Prospect of Sinn Féin's Mary Lou McDonald running for presidency won't sway Fianna Fáil, party sources insist
Fianna Fáil sources insist the possibility of Mary Lou McDonald entering the race for the presidency will not influence the party's approach to the campaign – despite seeing her as a strong contender with the potential to win the race.
In a dramatic change from her previous position, the Sinn Féin leader declined to rule out putting her name forward, saying no decision had been made by her party.
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Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Sarah Harte: We need an educated president with moral authority and a clear vision
I sincerely wish I had one whit of the personal confidence some of those rumoured to be seeking the presidential nomination possess. Although in the case of some candidates who have failed to rule themselves out, they seem to possess what the mother of a long-standing friend of mine calls "ignorant courage". This is psychologically known as the overconfidence bias, where individuals cognitively overestimate their abilities, wisdom and knowledge. Love them or hate them, the calibre of our last three presidents, the two Marys and Michael D, has been outstanding as the personification of not just Official Ireland but us as a nation. President Higgins will leave office on November 11 after two highly successful terms, although not without its bumps. It is expected that the election to replace him will take place in late October or, at the latest, early November. The nomination process for all political parties, including FF, FG, Sinn Féin, and the centre-left parties, as well as Independent candidates backed by city or county councils, is likely to conclude by the end of August or the start of September. In the meantime, during the silly season, everyone from former taoisigh to journalists, public intellectuals, and MMA fighters have signalled that they are open to conversations and persuadable. Many of the names being circulated are probably not credible, although it is revelatory to see who fancies themselves in the role. Watch out, world, Important Person coming through. One interesting opinion I read this week suggested that we hold lotteries for the presidency, as we do for jury selection in criminal trials. First, the jury is out on juries. Opinion is divided legally on whether it's better to have a sole judge or a jury of your random, legally uneducated peers, but that's a topic for another day. Secondly, the idea that we would have an everyman or woman for the presidency seems suspect. What about quality control? I mean, why not be done with it and have a high-stakes reality show to decide on a candidate while we're at it? A sort of presidential Hunger Games. Why shouldn't we value the opinions of experts in a particular field over those of random citizens? The next presidential election is important, and in a turbulent post-truth world, we must keep the bar high, maintaining a restrictive electoral system to exclude chancers and blowhards. If there's one thing we should avoid, it's elevating mediocrities or even public figures who, while talented in their own silo, lack the necessary qualities to be president. Selectivity and standards are not inherently elitist. They are rational ways to ensure quality. Of course, the Irish president, in comparison to, say, the American one, is a figurehead. Many of the presidential powers cannot be exercised without the discretion of the government, but this does not mean it is "a makey-uppy job", as Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary maintains. One of the key functions of our president is to contribute meaningfully to the public discourse and to foment and forward new ideas for shaping Ireland's future in line with the themes of their presidency. This has an impact on civic life, our self-perception, and how we present ourselves to the world in terms of our collective values. The presidential role requires a person of natural intellect enhanced by education and experience. What Conor McGregor (facing a possible investigation for perjury in the Nikita Hand case) might describe as an "ooh-la-la" person, mistaking as he does education for elitism. He is in good company there. The Republican Party in the USA, cynically rebranded under the Maga banner, pushed the false equivalence of education with elitism. This is a concept we must vigorously guard against In 2025, the logical endgame of this lie means that an elite oligarchy composed of the ultra-rich, including phenomenally wealthy tech tycoons, masquerades as an anti-elite, attacking, amongst other things, education and universities in the name of the everyman. Both Trump and JD Vance repeatedly espouse this anti-elitism idea, although both are Ivy League graduates. Meanwhile, they establish and guard their own elitist social hierarchies. Thomas Jefferson, who drafted the American declaration of independence, believed in selecting individuals based on merit rather than social class. 