THE FUTURE of David Norris’s presidential campaign is hanging in the balance with some of his key supporters reviewing their pledge to sign his nomination papers.
While a number of Mr Norris’s Oireachtas backers have expressed continuing support, some are considering whether they can honour their commitment.
The latest controversy to hit Mr Norris’s campaign has also damaged his chances of getting the extra five signatures he needs from TDs and Senators to meet the requirement that his nomination papers be signed by 20 Oireachtas members.
The controversy arose at the weekend when it emerged that Mr Norris wrote a letter in 1997 to the Israeli authorities pleading for clemency for his former partner who had been convicted of the statutory rape of a 15-year-old boy.
Dublin North Central TD Finian McGrath, who has been co-ordinating Mr Norris’s campaign to get the signatures of Oireachtas members, said yesterday he was considering the position.
Mr McGrath said he was studying the letters sent by Mr Norris after his former partner was convicted of the offence by an Israeli court. “I will consult with my election team and after that I will talk to David,” Mr McGrath said yesterday.
Donegal South West TD Thomas Pringle also said he would be seeking the views of his supporters on whether to continue his commitment.
“I said I would be supporting Senator Norris but I now believe my own supporters would want to further discuss my commitment in the light of latest details,” he said. “I will be meeting and talking to my supporters and I expect to be making a statement within a couple of days.”
Waterford TD John Halligan also said he intended to consult friends and supporters to weigh up the position. “My tendency is to stand with him because of all the good he has done but I have to say I am troubled by the whole thing,” Mr Halligan said. “It is disappointing but I feel he should be in the race.”
Other Norris supporters in the Oireachtas said they would continue to back his campaign but they also expressed disquiet.
His fellow Trinity College Senator Seán Barrett said he would still sign his colleague’s nomination papers but added that the controversy would make it extremely difficult for Mr Norris to get on the ballot paper.
Dublin Central TD Maureen O’Sullivan reiterated her support, saying it was important he should not be excluded from the election.
Wicklow TD Stephen Donnelly also said he would continue his support as it was not democratic for members of the Oireachtas to block a candidate. He added that it was wrong for Mr Norris to have written the controversial letters given the personal nature of his relationship with the individual involved.
Senator John Crown said he would stick by his pledge to nominate Mr Norris and leave it to the Irish people to decide who should be president.
Mr Norris was not available for comment yesterday but said in an interview with the Sunday Independent that he remained “absolutely committed” to the election.
A number of Mr Norris’s supporters expressed concern at the way the information about the letters sent to the Israeli authorities came into the public domain.
“I would deeply resent it if there is anybody out there, whether in Israel or in the Irish political system, who is trying to undermine Irish democracy by influencing the course of the campaign,” Mr McGrath said.
Labour Party presidential candidate Michael D Higgins said nobody involved in his party’s campaign had anything to do with the disclosures. “I don’t approve of or indulge in that kind of politics,” he said.
The latest controversy involving Mr Norris developed on Friday when a number of key members of his campaign, including his director of elections Derek Murphy and his director of communications Jane Cregan, resigned. They left the campaign when they were informed by Mr Norris on Thursday night of the letters he had written in 1997 appealing for clemency to an Israeli court on behalf of his former partner.
