President Connolly

Jim2007

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123982431#Comment_123982431

Read the constitution…. she can do nothing beyond what is there and it provides for her removal if she does.

She won a majority on a small turnout. And no the US and the UK are our economic allies nor do we have or will we every have free speech…. Making stuff up and then getting upset about it is a waste of time.

deirdremf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123983333#Comment_123983333

To be fair, the turnout wasn't that small, and she won an overwhelming majority of those who voted. The turnout could have been substantially higher and she still would have won on the first count.

In the state to the east & north of us, very slightly over 20% of the electorate voted for the current government (the Labour party), and only 33.7% of those who voted, yet I hear nobody claiming that they don't have a mandate.

tarvis

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123982362#Comment_123982362

Not a lot of point placing a close watch on what is a mostly ceremonial job. I would far prefer Spotlights be put on

Those charged with children's heath

Those charged with children’s protection

and those charged with the provision of housing.

There is only so much bureaucracy a population of 5 million can fund A very close eye on the management of govt departments , quangos and local councils is required, way ahead of examining every move the incumbent of the Aras.
But such supervision would require how many hundred threads?

…. for a country whose population is less than that of some UK cities.

Lucien_Sarti

She won a majority on a small turnout. And no the US and the UK are our economic allies nor do we have or will we every have free speech

She won according to the rules (plenty to quibble with or change there) – but exactly the same as every other presidential election held.

What one person may characterise as “the US and the UK are our economic allies”,
another person may characterise as “We are a vassal state (like all of W. Europe) of US/UK ruling class sociopathic criminals who temporarily exploit us significantly less than other territories” – the unspoken deal with edict of the devil.

Btw, I don’t criticise anyone for voting FFG in a GE on the basis of fear of what would happen if people genuinely voted for their self-interest:- that fear would ultimately be Franco’s or Pinochet’s* “solution” (I’ll be descriptively coy here) or countless similar ‘empire / ruling class’ freedom-corrections.

* I came across Mary Ellen Synon describing this as a noble coup in an 80's archive recently – centrism (liberalism) in a nutshell.

MFPM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123982383#Comment_123982383

In fairness they were predicting a HH victory on polling day, whatever else they do delusion and hyperbole well!

corkie

Is every issue in Ireland connected to

climate justice

She knows neutrality is a climate justice issue. The right to housing is a climate justice issue. The cost-of-living crisis is a climate justice issue. Irish unity is a climate justice issue. Speaking the Irish language is a climate justice issue. And envisioning a better future for the island of Ireland is a climate justice issue.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/commentanalysis/arid-41740920.html

Mentioned 28 times in that article! What point are they trying to drive home? No wonder with who the author is?

• Jennie C Stephens is Professor of Climate Justice at the ICARUS Climate Research Centre at Maynooth University and co-convenor of the Climate Justice Universities Union

gormdubhgorm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123984178#Comment_123984178

It looks like the most important one was left out. Cork’s Hurling Famine….a climate change issue 🙄

Seriously though well spotted. I think this is the problem of a “symbolic” role like the POI. Vested interests and lobby groups falling over themselves to claim some of the symbolism. No matter how vague.

Ozymandius2011

It's good that she hired an Irish company to make the clothes. Same one as Robinson and McAleese I heard.

I am a maximalist in support for the Irish language though I only understood bits if what she says at the school in the news report.

kowloonkev

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123983221#Comment_123983221

Let's see if she can improve on her 25% public approval rating.

Seth Brundle

Mod: just a quick reminder that this thread is another CC's presidency - not her election campaign, Gavin & Humphreys, etc.

gormdubhgorm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123984201#Comment_123984201

I took it as Connolly been astute trying to find subtle ways to equate herself to Robinson/McAleese in the minds of the electorate. Very shrewd.

Ozymandius2011

Purple is the colour of swing states in the US, but also of Reform UK, interestingly.

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123985395#Comment_123985395

It is also the colour of Barney.😁

Here's the designer's thinking:

“[It's] a colour associated with dignity, strength and creativity, amethyst tones have symbolised empowerment for centuries. Worn by the suffragettes as a mark of justice and freedom, purple continues to carry meaning far beyond fashion,” she wrote in a post to her Instagram stories.

“The purple hues echoed Mary Robinson’s inauguration look in 1990 – a moment of progress and pride we were honoured to be part of, as we are today.”

https://www.thejournal.ie/the-story-behind-catherine-connollys-all-purple-inauguration-ensemble-6871845-Nov2025/?utm_source=shortlink

magicbastarder

posting it simply because it's a nice photo.

padd b1975

This has got to be a new world record for the abandoning of one's socialist principles.

It's about as far from a Galway city council estate as you can get.

Amazing menu for the record.

magicbastarder

of all the things to have a pop at her about - it's because they're not serving sackcloth with a sprinkling of ashes at her inauguration dinner?

