still in the past

miseeire

I really believed we had turned the corner and were a dynamic,21st century country and then I see that the man the people want as president cannot even get enough support from politicians for him to contest.Do the rules need to be changed or are our politicians the biggest lump of crap ever to see the light of day?

Godge

miseeire wrote: »

I really believed we had turned the corner and were a dynamic,21st century country and then I see that the man the people want as president cannot even get enough support from politicians for him to contest.Do the rules need to be changed or are our politicians the biggest lump of crap ever to see the light of day?

Who is the man the people want to see as President? Bono? Bob Geldof?Gay Byrne? Ronan Keating? Robbie Keane? Pat Shortt? Dustin the Turkey? Mick Wallace? Ryan Turbidy? Elvis Presley? Terry Wogan? Pat Spillane? Micko Dwyer? P.J.Gallagher?

Seriously, we need to have some sort of filtering system to ensure that every Tom, Dick and Harry doesn't get on the ballot paper. Nobody has an automatic right to be on the ballot paper but soneone has to decide which candidates are serious enough and presentable enough to be put before the public. We elect the TDs, we elect the councillors, they have a job to do in selecting the presidential candidates. Let them get on with it but it is hard to see a better system than that especially when in the last few elections independent candidates who are serious and have a certain amount of gravitas have been able to get on the ballot paper.

later12

miseeire wrote: »

I really believed we had turned the corner and were a dynamic,21st century country and then I see that the man the people want as president cannot even get enough support from politicians for him to contest.

Presumably you are talking about David Norris and not Mulqueen, for example.

Anyway, this has more to do with the fact that Norris is not affiliated with a political party. One downside of non affiliation is the circumstance in which Norris now finds himself. Poor political backing and a lot of competition amongst the prospective candidates to win support. Some with stronger party affiliations than him.

That's life. It has nothing to do with living in a dynamic society, which I presume is intended to imply that the county councils have some sort of problem with an aspect of the character of David Norris.

anymore

miseeire wrote: »

I really believed we had turned the corner and were a dynamic,21st century country and then I see that the man the people want as president cannot even get enough support from politicians for him to contest.Do the rules need to be changed or are our politicians the biggest lump of crap ever to see the light of day?

So what did Norris do over the last twenty years to get system changed.

Bottle_of_Smoke

There probably be some kind of official petition nomination option.

I am hoping Sinn Fein will support him. his prospects are otherwise looking poor

MadsL

anymore wrote: »

So what did Norris do over the last twenty years to get system changed.

Isn't this a bit like saying a man who falls in a hole did nothing to fill it?

chicken fingers

Drennan in the independent reckons that Indas picks for the seanad are not constrained by any party whip and can freely nominate him. Thats likely to be his only chance.
There was never much chance of local authorities giving him the nomination.

later12

MadsL wrote: »

Isn't this a bit like saying a man who falls in a hole did nothing to fill it?

No. It's a bit more like saying a man in a hole had never previously asked for a ladder.

matthew8

chicken fingers wrote: »

Drennan in the independent reckons that Indas picks for the seanad are not constrained by any party whip and can freely nominate him. Thats likely to be his only chance.
There was never much chance of local authorities giving him the nomination.

Enda's nominees can choose the whip or not. I think around half have.

But honestly, what do people see in Norris that should make him president?

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

he's gay and he's not thick as pig**** are the main reasons I see everywhere.

the fact that he's gay seems to be the more important of the two.

Liam Byrne

miseeire wrote: »

I really believed we had turned the corner and were a dynamic,21st century country and then I see that the man the people want as president cannot even get enough support from politicians for him to contest.

Who's that now ? Has the election been run already, with the politicians refusing to acknowledge it ?

anymore

Any Pesidential candidate who can say as Norris did on his Video on Boards.ie that one of the reasons he wont take take or propose a salary cut as President is because Presidents from a working class background might need the money is . insulting and unfit to represent anyone but his own gilded elite.
However we are unlikey to see that paericular comment getting wider publicity in the media, given that Norris is one of those who can do no wrong in the eyes of the media generally.

anymore

miseeire wrote: »

I really believed we had turned the corner and were a dynamic,21st century country and then I see that the man the people want as president cannot even get enough support from politicians for him to contest.Do the rules need to be changed or are our politicians the biggest lump of crap ever to see the light of day?

Norris himself still seems to be mired in an early 20th century fictional Dublin where he roams the street living out a fantasy as character from a James Joyce novel.

anymore

MadsL wrote: »

Isn't this a bit like saying a man who falls in a hole did nothing to fill it?

No it is a bit like saying that one of the guys paid to be a health and safety rep did nothing to ensure that proper H & S measures were in place to prevent people accidentally falling in to the hole.
Remeber Norris gets € 70 k + a year , plus expenses pluse pension for part time work.If our democracy is so fundamentally flawed that he may not get through what has been the estblished democratic path to the Presidency, then maybe he should examine his own 25 year record, you know the one he rattles on about quite a lot.

Pat D. Almighty

miseeire wrote: »

I really believed we had turned the corner and were a dynamic,21st century country and then I see that the man the people want as president cannot even get enough support from politicians for him to contest.Do the rules need to be changed or are our politicians the biggest lump of crap ever to see the light of day?

Any chance you could elaborate as to who you are talking about?

chicken fingers

I presume the person with three times the support of his nearest rival in the opinion polls?