Presidential Election 2025

Kelly says he was 'shafted' by Fine Gael's Áras selection process

Both FG and FF made a Horlicks of their selection process. The fall out from it is good enough for them.

It is FG's stupid people problem. Stupid people make stupid mistakes. FG should have done much better in this election and perhaps even won it. Kelly would have been a much better candidate and has a proven track record of getting votes. It was an absolutely stupid campaign.

A presidential election is like electing a conscience. FG's decision to go negative ignored that. As for Harris, interviewers will not tell him to stop yapping away like some numpty on speed and simply answer questions.

Until FG fixes this fundamental problem of stupid people making stupid decisions and stupid mistakes, FF is going to continue taking seats from it. Of course, FF will talk about all those wonderful transfers between FF and FG but the reality is that FG transfers are getting FF TDs elected. The stupid people problem in FG has seen FG drop from 78 seats to just 38 seats. It has also cost it the presidential election.

Going negative might have been fine for a GE. It is completely out of place for a presidential election. A strong FG candidate may well have given SF a moment of pause about backing Connolly. A weak candidate, as Humphreys was, created a combined Left alliance. Humprheys simply was the FG candidate for FGers. The stupid mistake was FG thinking that every voter is an FGer.

I`m neither a member of FF or a fan of Martin`s so why would I be trying to create a smoke screen, and whatever these maneuvers Bertie, Hanifin and O Cuiv were on - none of them even having a vote to select a candidate - Kelleher was the only member that sought a nomination where he lost by 41 votes to 29. Prior to that vote he had just the declared support of one MEP, one T.D. and one Senator. Gavin had declared support from 24 which included all senior cabinet ministers.

There has been a rump within the FF parliamentary party for years that do not like Martin as party leader, and if they can now only muster 10 it looks as if it has become unfortunately weaker. Either that or there is no senior member of the party willing to challenge Martin for the leadership on the basis of the Gavin selection. Nor do I see how they even could as all the present senior cabinet ministers declared for Gavin. O`Callaghan, - even though I think he has shot his bolt due to his past didderings - would have been the only one possibly to do so, but even he after holding out as long as he did, saw how the wind was blowing and declared for Gavin.

Something in the future may result in Martin being challenger in a leadership contest, but it`s not going to be on Gavin.

As someone who worked all my life in the building industry, no one is going to fix the housing crisis. So if that's a measure of govt success, then we won't have a successful govt for a long time to come.

Housing costs have risen to unprecedented levels, those costs aren't going to come down bar a recession and in that case then housing as usual will be the first thing to stop. We are in this never ending cycle now.

It's a little concerning that FF TDs are out referencing the 'damage' from the budget on the presidential election saying the government should have spent loads more money. Short, short memories. The opposition even worse in that regard.

Just saw this now , posted under clarity on RTE website

I wonder could this not have been posted before the election ballot. At least then we might have had an idea of the calibre of people behind the spoil vote campaign.

If FF were serious partners in government they would have thrown full weight behind HH after Jim pulled out. I’d be well peed off if I was FG leadership with their efforts

Perhaps FG turnout was higher there and was lower in other constituencies.

Perhaps, but if that's so it would mean it was low everywhere else. In a general election then the presidential election pattern wouldn't necessarily follow through. As I said, you'd have to weigh up the pros and cons of the result before you could claim it as a change in voter attitudes.

Sure it's something to build on, but how many left candidates are as adept as Connolly at projecting themselves nationally?

She was super BTW, no argument from me on that.