2011 Presidential Election

**John83** · 17/08/2011, 4:54 PM

Originally Posted by dahamsta

I have to say, I think I'd wee my pants a little if we had Sheen as prez. We'd be the coolest country every.

I doubt he'd be as cool as you expect unless we could nab Sorkin as a speech-writer.

**dahamsta** · 17/08/2011, 4:56 PM

Martin! Jesus Mr A, have a little faith in me!

**Mr A** · 17/08/2011, 5:16 PM

Ah now. With a man with tiger blood in his veins as president we'd always be winning.

**Eminence Grise** · 17/08/2011, 11:17 PM

There are a lot of blindspots in how the president's role is seen.

The President has virtually no choice but to sign bills passed by the Oireachtas. There is power to refer unsigned bills to the Supreme Court to test their constitutionality. It’s seldom used, but it is used more than some posts here make out: 25-30 times in all - Robinson and McAleese referred around half of those. Take money bills and statutory instruments that never come before the D�il out of that and there are actually very few bills for the president to look at.

Even worse, the President has to consult the Council of State before being allowed to refer a bill. That particular group of vested interests includes the Taoiseach, T�naiste, Ceann Comhairle, Cathaoirleach and Attorney General, all former Taoisigh, Presidents and Chief Justices, as well as the president’s own choice of 7 members, so the President is hamstrung.... Incidentally, Mary Davis is on the council since 2004.

When Dev wrote the Constitution, he never wanted to have an executive president because that would too tightly define the republic he never created. So he left the office deliberately weak, allowing the Taoiseach to control it through the Oireachtas.

S’all in the constitution. Well, mostly...

BTW: Charlie Sheen for Prez! He could appoint Heidi Fleiss to the Council of State – we’d have a proper madam to manage the cute hoors... Adam, we’ll never be cool enough to have P�re Sheen! You can uncross your legs!

**Lionel Ritchie** · 19/08/2011, 5:37 PM

Groundswell of support surging for the inanimate carbon rod apparently

**Eminence Grise** · 19/08/2011, 7:24 PM

Funny.... and one of the people on that page is on the national executive of a political party, with designs on a Dail seat. Politicos do have a sense of humour after all!

ICR gets my #1!

**culloty82** · 24/08/2011, 12:42 PM

Brian Crowley quits the race, realising FF won't run a candidate. Surely an open goal for Sinn F�in to select someone now, allowing themselves to be considered the "real" leaders of the opposition?

**Angus** · 24/08/2011, 7:31 PM

Remains a mystery as to why Martin is allowing this to continue - the template for this is Inda - shortly after he took over a FG leader, and about a year out from the last Prez election, he announced no FG candidate - it was a story for 2 days and some people got emotional - but for that 2 days he killed it

Labout and Michael D then got all emotional on what they were going to do - so 3 days after the general election why did Martin not just announce that they weren't running anyone ?

**BonnieShels** · 25/08/2011, 1:32 PM

Because he's an idiot and its been proven that Inda has a for more political gumption than he was ever given credit for.

**Eminence Grise** · 25/08/2011, 3:03 PM

Tricky Micky is notorious for commissioning reports - won't act until he gets a favourable one - and he's been delaying a decision until it's too late to mount a campaign. He's right not to run a FF candidate. The party is broke and hasn't got the €500,000 to fund a campaign, and the last thing it needs is for a candidate to come in the bottom half of the field. But, as if more proof were needed that FF exists on a different planet to the rest of us, there is still a large core in the party that thinks the general election was their only punishment and that they can win the presidency. Delusional....

**Cuyahoga** · 30/08/2011, 5:06 PM

Date for the presidential election has been set for thursday 27th october.

**legendz** · 03/09/2011, 9:48 AM

I hope Fine Gael do get the presidency. Everyone wanted to get revenge on Fianna Fail for the mess the country is in. The last thing FF want to see is a FG president.

**Eminence Grise** · 03/09/2011, 10:28 AM

Nose, cut, spite and face? It's the last thing a lot of us want to see, in fairness! FG means Gay Mitchell - and he's oilier than an exploration field off the coast of Mayo... Didn't B****e A***n (sorry for having to use foul language!) once call him the evil of two lessers? I'd rather get revenge on FF in the next local elections - and really grind them into the dirt where it matters.

**culloty82** · 03/09/2011, 7:50 PM

Fianna F�il will be irrelevant for the next decade - none of their current TDs have the wherewithal to change public perceptions, especially when you look at the next generation (McConalogue, Niall Collins, Calleary), and even GE-level support in 2014 would halve their county and city councillor numbers. Still think Higgins will win, but while he has his qualities, it'll have more to do with the rest of the field than anything else.

**bennocelt** · 03/09/2011, 8:19 PM

Originally Posted by culloty82

Fianna F�il will be irrelevant for the next decade - none of their current TDs have the wherewithal to change public perceptions, especially when you look at the next generation (McConalogue, Niall Collins, Calleary), and even GE-level support in 2014 would halve their county and city councillor numbers. Still think Higgins will win, but while he has his qualities, it'll have more to do with the rest of the field than anything else.

eh FF = Fg !

**John83** · 05/09/2011, 12:18 PM

Originally Posted by Eminence Grise

Nose, cut, spite and face? It's the last thing a lot of us want to see, in fairness! FG means Gay Mitchell - and he's oilier than an exploration field off the coast of Mayo...

I think that's a bit of a misconception about the exploration fields off of Mayo. For all their billions of dollars of drilling, there's been sweet feck-all oil so far. Of course that does suggest a solution to our national budget crisis: erect a derrick over Gay Mitchell and let the black gold flow.

**Eminence Grise** · 05/09/2011, 10:20 PM

You can't keep a good man down... but several tons of Ready Mix would go a long way alright.

"Gay Oil" - could be interesting brand extension opportunities there...

**bluemovie** · 07/09/2011, 2:53 PM

Originally Posted by John83

erect a derrick over Gay Mitchell and let the black gold flow.

Oo-er missus! Some people might stumble upon that post accidentally with a google search.

**nigel-harps1954** · 07/09/2011, 8:47 PM

Can I be president? Far as I see, it doesn't matter a feck who president is as they have no shout in what happens anywhere just stand there and look pretty. I can be pretty.