'By that part of our plan which prescribes the selection of youths of genius from the classes of the poor, we hope to avail the state of those talents which nature has sown as liberally among the poor as the rich, but which perish without use, if not sought and cultivated.' He saw public education as the means for those not born to 'wealth, birth, or other accidental conditions or circumstances' to be 'able to guard the rights and liberties of their fellow citizens.' The visionary FF minister for education, Donogh O'Malley, who introduced free secondary education for everyone in Ireland up to the age of eighteen, understood better than anyone the nexus between people being uneducated and the loss of human resources. Public education is the only credible way for the everyman to have their speak, it is the opposite of elitism. To date, there is no strong anti-intellectualism or disrespect for facts in Ireland that coarsens civic life. Nevertheless, the 2018 presidential electoral season was a shambles. None of the candidates, except President Higgins, seemed presidential material Certainly, some of them had excelled in their respective areas, but overall, they fell short of expectations for the job at hand. Countries are not corporations that can be run like pure businesses by CEOs focused solely on the bottom line. Nor should celebrity and a high-profile spot on television be considered an essential attribute. The newly retired and much-loved, talented broadcaster Joe Duffy has wisely ruled himself out. Too cute by far. We know an education alone does not necessarily impart the wisdom of Solomon. At the very least, we need an educated president who understands boundaries, is inclusive of all citizens, understands multiple perspectives, possesses decorum and gravitas, has moral authority, and is a good communicator, with a clear vision. Plus, a squeaky-clean past, which is a hell of a lot to ask of anyone. When the candidates are confirmed, we had better listen to their pitches carefully, and not vote reactively because of the housing crisis, or because of multiple other reasons we are browned off as the citizenry. It's tempting, I know, to go to the ballot box and give the two fingers, but it's too high-risk. The notion of a down-home, loud-mouth individual as suitable for high office has its roots in John McCain's decision to run Sarah Palin as his running mate in the 2008 American presidential election. It was at this point that Trumpism became possible, paving the way for celebrity-driven politics everywhere. We have seen all too clearly in America what happens when people vote for a celebrity president. In a kind of race to the bottom, the unthinkable becomes normalised, a causal chain in which parties compete for a desired result by making increasingly larger concessions, leading to a downward spiral of competency and a sacrifice of standards. Meanwhile, all boats sink with the lowering tide. We need a suitably qualified candidate who embodies a message of unity and progress and who is neither a beneficiary of nor a cynical exploiter of disenchantment with establishment politics, because, as the ad goes, we are worth it.
Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Pádraic Fogarty: U-turn shows Government is unwilling to protect Ireland's sea creatures
At last month's United Nations Ocean Conference, held in Nice, France, the Spanish government announced that it would be creating seven new marine protected areas (MPAs) which will bring its total network to 25.7% of its territorial waters. Spain is hardly a great champion for marine protection, it is currently in court for allowing bottom trawling in its MPAs and has virtually nowhere that is 'strictly protected', that is, off limits to all kinds of fishing or extractive activities. Nevertheless, it can credibly say that it is on track to achieve protection of 30% of its waters by 2030, an international benchmark that many countries, including Ireland, have signed up to. Taoiseach Micheál Martin was also in Nice for the summit but, unlike the Spanish, announced no initiatives on MPAs. In a speech he said that 'Ireland understands the need to protect our marine environment', which may be true, but this is scarcely reflected in the apathy and inaction from him and his government on this topic. Unlike nearly every other European country, Ireland lacks even the basic legislation for the creation of MPAs, something that we agreed to pass back in 2008 with the adoption of the EU's Marine Strategy Framework Directive. It took 13 years before a Fine Gael-led government commissioned an expert report on the issue, which appeared in 2021. In 2022 there was a public consultation which, in the government's own words, demonstrated 'strong support' for MPAs and which received an impressive 2,311 submissions, mostly from ordinary people. A draft bill was published at the end of that year while the Joint Oireachtas Committee published its report on this early in 2023. Last year the bill came within a hair's breadth of being approved by the government but was pulled at the last minute for reasons that have not been explained publicly. As recently as the run-up to the last election, Micheál