Best President Ever

D1stant

I think we have been spoiled with the last 3 presidents

My own fave is McAleese, I think she is underrated versus the other two, but she brought a lot of grace to the job and really helped in the North and with the UK. MDH probably wouldnt be there now without her.

So of the last 3, who is your BPE?

SEPT 23 1989

they all had their faults

RayM

Mary Robinson. Although Michael D. is a close second.

cnoc

I would not rate Michael D - a President by default....

efb

McAleese

Knob Longman

I'd rather be able to vote for a president who has political power rather than one that is basically a ceremonial figure. But yea the last 3 were not that bad considering what we could have had, Liar Lenihan, Holy Dana or that gobshíte from Dragon's Den.

c_man

I think Mary Robinson will go down as the main one in recent times. Given the way the country was, it's still surprising that a woman with her background was elected President.

T'other Mary was good too, but I feel a bit pissed off about her just getting a second term for nothing because the country couldn't be arsed :pac: Not her fault of course!

Donkey Oaty

D1stant wrote: »

My own fave is McAleese, I think she is underrated versus the other two, but she brought a lot of grace to the job and really helped in the North and with the UK. MDH probably wouldnt be there now without her.

I know she has her fans, and it is probably unfair to single out one thing - but her comments in Saudi about the Danish cartoons sickened me, and the back-tracking afterwards was even worse.

The whole thing would have been side-stepped by a more astute President.

Wacker The Attacker

cnoc wrote: »

I would not rate Michael D - a President by default....

You do know he was elected don't you?

JuliusCaesar

D1stant wrote: »

I think we have been spoiled with the last 3 presidents

My own fave is McAleese, I think she is underrated versus the other two, but she brought a lot of grace to the job and really helped in the North and with the UK. MDH probably wouldnt be there now without her.?

and she worked so hard, she really did deserve that pension. Personally, I couldn't stand her. Still can't. Her and her awful husband.


Thank heavens for Lenihan's shenanigans, that got us Robinson as President.

Robinson's presidency opened the eyes of the public to what could be possible in the presidency, and she did a lot to focus everyone on the diaspora - the people who had had to emigrate, the people who sent money home so the younger kids could have an education, the people who worked long hours in unskilled jobs often in countries where they were treated like second class citizens.

efb

My biggest issue with Robbo was quitting early to get a 'better' job...

Clareman

Patrick Hillary for me, stood up to the political bullies at the time and showed how important having a third pillar of government can be.

My name is URL

Mary Robinson imo.

Her being awarded the US Presidential Medal of Freedom pissed off a lot of crackpot right-wing lobby and pressure groups, so she must have been doing something right!

The award was criticised by some American and European Jewish groups. Parties opposed to the award included AIPAC, the Anti-Defamation League, the European Jewish Congress, and John R. Bolton. Bolton, the former US Ambassador to the United Nations, stated that those in the administration who recommended her either ignored her anti-Israel history, or missed it entirely

Ten of Swords

Sean O'Kelly landed the pope in trouble with the Soviet Union, an impressive achievement...

Wacker The Attacker

Michael D Michael D

up on his bike-eldy

D1stant

JuliusCaesar wrote: »

and she worked so hard, she really did deserve that pension. Personally, I couldn't stand her. Still can't. Her and her awful husband.

The pension amount is not her decision and I presume no greater than the others?

And if viewed purely in monetary terms, greatly improving relations in the North and the UK (and the resultant decrease in security spend and increase in trade) versus a presidential pension (which if not her someone else would be receiving) is a bloody good deal

Vision of Disorder

Robinson by some distance. I loathed McAleese.

Sir Osis of Liver.

Dana Rosemary Scallions.

Frank Lee Midere

. Robinson left the presidency to make more money and gain more status elsewhere. Shocking.

Ann Landers

Who... cares?

Ann Landers

c_man wrote: »

I think Mary Robinson will go down as the main one in recent times. Given the way the country was, it's still surprising that a woman with her background was elected President.

What about her background?

Lightbulb Sun

Frank Lee Midere wrote: »

. Robinson left the presidency to make more money and gain more status elsewhere. Shocking.

It was a much more worthwhile and important post, don't blame her in the slightest.

