I admit I haven't being paying much attention to the Irish presidential election (to be held tomorrow), since I don't live there anymore, and the office itself is largely ceremonial. However having been exposed to the finale of the campaigns on a recent visit to the country, it does seem worth at least briefly commenting on.
I don't really believe the hype about it being a particularly important election in itself. The country is of course still reeling from the economic and political implosion of the last few years, and hence it is indeed a time for plotting a new direction, and choosing an appropriate head of state is a part of this, but at the end of the day such a figure-head position is hardly going to make too much practical difference. What does make this election interesting however, is the type of candidates involved, and what this says about the current mood of the country.
The first thing that comes at to mind when one surveys the field is how lacklustre it is. Times of national crisis are when new dynamic leaders are most needed and also, given the fall from grace of those at the top making room for new blood, normally most likely to make an appearance. When an old mindset has been discredited, then the time is ripe for people with a vision for the future to come forward, but this seems to be remarkably lacking in the current election. There is an air of staleness to it all, at least to me as a transient observer, something which could be interpreted as indicating widespread disillusionment and apathy in the country. Whereas the Greeks man the barricades, the Irish seem to have breathed a national sigh of resignation, muttering stoicly 'we are where we are', but with no inflamed passion to change that.
Ironically one candidate, Martin McGuiness, is no stranger to manning (and blowing up) barricades, and even though he could at least be admitted to be bringing a vision to the table, it is his same old one which is even less relevant than ever in the current situation.
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| the lacklustre seven |
However, even if the candidates are less than interesting politically, on a personal level they actually are. In a country long dominated by both the church and the issue of the north it is indeed amazing that among the seven candidates is a divorcee, an openly gay man, and an ex-terrorist. If the US republican right is as obsessed as they say with 'Guns, God, and gays' then this collection would surely interest them. Of course not everything is new, Ireland's fame for Catholicism and Eurovision success is eerily manifested in Dana, but apart from that it is almost amazing how a widely divergent bag of individuals could so collectively fail to rise to the moment.
What follows are my own first impressions of this unimpressive bunch, but I must stress I am probably as lacking in understanding in what is really needed for Ireland, as they themselves seem to be. I've listed them in their current order of poll standings, though it also works roughly out as in decreasing order of comedy value.
Dana
Yes, that is Dana-allkindsofeverything-Dana, the 1970 Eurovision song contest winner. As an ex-pat it is bad enough to have foreigners assume all us Irish have an intimate knowledge and love for Johnny Logan, but I can't imagine how excruciatingly embarrassing it would be if we actually actively send someone from the eurovision stage onto the world one. Thankfully she comes across as someone who has had a frontal lobotomy, staring unblinkingly as she delivers one incoherent and vacuous statement after another, so even the apathetic Irish should resoundingly reject her. Which is just as well, since the knowledge that she is a bit of a fundamentalist catholic is made deeply disturbing by that unblinking stare. Why is it zealots don't blink? Is it that they see through this mortal world to some higher reality? You can almost picture them shooting you mercilessly while they calmly assure you it is God's will and for your own benefit. She definitely inhabits some other reality, though I sincerely doubt a higher one.
Mary Davis
Presumably relying on the fact that after Marys Robinson and McAleese Ireland will elect another Mary, given how little sense or impact this she seems to make, I would think her only hope of not being decimated at the polls is the intervention of a rather more holy Mary (though presumably any helping hand from above would first go to Dana). I admit my only knowledge of Davis is from watching one presidential debate (and unfortunately her comments were so inane and vague I immediately forgot them) and from sitting through a rather eerie campaign advert, which consisted of a succession of random people mouthing her words. I guess the intended message was she was 'one of us' but instead seemed to perhaps more accurately reveal her either as as some face changing robot woman, or as someone without absolutely nothing to distinguish her from the crowd. At a time when the country is in desperate need of strong leadership, I am not sure why people would be moved to vote for someone who claims to be the same as both some random fisherman and that bloke who sold them their TV.
David Norris
The first 'gay' in the group, and the only authentic one. It is good that an openly gay candidate can stand for such high office, but I do think that while the controversies that have surrounded him might indeed be worthy of debate, one has to at least ask if unresolved prejudices play a role in their intensity. Regardless of his sexuality, his excruciatingly irritating Basil-Fawlty-impersonating-an-ex-british-army-major accent definitely isn't an asset, and despite claiming to be some kind of long term independent politician, again he didn't appear to me to be exactly presidential material, even in Ireland.
Gay Mitchell
Gay by name but not by nature. It is illustrative of how utterly forgettable this man is that I had actually finished writing this article before I realised I'd actually forgotten him. Now he's been mentioned, I think we can safely forget him again.
