2025 Irish Presidential candidates

RoyalCelt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121870233#Comment_121870233

Gerry as a TD ran away with the votes. I think you don't realise how many votes he'd get.

RoyalCelt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121871961#Comment_121871961

As opposed to Bertie who's responsible for us having a debt of over 40k per person?

kazamo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121873150#Comment_121873150

He was in the Louth constituency, wasn’t that hard, he took over from Arthur Morgan, so a SF seat was already established.

Ok, to give this some context, 2011 Martin Mc Guinness was the candidate and he received 13% of the vote. Now there was a person who could connect with people, admit his past and had charisma.

And two election cycles later you believe the Gerry is going to get over the line ?

He might well win, but would need to be up against Attila the Hun, Dee Forbes and Enoch Burke to do it.

I voted for McGuinness but Gerry, not a chance

blackwhite

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121873158#Comment_121873158

I’d say there’s plenty of potential candidates who would be better than Bertie - but haven’t covered up for paedos or haven’t raped anyone.

Low bar and all that - but apparently one your moral compass hasn’t quite made it over

Hopefully we get a dark horse jumping two out on the bridle because I'd be disgusted if any of those mentioned got within a mile of the gates of Áras.

Strumms

Why as a 70+ year old, having given your life to politics, made a fortune…. why in those circumstances would you bother ?

Adams I can understand, it’s political… it would make significant impact in the SF democratic success and attainment of influential national and international positions….

Bertie, Enda ? Go enjoy your retirement and money ffs, why would you do that to your family ? At that age ?

lumphammer2

I'd expect a high profile FF, FG, SF, Labour retired TD pref minister .... plus the loonatics like a Gemmaroid, Sean Uisce (or is that Sean Uisci!!) or Professor Dolly ... plus others somewhere between the normal and the lunatics like Peter Casey .... Conor McGregor could go too ... might as well throw Imelda Mary Clabby into the race too as she seems to be doing everything else ... or the triumphant return of Ryan Tubridy !! ...

RoyalCelt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121873277#Comment_121873277

I forgot who McGregor raped? Please remind me.

dulpit

On a more serious note, of the current political big hitters, the only person I could see attracting a decent vote is Micheal Martin. His favourability ratings have always outperformed FF (44% in last irish times poll), he seems like a genuinely decent man and he'd have no problems in getting nominated. Only issue is he probably wouldn't want job.

Nobody obvious jumps out from the other parties with the exception of Mairead McGuinness who'll be out of a job once the current EU commission term ends later this year.

pixelburp

Conor McGregor is about to "star" in a Hollywood Amazon movie, so clearly the guy has designs on furthering his celebrity career. The idea he'd have an interest in a high minded, ambassadorial role like Irish President is ... well a bit farcical and seemed born from right leaning types glomming on to his anti-migrant rhetoric after the riots on OCS. I don't even buy the suggestion he's liked by the young - and even if he were, younger demographics aren't exactly known for their voting turnout.

Podge_irl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121870900#Comment_121870900

It is a largely ceremonial position, but it does have some non-ceremonial roles that should not be controlled by the Dáil and whoever happens to be in power. Besides, I happen to consider ceremony from a Head of State to be rather important.

I'm not a fan of the restrictive nature of the nomination process, if that is something you think should change you'd have my support.

HalloweenJack

The problem with the Presidency is the chancers who make big promises about what they're going to do. Either they (1) believe the role is similar to the American one or (2) they just want to convince people that is the case.

If they ever get in, they will either (1) complain that they can't get things done (as its not the remit of the President) or (2) complain about conspiracy theories of not being allowed to do things. Both will undermine the institution, at least among their supporters.

Its important that voters know what the president can actual do.

Although I thoroughly disagree with McDowell's politics and find him to be incredibly obnoxious, from the constitutional oversight point of view, he might actual be a good candidate due to his legal background. I don't see how he'd win an election though as he's too bombastic and antagonistic.

Bobson Dugnutt

Heather Humphreys has blotted her copybook a little having been the director of elections for FG for the referendums, but I think she's a dark horse as the FG candidate.

A woman, from close to the border, Presbyterian, a very canny political operator, interviews well, no airs or graces. The accent is harsh enough though.

If Enda decides he wants a shot at the President then he will get the nod from the party.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121875537#Comment_121875537

Agreed, nomination process far too restrictive.

pixelburp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121877445#Comment_121877445

What do you replace it with though? Cos given the one's like Gallagher or Casey, who had achieved the required support, couldn't even take the 5 minutes to figure what the role allows, it doesn't give hope am open nomination would improve candidate quality.

Imagine the absolute chancers and wafflers who'd be running if it was just (say) a €1,000 fee or something? You'd have Gemma O'Doherty on the ticket for one, given her own attempts to woo various councils.