Martin wrote to the campaign group Fair Seas assuring them that upon a return to office the MPA bill would be passed 'as soon as possible.' However, last weekend it was reported that the Taoiseach is doing a full U-turn on this policy. A report in the Sunday Business Post said that the bill would now be dropped, and that they were looking at ways to shoehorn MPAs into existing legislation. Padraic Fogarty: 'There is huge popular support for taking action. People love the sea.' There are those who will say that it makes little difference whether the provision for MPAs lies within standalone legislation or not. Theoretically they might be correct, but the reality of what has happened points to something far more worrying. Creating the foundations for an MPA network that will actually deliver the recovery of marine life requires a substantial level of detail to be nailed down in law. There is work by scientists to identify where the best places for MPAs should be but drawing the lines on maps is the easy part. How will they be monitored? Who will enforce the rules? Where will strictly protected areas be located? Of critical importance are the details on how they will be managed on a day-to-day basis; where will responsibility lie and how will local communities be able to participate? We know these questions are important because the existing network of protected conservation areas, which were designated as part of the EU's Habitats and Birds directives, has failed miserably in achieving its aims and has only served to anger local people and distance them from our most precious nature sites. It is an approach that has landed us, repeatedly, in the European Court of Justice and is a leading reason why the scale of the biodiversity crisis in Ireland is much greater than it might have otherwise been. Micheál Martin's backflip on the MPA bill signals that they don't have the willingness to go through with this. Much easier is adding a few clauses to an existing bill to allow for the nominal designation of MPAs and the creation of more 'paper parks', something that will allow the government to claim that it has met international commitments, but which delivers nothing in the water for biodiversity. Fishing industry This is not only about recovering the rich marine life that is currently a shadow of its former self due to decades of fishing activity, pollution and, more recently, warming waters. The fishing communities that rely on healthy seas have dwindled away also. The situation has become so dire that whatever fish are left are far out to sea being hoovered up by industrial factory boats leaving lobsters as the only reliable catch for the guys in small boats. On the other hand, the director of the National Inshore Fisheries Forum told a conference in Cork in 2022 that 'MPAs could be the saviour of the inshore industry'. It is not just the MPAs that highlights the Taoiseach's inaction. His government has also failed to legislate for the exclusion of large trawlers from coastal waters, something that was promised a decade ago. Lack of food has seen the large whales abandon the south coast, something which this year prompted long-time boatman Colin Barnes to close up his whale watching business in Union Hall. In 2022, when the EU asked member states to stop bottom trawling in existing protected areas, the Irish government just shrugged its shoulders and carried on. It is perfectly allowable for someone to drag a dredger, a long iron bar with outward teeth that dig into the seafloor, through one of these so-called 'special areas of conservation'. Frustration with Government inaction Why is the government seemingly so incapable of taking any action? How is it willing to stand like a frightened bunny and watch ecosystems and fishing communities collapse and do nothing about it? Ireland is a dynamic place. We had a successful Citizens' Assembly on Biodiversity Loss which clearly outlined the action that needs to be taken. There is no shortage of community groups, businesses, NGOs and fishermen who are willing, eager even, to roll up their sleeves and start the task of restoration. There is huge popular support for taking action. People love the sea. Yet the lack of action, the reneging of promises, the endless, meaningless speeches are sapping motivation. This was demonstrated in a recent Climate Conversations survey which showed that public anxiety on environmental issues is rising due to government inaction. 'Frustration was the main feeling reported,' according to pollsters. Our politicians are the only ones who can pass laws, without which change where it matters cannot happen. I have seen this first hand in my work as an advocate for nature for over 20 years. The government should not be allowed backslide on its duty to pass a standalone law for MPAs, like it promised, like the people of this country want. Read More Anja Murray: Radical changes required to let the oceans recover
Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Irish Examiner view: Cutting back on flats and standards