Martin McGuinness
The joke doing the rounds is that with McGuiness Sinn Fein are giving southern politics 'their best shot' , but despite being third in the ranking, I think their day has not yet come (nor ever will). As with catholic-eurovision Dana, he can also claim to bring to mind two of the things that Ireland is well known for abroad - Guiness and the IRA; and like her he has an unsettling habit of not blinking, but in his case any unease is well justified since this is a man who is actually no stranger to having people shot (if not going so far as to claim it's for their own benefit). I always thought McGuiness eerily reminiscent of Damien in the Omen, something to do with those cold and calculating steely blue eyes, and always found it funny that he was made minister of education, of all things; though that said, if there ever was someone scary enough to act as the ultimate threatening principle, then it would be him - even back in the days of corporal punishment the worst one could expect was a few lashes of a cane, not a knee capping.
My personal removed-from-it-all opinion is that between the developments of the peace process in the North, and the recent (if temporarily subdued) growth in prosperity in the south, the 32 county battle call is even less relevant, or cared about, than ever. Especially during a crisis which so obviously requires a global collective solution, surely nothing could be less appropriate than trying to make Ireland literally completely insular.
I also have serious reservations about a man with such a violent past contending for public office in the south, not least due to his involvement in the killing of individuals representing the very state he wants to represent (e.g. the killing of Garda McCabe by the IRA during a robbery). The argument seems to be that if he can be included in the political process of the north, then why not 'down here'. I have no time for this argument, since in my view while it might be necessary in the north on utilitarian grounds to ignore past deeds and move on, since otherwise things would never improve, this was never a full moral rehabilitation, and in no way applies by default in the south as well. Much, much more (and probably un-resolvable) debate and discussion would be needed, regardless of what the realities of the situation demand north of the border.
Michael D Higgins
Michael D, as he is known, is I admit my favourite of the lot. His record seems excellent, and as poet and author brings some much needed intellectualism to Irish politics. Furthermore, at a time when Ireland is suffering from the excesses of capitalism run rampant, then I think a left-wing Labour candidate is quite suitable. In fact, ranked against the other candidates, his main weakness is he comes across as a bit of a doddery old man, an image not helped by having hurt his leg and hence literally doddering at times. Another problem, and the reason why even he with an obvious intellect fails to stir my imagination, is that I perceive his campaign as having been a bit too gentle and respectful. While these are qualities suited to the office of president, it unfortunately fails to galvanise people. Some rousing is needed, if not of the rabble variety.
While he may not be exactly a strong leader, at least he is someone cultured, decent and respectable, and given that no one else brings anything more to the game, then this I think is the best we can hope for.
Sean Gallagher
The current front runner however is Sean Gallagher. Again I know very little about the man (as do seemingly a lot of people) but my crash course of the last week has told me he is a successful businessman, was a judge on the TV show Dragon's Den, and despite at times distancing himself from the party, has at least some connections with Fianna Fail. Oh, and he looks like a bouncer. Maybe it's the latter that subliminally turns me off him, due to subconscious images of some shaved head ape in a monkey suit saying 'not tonight' , but I actually do think he is a very questionable candidate. Despite the obvious appeal of a 'businessman' at times of economic trouble, it is exactly in this particular economic situation that the word 'businessman' occurring in the same sentence as 'Fianna Fail' is a cause for concern. Of course he distances himself from the previous (now disgraced) administration, but I find it hard to believe someone who seems now to have done at least some fundraising can claim to not have some moral responsibility, however minor, for the fiasco that ruined the country. Even if not directly involved, and just along for the ride (since Fianna Fail were the dominant party then it would make business sense to have been 'in with' them even if you didn't agree with the policies), then surely he is at least tainted by association. And of course we might not know the half of it, since a lot of this stuff seems only to have started coming out recently.
Speculation aside, I also don't see how his business prowess is at all relevant in such a ceremonial roll, a minister/adviser for industry or something maybe, but president? And surely immigration isn't such a problem we need a bouncer as our head of state?
No A candidate, but better a D than nothing
After discussing the lack of relevance of Gallagher's business prowess to the situation, I realise maybe it isn't such an issue that there is no strong leader, since the president has no real power anyway, so what could he do? If one thinks about it, what one really wants is a sort of father (or mother) figure looking benevolently over the country, and not making a fool of us abroad. I also like the idea of the job going to an elder statesman, almost as a kind of political life-time-achievement award, an honour bestowed on a politician who has served his/her country well, and can be liked by all. In these terms, I think Michael D Higgins is by far the most preferable candidate, since I think of all of them his integrity is most beyond doubt. It is a distinguished role, and doddering is no hindrance, indeed almost fitting with the avuncular aspect of it.
And, as has been pointed out as a final plus in a time when the state is bankrupt, as the eldest candidate (70), he won't cost the country much in post-office pension payments.
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