OK - starter for ten. Which presidential
candidate said the following yesterday:
“What I
have offered is my life and what I am offering is a significant portion of the
rest of my life.” ?
Let’s see
now – sounds extreme, doesn’t it?
And extreme is next door to extremist. And that talk about offering your life –
a hint of blood sacrifice there, wouldn’t you say? And we all know that republicans are the blood sacrifice
people, so except you take Sean
Gallagher as being a republican – well, he has been a very active Fianna Fail
man all his life, and they have taken recently to reminding us they’re the
republican party…Nah. Don’t be silly.
It’s Martin McGuinness – has to be.
Except it’s
not. It’s Michael D Higgins. He’s
a very complex man, Higgins. Maybe that’s why he wanted to have a debate
with Gallagher, who offers a relatively simple message: vote for me because I
can skip really fast and I have a disability. Higgins sees being a faithful Labour Party man all his life
(apart from a wild six months in Fianna Fail) as offering his life, which in a
way it must have been . Can you imagine yourself having to attend meetings on a
near-daily basis with former Stickie Eamonn Gilmore, with not a single Stickie
weapon decommissioned?
As if that
weren’t enough, Higgins has mood swings. While he was still leading in the
polls he was a murmuring, smiling, cuddly little teddy bear of a candidate. Now
that Gallagher has passed him like a Cabinet minister’s car on a country road,
Higgins has got quite snappy, not to say snarly. No more Mr Nice Guy. Or not as
much at least.
But fair
play – he’s still prepared to be nice to people even those who don’t give him their No 1. He was yesterday: ‘It’s very important
to be a candidate that people can transfer to with comfort and enthusiasm. But
it’s not a deal. I think people are very, very wise. They know how to
vote”. I think he kind of ruined
it with that last bit, wouldn’t you say? – all you have to do is write 1,2,3
etc, and put the bit of paper in
the box. Any dope could do that.
But there you are. Higgins finds wisdom in the simplest things.
But. But
but but. Higgins is not himself simple. He is, as he’s reminded us several
times, a man who’s lectured in universities. Even in some American
universities. And he has written books. And poetry. Ah yes, Higgins the poet. I’ve
never read any of Higgins’s poetry, I’m afraid, and neither, I’m willing to bet,
have the vast majority of the very very wise Irish people. So I’m now calling
on Mr Higgins to come clean with the electorate about his past.
Produce the poetry. Read us a bit of it. And after that we – oh, God, I keep
forgetting that thing about us so-called Irish in the north not having a vote –
after that you in the south can make
up your minds about his suitability as a representative of the Irish people at
home and abroad.
Me, I could
never vote for Michael D Higgins, even I had one. Which I haven’t. Not because
he’s bald (glass houses, etc), not because he’s old (more glass houses) , not
because he supports freedom fighters abroad but hates terrorists at home
(faraway hills etc) but because in a public place, where there are very
probably children within earshot, he is given to using totally uncalled-for
language. He did it again yesterday. In a public place, before an audience and with no prior
warning, he said that the president could use his or her influence “in terms of
moral suasion”.
Suasion.
Hands up how many of you have ever used that word in a public place? Sorry, Mr
Higgins. No, not that way – that leads to the Phoenix Park. This way. And if
you don’t come quietly, we have ways of suading you.
The "Irish News" carried a tweet sent to Gallagher yesterday, it asked," You managed to pay no tax last year and have a P60 showing only 223euro per week as a successful businessman. How?". Now that to me is a good question. Perhaps the rise of the FF cute hoor is back on the cards; a positive case of re-incarnation perhaps.
ReplyDeleteAs someone else remarked "FF: they haven't gone away, you know"
ReplyDeleteWow, your latest blog has convinced me and thousands like me not to vote for Michael D, perhaps critically swinging the result towards McGuinness!
ReplyDeleteYou're such a player Collins. Respect.
Your double (and sometimes triple) spacing after full stops is very irritating and makes this much harder to read. Which is why I stopped reading after the fist paragraph. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteAnon 13:55 - you're welcome. And you definitely get the cigar for non-reading reasons. Brilliant. (How were those full stops,btw? The iPad made me do them.
ReplyDeleteIf Gallagher gets elected to be President after what FF have done to this country, I never want to hear banks, bailouts, bondholders etc etc mentioned again, we will deserve all we get.
ReplyDeleteAnon 17:21 - I think you have well and truly nailed it.
ReplyDeleteWatching the debate on TG4 I have noticed that one of Michael D Higgins hands shakes a lot.
ReplyDeleteWe appreciate that as a committed Sinn Fein member,you are very interested in the the Presidential election but could we not as a bit of relief have your comments on something else going on in the world!Or do we have to wait until the 28th for that?
ReplyDeleteMichael D Higgins easily won the TG4 debate. His Gaeilge fluency was admirable. He was most humble and courteous to the others. He is easy to listen to. He has maturity and comes across as knowledgeable and likeable. If Martin McGuinness isn't elected, it might not be such a bad thing if this more 'experienced' man does. He would be a good Ambassador for Ireland. Would you give him your #2, Jude?
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't give anybody one of my No 2s, just not hygenic. lol
ReplyDeleteAnon 20:48 - you have a fair point and one I've thought of myself. But can you clarify when you say I'm "a committed Sinn Féin member"? And what your source is?
ReplyDelete