The ongoing housing and accommodation crisis continues to seep into all areas of life, and we seem no closer to finding a resolution. The crisis is of such proportions that it appears almost impossible to find an approach that may make a difference, with the latest idea from the Government a proposal to reduce apartment sizes. James Browne, the housing minister, is to suggest changes to the laws governing the building of apartments, but cutting the size of studio apartments is bound to catch the eye — the aim is to reduce the minimum size of a studio apartment from 37 sq m to 32 sq m. On paper, this has the potential to increase the supply of apartments considerably. The opposition has raised concerns, saying this move will reduce living standards, but Sinn Féin's housing spokesman Eoin Ó Broin may have made a more salient point when suggesting the initiative is likely to raise the value of land and developers' costs. The minister's suggestion that his changes will cut building costs by between €50,000 and €100,000 per apartment may be correct, but are there any grounds for optimism that such savings will be passed on to prospective buyers? A more serious caveat surrounds the fire, accessibility, and environmental standards of these new apartments. The rush to build during the Celtic Tiger years left a poisoned legacy with which we are still contending, from the crisis with defective building blocks which plagued the north-west of the country in particular to the widespread issues with fire safety in apartment buildings. As far back as 2002, a Garda superintendent recommended prosecution against a developer after two people died in an apartment fire but nothing came of it, while an expert report has estimated that between 62,500 and 100,000 apartments or duplexes built between 1991 and 2013 may have defects that require remediation. This is worth bearing in mind when we consider sweeping changes to our apartment-building legislation. Lessons must be learned. Keeping it in the community Yesterday was Amazon Prime Day, though 'day' is a little misleading for a festival of spending which lasts some 96 hours, with analysts in America expecting buyers to spend up to $23.8bn (€27.6bn)across the four-day event this week. Given Amazon recently opened a dedicated Irish shopping website, it is reasonable to expect a surge in spending here also. It is entirely reasonable to expect people to be on the lookout for bargains, given the rise in prices across the board and the general increase in the cost of living, everyone is looking for value for money. Though children are off school at present, for instance, wary parents will be conscious of the need to stock up on various essentials for the return to the classrooms in a few weeks. However, it should be pointed out that traditional Irish businesses are also in need of support. As recently as May, the Government established a small business unit aimed at giving SMEs in the country more focus and support. The unit is under the direction of Peter Burke, the enterprise, trade, and employment minister. He recently pointed out: 'Small businesses employ two-thirds of our population and keep our local communities and economies vibrant and strong. Government must recognise this, and ensure we are providing the support that SMEs need to run their businesses successfully and continue to provide vital employment and economic benefit across the country.' The contribution of small businesses to communities all over Ireland, big and small, is a telling point. It may be a cliche to hear such businesses stress that the money they generate remain within those communities, but it is also a fact. The money spent on Amazon purchases goes, ultimately, on events such as the company owner Jeff Bezos's recent wedding. The contrast could hardly be starker. Hardline Tory The death was announced yesterday of former British politician Norman Tebbit at the age of 94. Tebbit served as a minister under Margaret Thatcher and came to embody hardline Tory attitudes. After the Brixton riots in 1981, he said his father had been unemployed in the 1930s but instead of rioting he 'got on his bike and looked for work.' Later he became synonymous with the 'cricket test', when he suggested the teams British Asians supported in international cricket games showed whether they were loyal to Britain. Described by his own party colleagues as abrasive, Tebbit is probably best remembered in Ireland for surviving the Brighton bombing in 1984. The IRA planted a large bomb in the Grand Hotel in Brighton while the Tory party conference was ongoing, killing five people, including one Tory MP. Thatcher was unhurt by the bomb but the ceiling and floor of Tebbit's room — directly beneath Thatcher's — collapsed, burying him and his wife, also Margaret. When they were rescued, she had suffered a broken neck and was paralysed for life; Tebbit had severe injuries to his ribs, shoulder, and pelvis. He did not stand in the 1992 election in order to care for his wife. Strongly right-wing in his view, Tebbit maintained his involvement in Tory politics well into the 21st century but for many, he will always be a reminder of the grimmest part of the 1980s.
