Sir, - The most intriguing feature of the presidential election is the decline in the fortunes of Adi Roche. Just a short time ago, Roche was every party's "dream candidate", sought by FF and FG over a number of years before finally accepting the endorsement of Labour, DL and Greens. Of the other candidates, only Mary Banotti enjoyed a reasonable profile, principally for her work as an MEP. Ms McAleese, Mr Nally and Dana were unknown to the broad Irish electorate. Why has so much changed since then?
Strange as it may seem, nobody has seriously addressed that issue. But in a poll undertaken by students in Drogheda at about the same time as the second MRBI poll (and bearing a marked resemblance to the latter's findings), a spokesperson explained: "One of the main reasons that Roche has polled so badly was the perception that her campaign was not of a high-profile nature - in effect many of those polled did not know enough about her to justify giving her support." (The Irish Times, October 14th.)
Neither Roche nor her representatives have so far told us that she, alone of the candidates, has been called on to address the United Nations, has been chosen as European of the Year, European Woman Laureate and Irish Person of the Year, that she was director of an organisation (the International Peace Bureau) that won the Nobel Peace Prize, that she is a best-selling writer and a film-maker and, above all, that she has transported more aid across Europe than probably anyone else since the end of the Marshall Plan! With the exception of Robinson, has any other figure done more to enhance Ireland's image abroad?
Please let's hear about Adi Roche before it it too late!
From Marian O'Brien
Terenure, Dublin 6W.