FWIW i know a lad who works in the walled garden at the aras, where they grow a lot of the fruit and veg used in the meals.

Ozymandius2011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123985595#Comment_123985595

The days when the Labour movement only represented blue collar workers is long gone. I think quite a lot of the Centre Left politicians would have been in the old Liberal Party in the 1800s if they were in the UK. The rise of the labour movement and Socialist parties led to a strategy of entryism by the better off liberals into Socialist parties, which eventually led to a pro-capitalist economic policy, but also a greater focus on cultural liberalism on the Left. In the 1990s I thought this was good, but I didn't imaging back then that someone would try to erase the word "women" and "mother" from the Constitution.

This was certainly the case in the UK Labour party. "Third Way Democrats" in the US also had an influence. The influence on the French Left was not as pronounced. Gerhard Schroder moved the German SPD to a Centre-Left position, but unfortunately accepted a job from Russia involved in Nordstream after leaving office. Schroder had approved Nordstream.

To be fair to Catherine Connolly, I think she read the room better on those referendums than most of the Left, when she called for a no vote in the referendums. She said:

"They used propaganda to push two changes to our constitution in a manner that was patronising and patriarchal, and that women's groups joined in and used that type of language is very upsetting for me".

The wording of the existing constitution says that 'women shall not be forced by economic necessity' to work outside the home 'to the neglect of their duties in the home' (approximate wording). While I agree that saying that duties in the home is something intrinsically female is outdated, I think there were concerns that an unintended (?) affect of the change would be that more women would have to work outside the home, than under the present system. I think voters doubted the independence of some of the NGOs because of their reliance on state funding, especially the NWC which is 97% funded by the state. Some years ago, Regina Doherty, a former government minister, pointed out that the Irish National Women's Council (INWC) was heavily state-funded, emphasizing that this funding comes with an expectation of engagement with the government. This came after the NWC had adopted a policy of not inviting ministers to speak at their conferences. Not surprisingly, the NWC soon changed course.

https://www.rte.ie/news/post/104388495/

Tell me how

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123982431#Comment_123982431

she made many anti European country speeches on defence policies, also against the US and UK. She was very critical of them all. These are our economic allies and our by far biggest markets for our success economically. 

I think it is only fair when talking about her speeches to mention the context in which she is making various comments. I have seen her speeches being portrayed frequently as being anti-Europe, anti-US and anti-UK but what she was referring to was the military mindset and actions of those countries.

There's no doubt about it but the US and UK were involved in what happened in Gaza and history will categorically refer that as a Genocide. Speaking for myself I am happy to have a head of state who will call out the actions of those involved within the framework of her role.

The Taoiseach and Tánaiste are there to represent the countries views with a primary focus on the economic impacts of their words and actions, I am glad to have someone who can speak from a moral perspective without such constraints. Yes, it will no doubt rattle some feathers at some times, I don't see that as a bad thing, quite the contrary in fact.

Cluedo Monopoly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123985595#Comment_123985595

Aragh stop. Toxic farmed salmon and some roast beef. She had to feed the establishment remember 😉

MFPM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123985595#Comment_123985595

When this is ALL you've got as a critique, you know you're politically redundant...

padd b1975

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123986561#Comment_123986561

In other news, Connolly supporter Ruth Coppinger has spent the last 24 hours having a meltdown because a government TD was in the background of her selfie with the new president.

Bishop of hope

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123985643#Comment_123985643

That's fair enough. I'd be aware of her vote and the reasons for it. If she lives up to the expectations of her supporters then at least some of her speeches are bound to be controversial. As you say, that might not be a bad thing, at least on the home front.

Cookie_Monster

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123985429#Comment_123985429

Also long associated with royalty and the "better than thou" mindset....

😉

corkie

https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/otherwise-you-might-not-let-me-come-back-connolly-insists-on-paying-for-lowkey-galway-lunch-1829844.html

She insisted on paying for her lunch. Why this is classed as breaking news is another thing?

dulpit

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123992274#Comment_123992274

Because if she hasn't paid for it there would be people foaming at the mouth about how she's a champagne socialist or something...

Brendan Bendar

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123992284#Comment_123992284

She’s smart enough to know there’s no such thing as a free lunch.

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123992274#Comment_123992274

It's the Presidential thing to do 🙂

Barack Obama famously paid for his drinks in Hayes's Bar in Moneygall saying " I always pay my bar tab".

The 50 euro note is framed behind the bar.

Bishop of hope

Class the way she headed out alone to meet her friends and have her lunch. Ordinary woman going about her life.

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123992303#Comment_123992303

which ATM did obama withdraw that 50 at?

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123992902#Comment_123992902

I don't know, maybe he borrowed it from the Secret Service 🙂

Anyway its worth a lot more than €50 now.

The pub is just down the street on the left coming from the Plaza, check it out.