Podge_irl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121877939#Comment_121877939

You could simply have the current set up plus a popular support threshold (be it by polling or petition).

The goal is not inherently to improve the standard of candidates - by whatever subjective measure one chooses to use for that - but to maintain some degree of democratic legitimacy. The farce of presidents being "re-elected" unopposed should never happen again.

pixelburp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121878002#Comment_121878002

A petition would be the most obvious, simplest way to approach the gap I suppose: it'd have to be somehow "verifiable" to stop external manipulation (see O'Doherty who'd undoubtedly leverage international loons) and also a realistic threshold you'd need to achieve - but not crazy large either that you couldn't ever hope to hit it. Both those read complex - and thus, expensive - to implement.

But this would all require a constitutional amendment and I daresay of all the things the Citizen's Assembly will be arranged for, something like this will probably never feature in their mindset.

Sam Russell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121878016#Comment_121878016

I think a petition approach would result in the farce that "Boaty Mac Boatface" for the naming of the environmental boat in the UK turned into. It would be treated as a joke by too many.

kazamo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121875537#Comment_121875537

I don’t believe having a Presidential election achieves anything as we end up choosing one of the candidates that the Politicans picked for us anyway.

I agree with the Dail not having control over the non-ceremonial roles, but there also, it leaves two issues

• The president can refer legislation to the Council of State which has a majority of Politicans or former political appointees from the judiciary
• No president has ever rejected legislation, the only course of action it seems is either sign it or send to the Supreme Court to see if it’s constitutional. So as long as the legislation sits on the right side of the Constitution, then it has to be signed.

It seems as if the role of president is restrictive anyway designed by Politicans to ensure the puppet masters in the Dail have the control even in the non ceremonial role.

As mentioned by another poster, our EU commissioner is chosen without an election and that role has some power.

Maybe it’s an age thing, but tired of the charades we have, pretending we have democracy 🤔

Furze99

Michael McDowell showed up well in the recent referendum debates. Plenty of energy and a level headed voice. As a ceremonial head of state, he'd be good material. And I was never a PD fan.

kazamo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121878223#Comment_121878223

If that’s what people choose to do…..it’s democracy

The messing will soon stop if they have to pay a deposit to keep the “candidate” in the election.

The current closed shop needs to be expanded and while a petition has it’s drawbacks, not sure what else is going to work.

pixelburp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121878223#Comment_121878223

Don't think that tracks: Boaty McBoatface was an online poll that for whatever reason a bunch of internet idiots took and ran with; we're talking about some kind of codified governmental petition with a degree of diligence to prevent "messers" taking over. Assuming it was set up right and there was a way to reliably confirm the legitimacy of petition signatures, there's no reason why it wouldn't work.

Rjd2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121873684#Comment_121873684

Conor when he defeated Eddie Alvarez and gave the "I'd like to apologise to absolutely nobody" speech and before he fought Floyd was at his peak popularity wise in Ireland, this time round while still clearly a massive name he just isn't as hot as he once was. He claims he wants to fight this year and he and the UFC are clearly having a fight over money, if resolved and he fights he likely loses which makes him even colder with the general public.

Michael Mc Dowell will after this weekend seriously be considering running. I won't totally rule him out, but the 70% who voted no , who knows the portion of the voters who would be open to his politics, a lot of differing elements of our electorate voted against the referendums.

Pete_Cavan

Has anyone ever come out and said that they wanted to run for President but the restrictive nomination system prevented them from doing so? I'd say any half decent candidate (and some crap ones as well) got their nomination.

Okay there is Gemma but her not getting it surely has to be considered an endorsement of the current system.

On a separate note, I'd hate to see McDowell as President. I don't think he'd win anyway, very few who voted against the Referendums did so because of him. I'd say for most he was just another man of a certain age lecturing people and they had switched off before they knew which side he was for. If he did run and didn't get within an ass's roar, it should be the end of him as a public figure which would be great.

pixelburp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121879523#Comment_121879523

Michael Mc Dowell will after this weekend seriously be considering running. I won't totally rule him out, but the 70% who voted no , who knows the portion of the voters who would be open to his politics, a lot of differing elements of our electorate voted against the referendums.

By all accounts McDowell appears to have re-appeared within the public spotlight. The biggest mistake anyone can make WRT to this referendum just gone is that it amounts to any definitive ideological shift among the electorate, or some kind of unified voice. I think the safest interpretation is that the combination of the terrible wording & as-awful promotional is was what killed it, and certainly an assessment backed up by the thin degree of anecdotal evidence I myself experienced.

The problem with any candidate comes down to: what's in it for them? Why would McDowell swap a fairly cushy retirement number in the senate for a more public, busy role? Whatever about reforming the manner of the Presidency, the senate is a more egregious case of a democratic waste of time.