Presidential Election.

WTF is Martin on or drinking?

Kelleher is an instinctive politician. Martin has been a disaster for FF. McAleese was quite a different candidate to Gavin. Andrews would have been a meh candidate. Hanafin would have reminded people of the old snouts in the trough sense of FF entitlement. Kelleher managed to get votes even when FF was at its lowest. Gavin is an unproven entity in this respect and is relying upon some residual FF vote and some Dublin GAA vote.

I prefer his position on Ukraine. He hasn't alienated our European partners by comparing their defence spending to that of Nazi Germany, or saying France can't be trusted. In a time of transatlantic tensions the last thing we need is bad relations with European partners. Also while I don't like Trump, it's unacceptable that there hasn't been a single meeting by MDH with him since his first election. A handful of American companies pay 51% of our corporation tax.

I'm baffled about how MM was mesmerised by Gavin and thought he would dazzle everyone during the campaign. Gavin seems very stiff and wooden and not a natural at all in front of the camera. There's a very good reason a lot of people in the country had hardly even heard of him before the last month - he's clearly not a charismatic or engaging personality.

“But a wise candidate would have muttered something about the need for more apprenticeships or the like”

Yes this is the sort of thing we didn’t hear tonight - and whilst I get some of the current affairs questions need to be asked, in reality the president essentially focuses on skills, on culture on peace and reconciliation on community etc if the interviewer doesn’t raise these as questions, you need to bring them in as answers somehow - it was far from a “debate” tonight - it could have been, for the post part, 3 random politicians in for a panel discussion on affairs of the day - none of them performed as a president

If CC does win, I hope she will be more like Mary Robinson, in terms of addressing differences with the government behind the scenes, not in public as we have sometimes seen in the last 14 years.

Cearbhaill O'Dalaighs resignation in 1973 for 38 years led to presidents doing it that way. The 1982 refusal by President Patrick Hillery of the Opposition's request not to dissolve the Dail was a great example of the President bring above politics.

The President should be a unifying figure.

She may be a clever woman.But her appearance is too drab and dreary. Her speech is meek and mild. Overall she's not someone I would want representing our country. The president has to have a certain 'presence' and confidence - sadly Catherine just doesn't have that.

None of them have presence imo. I don't want to vote for any of them.

Connolly got on the ballot because all the left leaning parties backed her. The MSM tried to get Connolly about her Syria trip and her backing for Gemma but they failed and she is still standing.

I assume that person is a CC supporter - I didn’t think HH was low energy - she dialled it down a bit I’d say - CC spoke the most of all candidates in the first 1/2 hour - she was allowed to, uninterrupted - partly presenters fault and part candidates fault for not actually “debating” her- they were too passive -but she was dreary and cold - I didn’t at all warm to her.

A totally uninspiring bunch - best articulation was certainly Connolly but Heather had some warmth to her - for Jim, this just isn’t his thing really - it’s a pity as he’s younger, fitter and more energetic than the other two and given time, he might actually be an OK president and be out there amongst the “people” as he says - but they’re all wishy washy on what they’ll bring to the role

Catherine Connolly is great buddies with Mick Wallace and Clare Daly. She is 100% pro immigration, mentioning that more people are displaced in the World now than ever before………..so lets bring them here to Ireland. Which prompted Kieran Cuddihy to say they are not all fleeing war!

I am tired of the narrative that people are "fleeing war". Most migrants are coming to Ireland through the UK. All of this said in the same week that Jim O Callaghan is hoping to pay them €10K each to leave the country! And on the same DAY that the UK has said unless you're coming to the UK to work and contribute to HMRC you will NOT be getting any benefits…….. hence even more coming over to Ireland from the UK.

Catherine Connolly also said she does NOT think we need more prisons , on the day that has seen unprecedented levels of violent crime both in the city of Dublin and across the country (attacks on US player in Dublin, attempted kidnap of woman in Listowel walking home, 2 murder suicides). She thinks rehabilitation is the way to go. This is NOT working, we don't need yet more education & more soft touchy feely awareness campaigns. We need LESS tolerance, MORE toughness.

This country is going down rapidly, there is no plan. We are far too soft, far too tolerant, on literally everything and we will pay for this. People say we need immigrants to work in healthcare. Why? Because the population is rising. Why? Because we have more immigrants, NOT because the Irish population is rising. Its a vicious circle.

It would have been so interesting, refreshing and democratic to have either Maria Steen or Gareth Sheridan on the ballot and on the panel last night. Imagine the debate! Jim Gavin and HH were a disaster and I am not voting for CC as we don't need yet more liberalism. I'm putting Steen on my ballot with a big X. No more debates for me like last night…..I'm out.

I don't think Jim Gavin is showing us his authentic self.

There's no way a person who's as successful in GAA management as he has been could become so wooden and bland. He's clearly been heavily coached and scripted that it's just completely drained him of any sort of passion or charisma.

His back is against the wall after that debate though, so he will have to try something different. Find something he can talk about passionately, drop an F bomb or something. He needs to be his own candidate, not the one Michael Martin is clearly trying to stage manage here.