Presidential Election.

Because political parties back their own candidates!

If an independent wants to run, they need to get their own signatories. This has always been the way. It is not up to political parties to facilitate anyone and everyone just because they have the numbers to do so. It has never happened so I don't know why people expect it to happen now.

1938 - Douglas Hyde President after running unopposed - backed by FF and FG

1945 - Sean T.O'Kelly backed by FF, Sean MacEoin backed by FG and 3 Inds, Patrick McCurtan backed by Labour and Clann na Talmhan

1959 - DeV (FF) and Sean Mac Eoin (FG)

1966 - DeV (FF) and Tom O'Higgins (FG)

1973 - Childers (FF) and O'Higgins (FG)

1974 - Cearbhall O Dalaigh backed by FF, FG and Labour

1976 - Hillery (FF) ran unopposed

1990 - Robinson (Labour, Workers), Lenihan (FF) and Austin Currie (FG)

1997 - McAleese (FF, PDs), Banotti (FG), Roche (Labour, DL, Greens), Dana (Councils), Derek Lally (Councils)

2011 - Higgins (Labour), Mitchell (FG), McGuinness (SF and Inds), Gallagher, Davis, Norris, Dana (All councils)

2018 - Higgins (self), Ni Riada (SF), Casey, Duffy, Gallagher, Freeman (all councils).

TDs wouldn't sign nomination papers of consituency rivals to run against them. Why do people expect it to be different here?

Maria Steen had a pathway to get on the ballot paper. She left it too late and, quite frankly, was far too polarising that even the likes of McDowell and Canney couldn't bring themselves to sign her papers.

Simon Harris and Michael Martin and Mary Lou wiping the sweat from their brows tonight.
Phew. That was close.

Even if she didn’t actually win, it looks like Maria Steen was going to get a lot of votes for a candidate who only started campaigning a few days ago.
Any live tv debate between the 4 candidates was going to be tough watch for them when you look back to how she made Michael Martin look like an ignorant uneducated fool live on tv last year.
The TV debate between the mad old terrorist supporting Trot and the wife of the Orangeman with a few squeeks from the sports hero thrown in will hardly be the stuff of legend.
Oh well.
But sure the Irish people are SOOOO much happier and peacefull and contented now….

Do they get the whole party to sign the nomination papers?

No evidence at all for this assertion.

Now the actual campaign can start, thank God.

Everyone knows what the nomination process is and, much like our PR general election system, it tends to filter out the lesser quality candidates and focus on serious people. Our electoral systems are more about consensus building, far better than the winner-takes-all approach of other nations. As for the nomination process being 'unlawful', I'd love to see someone take that to court to test out that theory if they're that convinced.

I'm not terribly enthused about any of the three candidates. I can't bring myself to vote no. 1 for FF and what I've seen of Gavin so far is less than inspiring. I'm not too familiar with Humphreys, though all this guilty by association seems unfair. I'd probably be most in agreement with Connolly's overall views but I have doubts about her being too far to the left, judging by some of the stories I've seen about her.

Catherine Connolly's comments today about German arms spending are very brave in the sense that she's not afraid of people seeing her genuine opinion.

They're also very stupid, that by the time the 9 o'clock news is finished this evening her election chances are likely finished.

I'm in two minds what to do in the ballot box.

Spoil my vote.

Or vote for the worst candidate I have seen in my lifetime (in terms of front runners), Connolly. She'll destroy whatever is left of our international reputation, which for a country completely reliant on our ability to attract foreign companies should consign another generation of young Irish people to a life abroad away from family and friends.

Because it seems, Irelands "liberal class", who are the most viciously intolerant ideologues I've seen in my lifetime, whose policies are anti economic growth, anti family, and anti - Irish policies you will see anywhere, have no interest in listening to any alternate views as our cities and towns slide fairly rapidly downhill and the crises mount up across housing, education, healthcare, crime not to mention or worsening mental health crisis. We have done severe damage to our farmers and our tourism industries that are the biggest indigenous industries we have.

I feel sorry for young people when I come across them, this country is very bleak for anyone with ambition, the culture is drowning in cocaine, crime and not to mention the suffocating ideology that forces people to lie just to preserve their jobs.

Just look at the state of Dublin.

Like a drunk or an addict, we need to hit rock bottom. That is why I am considering voting for Connolly.

They work, and that's why they'll continue to be used until they're banned.

People insist they don't work on them same as they insist advertising doesn't work on them. It does.

The definition of a "Loose Cannon". Imagine 7 years of her on the International "pulpit".

And people thought Steen was a crazy.

“And people thought Steen was a crazy.”

Where have you got that from? Steen is a qualified architect and barrister and Montessori teacher - she’s intelligent and very well qualified- her world perspective is underpinned by Catholicism - nothing particularly “crazy” with that - the majority of Irish people still profess to be of the Catholic religion- but very much a minority in 2025 for many demographics - her not being in this presidential race is unfortunate to say the least - she, more than any of the candidates, had the expertise to probe and highlight the other candidates for their lack of qualifications for the job or to expose complete bullsh1t- she would never have won- that’s pretty much a given in my view- but the presidential debates will be lacking depth and perspective and the contenders will be less challenged as a result - we’ll be reliant on interviewers and tv commentators and facilitators to do that job- fine, but her presence would have added an additional dynamic that’s now not there