Presidential Election 2025

Yea its true. no mechanism exists that anyone can point to. I hate to use the word 'Unprecedented' but it applies in this case.

Its funny you should mention it, but the thought of someone challenging a potential removal occured to me. It would probably be those behind the protest vote movement. I said before, i respect the position of those who wish to spoil their votes. I get it, and they have the right. Migrating that into a 'Vote Gavin In Protest' platform, seems pointless in my opinion. I will say though, if they SOME HOW, find a way to remove him from the ballot, it will be challenged. No question. Just have to see who it is, and what reason they give.

I doubt this will come up though. He cannot be removed. I think the meeting between the AG, and returning officer is just to ensure that everyone has their ducks in a row. Any evolving intrigue around this serves FF, because this is entirely on them. And more to the point, Martins leadership.

I dont have an issue with someone feeling sorry for him, just see it as odd. He paid the price for doing a **** thing. It's national news cause he decided to run for president 😂

Hard to know why anyone would be involved in politics in Ireland where you have so many people out to slur you and attack you online

Yea i mean they nominated a poor candidate, but thats on him as well, hes a grown adult, id be a **** candidate , i know that , even if someone nominated me. I dont feel sorry for him if the following is true anyways- The tenants who claim they are owed overpaid rent by former presidential hopeful Jim Gavin were expecting their first baby when they were fighting to get their money back. 

The couple, who had been renting the apartment in Smithfield in Dublin, sought to have more than €3,000 returned to them after it was paid in error to Mr Gavin, the landlord of the property. 

They emailed, phoned, and sent legal letters to Mr Gavin, seeking to get the money back, but it was never repaid."

Where would you draw the line?

I cant disagree, but all of this, for me, doesnt fully explain his decision to stand down.

I hope the matter is resolved, the couple are repaid with interest, and its put to rest. And i give no pass to Jim Gavin for anything illegal. It is a horrid story, no question.

But I suspect it was merely the final nail in the coffin of Gavins campaign. He was beyond ill-equipped to run for the presidency. Staying in, merely meant suffering political blow after blow for weeks; blows he just isnt qualified to take.

There is some sympathy for him, and im not immune to that. Not saying its right, or entirely justified. Im angry at Gavin for his conduct 15 years ago, but i am disgusted by the lacklustre Fianna Fail strategy of selecting him for this election.

Gavin should sort out the decade old mess on rent refunds, and then he can walk away with some dignity.

I dont see Martin walking away from this one with anything approaching dignity, and quite right IMHO

Oops, thought I quoted a post.

Her was Heather 😁

Yes the right thing for Gavin to do now is pay the person back plus a fair amount in interest as goodwill. He can then walk away with some semblance of his good reputation intact.

Then it just becomes an internal FF matter and no longer a distraction from the presidential election.

Fianna Fáil TD Pádraig O'Sullivan has said Jim Gavin dropping out of the Presidential Election is "embarrassing" for the party.

The Cork North Central TD, who supported Billy Kelleher's candidacy, said there needed to be "collective action" in the aftermath.

Speaking on RTÉ's News At One, he said ministers were "frog marched out" to support Mr Gavin's campaign to get the party's nomination.

"I looked at it with disdain as I saw senior members of the party being frog marched out to declare support for a person that many of them hadn't even met or knew nothing about," he said.

Mr O'Sullivan added: "I just believe where we are now, there has to be collective responsibility here.

"It's an embarrassing moment for the party, there's no other way of dressing it up.

From RTE

A touch of an 'every man for himself' attitude on display today. I cant disagree with any of the above. It was clear to us on the outside that, Martin picked Gavin, and pushed other Fianna Fail members to back him. O Suillivan advocates for 'collective responsibility' but leaves a reader in no confusion, over who it was that was leading the charge, and 'frog marching' colleagues

Completely agree, but it is with him, not Jim, that I'd lay the blame.

Not sure why people l, that get into a bit of bother, always take the deflecting/denial route, normally this is what people are upset about the most, not the act itself, but the perceived cover up.

On the drone, they just should have said , if they broke the aviation rules it's our fault.

On the 3k rent, just say if it happened it was wrong, even if the bank messed up, and I will retify if as soon as possible and apologies for you mistake.

what next Catherine Connolly didn’t pay her tv licence in 2007 ? …..a few thousand people cutting the shite out of her online …any wonder less and less people stand for elections

Aye, leads one to think there is more to the story, or something else that he may not want getting out.