Frank Lee Midere

Lightbulb Sun wrote: »

It was a much more worthwhile and important post, don't blame her in the slightest.

I'd bet if she wasn't the epitome of D4 hypocrisy you would blame her. If she spoke like Bertie and left for a better job she would be the exemplar of greed.

The presidency is Ireland's most important office. This careerist merely used it as a stepping stone. She is ridiculously fetishised

RobbingBandit

Rufus Shinra is the best president ever.

RayM

Frank Lee Midere wrote: »

I'd bet if she wasn't the epitome of D4 hypocrisy you would blame her.

She's from Ballina... which isn't in Dublin 4.

wnolan1992

Jaysus, there are only eight of them and you couldn't be arsed to add them all to the poll while you were at it? :pac:

EDIT: Just saw the question of the poll, never mind.


Would probably go with Robinson if I had to choose, thought there's not much between the last 3 for me. Reading about the presidents before them, they've really seemed to breathe some sort of life into a flailing office.

Lightbulb Sun

Frank Lee Midere wrote: »

I'd bet if she wasn't the epitome of D4 hypocrisy you would blame her. If she spoke like Bertie and left for a better job she would be the exemplar of greed.

The presidency is Ireland's most important office. This careerist merely used it as a stepping stone. She is ridiculously fetishised

Lol. It's mostly a figurehead position, not a patch on a significant UN Human Rights post.

Hermy

Donkey Oaty wrote: »

I know she has her fans, and it is probably unfair to single out one thing - but her comments in Saudi about the Danish cartoons sickened me, and the back-tracking afterwards was even worse.

The whole thing would have been side-stepped by a more astute President.

Don't remember that - what did she say?

Knob Longman

efb wrote: »

My biggest issue with Robbo was quitting early to get a 'better' job...

I think she genuinely thought she could make a change in her new position but supposedly she was not popular with Bush's administration..

iDave

So who was the best at 'grace and dignity', speeches about remembering the past and shared futures, shaking hands of sports teams and looking solemn at memorials?

Ten of Swords

Hermy wrote: »

Don't remember that - what did she say?

Feb 2006

We abhor the publication of those provocative cartoons. They were designed to provoke, they were designed to be rude and they were designed to inflame. They did all of those things. But equally I would say that our Muslim community share with the Irish community generally an abhorrance of the use of violence in the expression of anger and hurt.

Later on

First of all, I am the President of Ireland and that speaks for itself. Secondly, before I left Ireland I was fully briefed by the Government as to their view and, as you know, the European Union view is, line for line, exactly the view that I expressed in Saudi Arabia.

I iterated the view, that is the European Union's view, as you know, which is that we abhor the violence that broke out in the wake of the publication of the cartoons. But at the same time we also abhorred the fact that anyone would be insensitive, so insensitive to another faith.

I explained that [Ireland] believes very strongly in freedom of the press. We also believe in freedom of speech. Freedom of the press is part and parcel of an overarching concept of freedom of speech. At that press conference [in Jeddah on Sunday] I said that, on both scores, we abhorred the violence and we also abhorred the fact that many, many Muslims right around the world, good people, were deeply wounded and offended by what they saw as a crassness and insensitivity to their very, very deeply held religious views.

The best thing for all of us now is to try and learn from the events that followed on from it and also to try and explain to people that because we have a free press, a privatised press, they do not speak for all the people.

It is rather unfortunate to see all the people of Denmark effectively being held to blame for events over which they literally had no control. That is the price we pay for a free press.

People at home are quite entitled to look askance at cultures where, for example, women play such a terribly repressed role. We've come that journey ourselves and we're able to tell others how important it has been to Ireland that the human rights of women, and the right to equality and the right to fullness of opportunity, have benefited our country enormously.

Give or take a few ups and downs, for 1,400 years in this part of the world, Christians and Muslims have learned to live together in great friendship and tolerance.

Rory Gallagher

Since establishment of Irish state? good oul De Valera.
Recently? Mcaleese

padd b1975

Frank Lee Midere wrote: »

. Robinson left the presidency to make more money and gain more status elsewhere. Shocking.

Yep, being professional 'name dropper' is much more lucrative.

There was probably a grain of truth in what Pee said about her all those years ago, although his wording of it was somewhat clumsy:o

A pure mé féiner.

