Sir, – Martin McGuinness was jailed twice in the Republic, firstly for possession of explosives and ammunition, and secondly for IRA membership.
Whatever his motives, should we allow a convicted criminal to run for the presidency? Can we even remotely consider him as acceptable to follow in the footsteps of Mary Robinson, Mary McAleese and previous distinguished presidents? While accepting his role in the peace process, we should not forget his past.
– Yours, etc,
Sir, – Chuckle ár lá?
– Yours, etc,
Sir, – My goodness, McGuinness.
– Yours, etc,
Sir, – Martin McGuinness is to accept the average industrial wage and, presumably, no attendance payment if elected. I presume there’s no chance of that madness spreading to Leinster House.
– Yours, etc,
Sir, – I suggest that many of the remaining Fianna Fáil voters and members will vote for Martin McGuinness on October 27th and then, having got the taste of success, many will continue to vote Sinn Féin.
As a member of Fianna Fáil, I can’t help admiring the strategy.
Perhaps this is the kick in the ass we in Fianna Fáil need.
– Yours, etc,
Sir, – Labhrás Ó Murchú says he decided to run because he felt “the actual campaign was turning into a circus”. (Home News, September 17th). Send in the clowns.
– Yours, etc,
Sir, – RTÉ and The Late Late Showare giving Senator David Norris an unfair advantage in his bid for the presidency. They are giving him airtime that has not been afforded any of the other candidates. Are they not supposed to be impartial?
– Yours, etc,
Sir, – “Let Norris enter race – and be treated like anyone else” opines John Waters (Opinion & Analysis, September 16th). While I concur with his basic premise, let’s replace “Norris” with “McGuinness”. I look forward to coverage of Mr McGuinness’s campaign that is genuinely “free of elisions and soft pedalling”. What likelihood his election then?
– Yours, etc,
Sir, – Given the clear difficulties in finding suitable candidates and the ongoing issue of funding the national broadcaster, should we not give consideration to a constitutional change that would allow the president to be the winner of a new reality television show called So You Want To Rule Ireland?Prospective presidential candidates would live as housemates in Áras an Uachtaráin and would be set collective tasks such as "Greet the new Japanese ambassador at the airport". This would allow a much broader field of candidates and the unfortunate discovery of skeletons in cupboards, closets or underneath lonely beaches near Dundalk would lead to a ratings boost instead of an electoral crisis.
– Yours, etc,
Sir, – I hear a Mr McGuinness wants to run for President. Pity we cannot have a Mrs MacConnell or a Mr McCabe instead.
– Yours, etc,
Sir, – With the 100th Anniversary of the Easter Rising due for celebration by the State in 2016, and the pivotal role that the next president will be required to play in these celebrations, it is worth referring to a seldom quoted article in Bunreacht na hÉireann, as it applies to presidential powers. Article 13, sub-paragraph 4, states: “The supreme command of the Defence Forces is hereby vested in the President.”
Whatever about the slim electoral chances of Mr Norris and his apparently Sunday-newspaper-driven campaign, the idea of Mr Mc Guinness assuming constitutional powers as supreme commander of the Defence Forces would be, in my opinion, a leap too far at this time, particularly in the context of our recent troubled history in which he was a leading protagonist. Sinn Féin may consider his nomination as a “stroke”, but will the electorate? Time will tell, but the electorate are wise to stroke politics at this stage and will not be fooled by his Damascene conversion to the attractions of the Irish political system.
– Yours, etc,
Sir, – I am baffled as to why David Norris gets so much airtime on RTÉ, while other presidential candidates are barely mentioned. I notice he has made appearances on a variety of RTÉ programmes that have nothing to do with his area of expertise, as a scholar of Joyce and English literature. These appearances are getting him free publicity and it gives the impression that RTÉ has endorsed him as a presidential candidate.
It is getting to the point that if there were a programme on synchronised swimming, people would expect Mr Norris to make an appearance in the swimming pool. In the interests of fairness and equality, all presidential hopefuls should get a fair hearing.
– Yours, etc,
Sir, – I note that Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness had little trouble in securing the four nominations he needed to enter the race for the Áras. How that contrasts with the endless debating that surrounds Senator David Norris’s bid to join the race.
Whatever about Mr Norris’s past indiscretions, in this case writing a letter asking for leniency on behalf of an accused lover, it pales into insignificance when compared to the record of Mr McGuinness, whose past activities as a member of the Provisional IRA remain shrouded in secrecy.
It is deeply worrying to think that some members of the Oireachtas are prepared to support Mr McGuinness unconditionally, while harbouring doubts about the suitability of a highly qualified Senator, whose sure touch with the masses has endeared him to all.
– Yours, etc,