Braying Blueshirt barristers, taciturn Fianna Fáil farmers, Shinners with secret histories known only to God, leftie teachers, West Brits, centrist dads, pious pro-lifers, trans activists, eco-headbangers, immigrants, emigrants, socialists, nationalists, landlords and tenants, cops and robbers – whoever wins the election when the votes are counted today will have to be a president for all of them, and all of us.
This is the transition that must take place over the next three weeks before the presidential inauguration on November 11th – from the candidate of one faction to president of all.
Not an easy shift in mindset. The campaign has been bruising and divisive, as all campaigns are.
Jim Gavin, a widely respected figure with great achievements to his name, crumbled under the weight of the demands of political campaigning and one past mistake. Lots of people underestimate how tough you have to be as a politician. It is quite amazing that Fianna Fáil should have done so.
READ MORE
Fine Gael’s hot favourite Mairead McGuinness withdrew due to significant health concerns and Heather Humphreys – not a year after she quit politics – was pitched into the contest by a leadership which didn’t appear to fancy the prospects of MEP Sean Kelly. Humphreys – a warm and personable politician who campaigns best at close quarters – never looked comfortable in the media-dominated métier of a presidential election. She just never clicked.
Catherine Connolly demonstrated the advantage in politics of being the first-mover, getting in the field early and gradually convincing the left-wing parties – initially unconvinced but who couldn’t come up with a better idea – to row in behind her campaign. The support of Sinn Féin, though delivered from a position of political weakness for that party, gave Connolly’s campaign a turbo-boost. Her victory today (assuming we are not all very, very wrong) will now return the favour for Sinn Féin and the other left parties.
If it can unify the left, this has the potential to be a game-changing moment in Irish politics – though there are reasons for considerable scepticism about this, not least the left’s fratricidal history. But that question is for another day. For now, the important thing is that the left, on this occasion, came together, and delivered (caveats here again) a famous victory.
Connolly is poised to win because events moved in her favour and because of the mistakes of her opponents. But she also proved to be an exceptional candidate – poised, disciplined and possessed of an unflappable temperament that equipped her to navigate what must have been a brutal and exhausting 12 weeks. She has left many questions unanswered, despite the constant claims to have never avoided a question. She inspired fervid devotion, to the point where her followers came to regard routine inquiries as dastardly, illegitimate attacks.
If Connolly decides now to continue speaking out against Government policy, then we are on course for something we haven’t seen before
All that must now be left behind. The role of the president is to be above politics, a symbol of unity that transcends all the factional clamour, representing the country, its institutions, its distinctiveness, its values. Presidents routinely resign from their parties after election. Connolly has no party to resign from, but if she follows her predecessors, she will make it clear that she is no longer the representative of the coalition that brought her to the Áras. That will be hard, but the job is not to be the President of a New Republic, it’s to be President of the Existing One.
Michael D Higgins has been an excellent president in some ways and has clearly forged an intimate relationship with the people of the country. But in recent years especially he has transgressed what he must know are the appropriate boundaries of his office, straying into the field of policy – especially on foreign policy, defence, neutrality and EU matters. That he may have done so with public approval is, frankly, neither here nor there. Just because you might agree with what he says doesn’t mean that it is right for the president to say it.
[ The three viral moments that swung the election campaign for Catherine ConnollyOpens in new window ]
This isn’t about not upsetting the Government of the day. It is about the different constitutional roles that the president and the executive are allocated. An old constitutional law lecturer of mine used to describe the president as being a “constitutional goalkeeper”. Well, we know Connolly is good at keepie-ups; how will she manage between the sticks?
Connolly has spoken in recent days about the distinct roles of the Government and the president. But she has also campaigned on being the voice of the people, of speaking up for social justice, equality, neutrality and – of course – “being a voice for peace”. She has been crystal clear that she believes the policies of the current Government are directly in opposition to these values. If she decides now to continue speaking out against Government policy, then we are on course for something we haven’t seen before.
There will be much talk today of a historic breakthrough for the left, and its prospects for the future. The place to build a new left-wing alliance is in the Dáil, on the ground in the next general election campaign, and in the next Dáil when that is elected. Will the Áras step outside the traditional boundaries and seek to play a role? Either way, it will be fascinating to watch.
Full marks
A subject that has been repeatedly touched on here is the corrosive effect on our democracy and public life if people are able to make serious threats and abuse politicians and public figures with impunity. So full marks to the gardaí for bringing to justice Patrick Grealish (49), of Garraí an Choirce, Lettermullen, Co Galway, who made threats on social media to kill Simon Harris and his family last year. Grealish pleaded guilty this week and will be sentenced in the coming months. It’s important that people know that if you threaten politicians, you’ll be caught, and punished.