Arthur Beesley

Not sure how anyone could vote for Robinson. She didn't ever see out her full second term. We weren't important enough for her.

Blazer

Don't get the love for Higgins..as soon as he was elected he was paying his advisors above the cap ..typical politician stuffing his face from the trough.

RayM

It's funny how the people who dislike Mary Robinson are also the ones who wish she had been president for longer (just under two months, incidentally).

baldy_brady

efb wrote: »

My biggest issue with Robbo was quitting early to get a 'better' job...

mary always put her own career first

Daveysil15

What sort of an accent does Michael D Higgins have?

baldy_brady

Frank Lee Midere wrote: »

. Robinson left the presidency to make more money and gain more status elsewhere. Shocking.

well its always shocking when a " socailist " follows the green

baldy_brady

i remember an interview robinson gave to ryan tubridy a few years ago , the robinsons had only just welcomed a new addition to the family , tubs asked her about the latest grandchild , most people might refer to how gorgeous he - she was etc , not our mary

" i ask myself , what kind of world is this child arriving into , what with global warming being such a threat " ( was robbo,s reply )


the high mindedness and pious intelectualism never ended with our mary

insuferable woman

no surprise she was the darling of the D4 media set for years

efb

Arthur Beesley wrote: »

Not sure how anyone could vote for Robinson. She didn't ever see out her full second term. We weren't important enough for her.

1st term

efb

RayM wrote: »

It's funny how the people who dislike Mary Robinson are also the ones who wish she had been president for longer (just under two months, incidentally).

It was disrespectful to the position she held

baldy_brady

padd b1975 wrote: »

Yep, being professional 'name dropper' is much more lucrative.

There was probably a grain of truth in what Pee said about her all those years ago, although his wording of it was somewhat clumsy:o

A pure mé féiner.

at least your average commoner garden " me feiner " politican in this country is minus the overbearing smugness

baldy_brady

i dont remember much about hillary so for me , we have yet to have a president im proud of , mc aleese was offensively bland and higgins is another champagne socilist though in the happeny place compared to the 1990 - 1997 office holder

Son Of A Vidic

My name is URL wrote: »

Mary Robinson imo.

Her being awarded the US Presidential Medal of Freedom pissed off a lot of crackpot right-wing lobby and pressure groups, so she must have been doing something right!

The award was criticised by some American and European Jewish groups. Parties opposed to the award included AIPAC, the Anti-Defamation League, the European Jewish Congress, and John R. Bolton. Bolton, the former US Ambassador to the United Nations, stated that those in the administration who recommended her either ignored her anti-Israel history, or missed it entirely

Very true and you know you're doing something right when you're píssing off Zionist nut jobs. But for my selection I would go with McAleese.

RayM

efb wrote: »

It was disrespectful to the position she held

It would have been disrespectful if it had been two years, rather than a mere two months. And if she had just left to take some random job, rather than something as prestigious as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. I don't remember people being too 'offended' by it at the time. Most people seemed quite impressed that someone from a little country like Ireland could get such a high-profile job.

foggy_lad

cnoc wrote: »

I would not rate Michael D - a President by default....

the best of a bad lot of Jesus freaks Quango whores paedophile sympathisers and terrorist murderers.

Arthur Beesley

RayM wrote: »

It's funny how the people who dislike Mary Robinson are also the ones who wish she had been president for longer (just under two months, incidentally).

So she walked out for the sake of under 2 months. Makes you wonder why some couldn't finish her term.

foggy_lad

Ann Landers wrote: »

What about her background?

Working as reporter on Today Tonight with Pat Kenny wont have done her any favours:D

padd b1975

baldy_brady wrote: »

i dont remember much about hillary so for me , we have yet to have a president im proud of , mc aleese was offensively bland and higgins is another champagne socilist though in the happeny place compared to the 1990 - 1997 office holder

Paddy Hillary was the last President to go about his business in a quite and dignified manner.

Back then there was no self promoting bull and photo ops in Africa that became the norm with Robinson.

gk5000

Clareman wrote: »

Patrick Hillary for me, stood up to the political bullies at the time and showed how important having a third pillar of government can be.

Hillary all the way.
The rest have too many of ther own political agenda's to be Presidential.

Also see the sideburns - looked great going to a funeral.