is a view emerging that to have Ms McDonald run for president could be read as a concession that Sinn Féin was losing its ambition for the office of an taoiseach. Ms McDonald prompted speculation on her possible candidacy for the upcoming presidential election when she declined to rule herself out of the race earlier this month. It was a marked change in position for the leader of the Opposition, who had definitively said she would not be running for president in March. It is understood Ms McDonald's recent comments may have been a recognition of a desire for her to run among party supporters, who were recently consulted on their views. Sinn Féin remains nervous about presidential elections following a bruising run for its then MEP Liadh Ní Riada in the 2018 contest. Ms Ní Riada came fourth with a little more than 6 per cent of first-preference votes. Though Ms McDonald is recognised as a very strong candidate with a massive national profile, party figures are privately reluctant to put 'our best vote getter' up for what can be a bruising and unpredictable contest. There are anxieties within the party that anything less than an overwhelming win for Ms McDonald could feed a media narrative about a dip in Sinn Féin's electoral fortunes. Sinn Féin is generally relaxed about the question of its presidential candidacy and is content to wait until as late as September to make a decision. If Sinn Féin does not run its own candidate, it is likely to support the campaign of Independent TD Ms Connolly. [ Who is Catherine Connolly? The outspoken left-wing campaigner running for president Opens in new window ] Launching her campaign earlier this month, Ms Connolly said 'I think we're going to have united Ireland very soon' but it would not be 'immediate'. This was widely perceived within the party to have been for the benefit of Sinn Féin and an open effort on the part of Ms Connolly to court the party. Few Sinn Féin TDs could remember ever having heard Ms Connolly talk about reunification in her nearly ten years in the Dáil. The independent TD did support a recent Sinn Féin motion which proposed extending voting rights to Northern Ireland. Will Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin abstain from the presidential race? Listen | 40:42
Irish Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Daily Mirror
Conor McGregor told he cannot run for President by UFC legend
Conor McGregor has been told that it will be impossible for him to become President of Ireland by UFC legend Jorge Masvidal. McGregor has flirted with the prospect of running for the Áras and often makes comments on social media suggesting that he is planning on getting into office. While a tilt for the presidency is unlikely for a number of legislative reasons, UFC icon Masvidal believes McGregor's demeanour and character are the key reasons why he will never become President. Masvidal was speaking to CasinoHawks, who offer the latest online casinos, when he said… "I think the way that he carries himself he's just not gonna be taken seriously because you just can tell by observing him, this guy is here now, gone later. We're gonna put him in office, and then he's gonna decide to do something completely different." Jorge Masvidal in action at UFC 287. (Image: (Photo by Alejandro Salazar/PxImages/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)) Besides Masvidal's concerns over McGregor's flighty nature, the Irishman would struggle to make a real run at the Presidency as he would most likely be unable to garner the political support that he needs. To run for the presidency, McGregor would need to either be nominated by at least 20 members of the Oireachtas (TDs or Senators) or by at least four local authorities (county or city councils), both of which are fanciful prospects at this juncture.
