Presidential Election.

There definitely are other stories out there.

Even in my narrow perspective I know a load of stories from the GAA world that paint him in an awful light

My take on it is Jim himself wanted to brazen it out (see his responses in the last debate) but FF got wind of further stories and said cut our losses, he is toast.

A bit late in the day to start learning but better late than never I suppose. Feels like a box ticking exercise though.

Good point.

It's ridiculous to suggest CC should refrain from speaking to save the blushes of someone who was actually a minister for Irish speaking affairs.

Considering that constitutionally there are two legal languages until there's a referendum to change that it's really shortsighted of fg to nominate such a lacking candidate.

At least CC wants the gig whereas HH before the last election said it would be her last as she found it exhausting.

It shows that she had no personal ambition for the presidency beyond the perfunctory.

As far as I'm concerned the race is over and I bet HH knows that too.

“As far as I'm concerned the race is over and I bet HH knows that too.”

Out of principle I won’t be voting CC- but I believe you’re correct

Strikes a chord with me with the journalist saying he had to go to Gavins parents house to issue a letter and how this act was what caused him to finally reply and get irate. Ten years ago I finally got a repayment of a 3,000 euro loan. A not insignificant sum of money. Background. I was best man to my younger brother who married in 2012. I took a few days off to be around and help out with any final odd jobs before the wedding. Two days before it the reception venue contacted him for settlement of the reception fee. It was 5,000 euro. He had planned to pay them AFTER the wedding and do so with cash gifts. From what I gathered he had agreed with his wife to be that she and her family would cover everything else (cake, singer, band, honeymoon etc.) while he would cover the reception. He was caught short and, stressed, he planned on going home to try and find our mothers Credit Union book (which was opened in his name) and withdraw the balance. He was stressed because he didn’t know where it was exactly or if there was enough in it and he wanted to do this incognito in case our mother wouldn’t allow it if she found out. I told him I’d give him a bank draft for the hotel for the balance (5 grand), he would give me what he had (2 grand) and he could then settle up with me (3 grand) when he came home from his honeymoon. He agreed. Crisis averted. He told me not to tell his wife which was odd but she was prone to histrionics with him (and others including me) so for his sake I agreed to keep it between ourselves. He came back from honeymoon and verbally acknowledged in private that I was owed the money back. Weeks later I asked him what the story was and again he said he would sort me out.

Over the following 12 months his wife started a new job and, via socializing with the staff, I was introduced to one of her colleagues (We are now married ten years). They had become friends but, given his wife and her histrionic personality, they fell out due to my wife getting bullied and once it became serious with HR complaints it was twisted around on my wife with my brother getting sold on the lies that his wife was the victim and my wife was the bully. Couldn’t have been further from the truth but the poison stemming from it lead to a falling out between us all. Still there was the matter of the money and I privately reached out to my brother after this to settle things financially. I was ignored. I sent a text every other month. I said he could go and get a Credit Union loan, pay me back and then tip away at repaying that loan. No answer. This was someone who had to ask his wife for lunch money and if she found out about any private loans he’d be in for it. I mentioned that the next step would be contacting a solicitor. The paper trail was there. It got to the point of frustration where I explained this to our parents who were appalled at what happened. They visited them every month so I asked them if they could mention this to my brother. They did. Cue the irate reactions from my brother, his wife and even her own parents. I was trying to ruin their marriage, I was a bully and a scumbag, I was desperate for the cash, I had alienated my poor brother from our parents, I had forced the money on him so as to control and harass him, I had nothing better to do with my miserable life etc. Toxic stuff.

I just wanted my money back on principle and not wanting to get screwed over but it did give a disappointing insight into what type of person my brother had become. Eventually, months later, after more stress, hassle and accusations, he finally said he had a cheque. Come to his house and HE would meet me there. I went to his house and sure enough he was waiting with his wife and her parents. I got dogs abuse about everything and anything as per above while being recorded on a phone for a reaction from me. My guess is they desperately wanted that to use as proof for the narrative of how I was the psychotic bully who was manipulated by my wife they were peddling/spinning. I said nothing beyond give me what is owed and I am gone. In the end my brother threw an envelope at my feet with the word BULLY written on it and a cheque inside for 3 grand. I haven’t spoken to my brother since then.

So I can empathise with the journalist who did nothing wrong and just wanted his money back, how he even had to go to a grown mans parents to elicit some acknowledgement, how they got a negative reaction for doing that albeit finally getting a response but STILL had to wait and wait to get repaid what was owed to them. I know the above is a personal thing between brothers but it’s telling about someones character how they deal with such a situation e.g. I am sure Jim Gavin, if he was stuck for money, would have been good for a 3,300 loan from his local Credit Union and settle up with the journalist. Pay it back at 30 euro a week type deal. He didn’t do anything like that because he felt under no obligation to make it right with the journalist and that he got away with having to repay money owed unless someone via desperation has to actually go to the trouble of hiring a solicitor. The joke now between me and my wife is that at least my brother can run for President some day.

The Irish fluency requirement for president that some posters allude to would exclude 95% of the population from ever holding the office.

Some believe being married to someone who was in the Orange Order 50 years ago should also disqualify, never mind being a member oneself. An awful lot of exclusions there, tens of thousands of people, with no hope of 'rehabilitation' in a UI.

Strangely these views sometimes come from people in favour of a UI while complaining about lack of choice in this ballot.

Ah I've missed you and your 100% credible anecdotes Beechwoodspark. Hope your Jim Gavin ones are up there with this doozy

Few weeks ago I met a very respectable older lady literally in tears over the plans to fill maynooth with undocumented men. She felt vulnerable and afraid.

Former staunch Fg supporter - she said she was betrayed and she’d never ever vote them again.

You don't have to speak Irish to become president, but it is a disadvantage in a presidential race to not be at least conversant in both legislative languages.

On the Orange Order links HH has a great opportunity to call out the sectarianism of an organisation whose identity rests entirely on the exclusion of non protestants. You can be a protestant of the republic like Hyde, but no catholic can ever be a member of the OO.

There's no common ground with the OO, secularism is their greatest fear.

HH could do very well calling them out, she certainly wouldn't lose votes for doing so.

This is literally accepted fact is it not? A small percentage speak fluent Irish and a relatively small percent beyond that have maybe passable Irish, the rest would struggle in even basic conversation.

Humphrey's spoken Irish on Sunday was a single rehearsed line, fairly poorly delivered as well. "I'd like to be able to speak more Irish". That was it. Hardly what I'd call "speaking Irish" by even the vaguest yardstick.

For most people that's not really the issue, it's the fact she's saying she'd learn in office, when she already said the exact same thing over a decade ago as Minister for the Gaeltacht and made no effort at all.

maybe a dedicated Steen thread is needed if only to keep the repititions out of this one. She and her supporters missed the boat all by themselves. Lesson learned?

No, for the same reason if she wore a yellow tailcoat with purple polkadots on it for her leaving cert would not mean that the vast vast vast majority of people in the country wore one. She may have just worn it for effect.

What is being asked there, was did she actually understand what it was she said.

Could she use any of the words that she used, in another sentence or to answer a question specifically asking for those words in a different order. Or did she learn the sentence that she spoke phonetically and know the jist of it's meaning.