Presidential Election date set

Victor

I wonder if they will try to run the two on the one day? And have the first referendum on the EU constitution aswell, so we can get it out of the way.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2004/0908/presidentialelection.html

Presidential election to be held 22 October
08 September 2004 20:14

A date has been set for the Presidential election, if one is necessary.

Voting will take place on 22 October, if more than one candidate is nominated.

Nominations have to be in by 1 October.

President McAleese is expected to make an announcement about whether or not she will stand in the coming weeks.

The former MEP Dana Rosemary Scallon is also understood to be considering seeking a nomination.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2004/0908/brutonj.html

Bruton is nominated for top EU post

08 September 2004 22:07
Former Taoiseach John Bruton has been officially nominated as the Head of the European Commission's Delegation to the United States.

EU Foreign Ministers are expected to confirm the appointment when they meet next week.

The announcement from the European Commission has confirmed months of speculation that Mr Bruton was in the running for the top diplomatic post in Washington.

...

The appointment will also mean a by-election in Mr Bruton's Meath constituency, probably at the same time as Charlie McCreevy's seat in Kildare North is filled after he takes up his post as European Commissioner.

PH01

Can you imagine Mary McAleese not going again? And Dana getting elected!!! GAWD! Bring back Michael D!

Hobbes

Is Dustin the Turkey still running? I'd vote for him.. it is just a pension post.

Victor

Hobbes wrote:

Is Dustin the Turkey still running? I'd vote for him.. it is just a pension post.

And a nice pension it is, Robbo is on a pension of something like €150,000 after working for less than 7 years and she hasn't even retired yet.

Looks like the by-elections are on the long finger

http://home.eircom.net/content/unison/national/3960650?view=Eircomnet

Elections on the double will test FF's new tactics
From:The Irish Independent
Thursday, 9th September, 2004

FIANNA Fail will have six months to convince the public of its new "caring, sharing" image before it faces two by-elections.

The contests, expected in March, will also be the first public verdict on the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern's long-promised Cabinet reshuffle.

The elections are necessary to fill the seats of the new EU Ambassador to Washington John Bruton and Internal Market Commissioner Charlie McCreevy.

Mr Bruton's nomination to the EU-US post, announced yesterday, will mean a by-election in Meath, where the former Taoiseach has been a Fine Gael TD for 35 years.

Mr McCreevy's imminent departure to Brussels will also cause a by-election in North Kildare where his son Charlie (24) could yet emerge as the Fianna Fail candidate.

But Mr Bruton's appointment will not take effect until November at the earliest and that will mean it is most unlikely Fine Gael would move the writ for the by-election before the spring.

It is Fianna Fail's call on when to move the Kildare North writ but it will not want to act early to fill the McCreevy seat as it will need more time for its "softer" policy platform to take effect with the voters.

After its local and European election setbacks, Fianna Fail has set out on the road towards regaining lost ground but senior party strategists accept it will take some time for its recovery to take effect.

It began its image change at the party's two-day think-in in West Cork earlier in the week and backbenchers will be banking on a loosening of the purse strings in the December Budget.

Mr Bruton yesterday said it was a great honour to become the EU's first Ambassador to Washington where one of his aims would be to help repair relations damaged during the Iraq war and to improve communications between the United States and EU.

In Meath, Fianna Fail holds three out of the five seats but will face fresh difficulties under the constituency revision as it will be divided into two three-seaters for the next General Election.

The three-seat Kildare North constituency will be expanded to a four-seater in the next General Election but both by-elections will be conducted under the current constituency formation.

As well as the Finance Minister's son coming into the reckoning, it is expected that Paul Kelly, who only narrowly missed out in the General Election, will seek the nomination, as will other prominent councillors, Liam Doyle and Willie Callaghan.

Fine Gael is confident it can hold the Bruton seat in Meath where former TD Cllr John Farrelly could make a comeback but councillors such as Charkes Bobbett and Shane McEntee could also seek the nomination.

Meanwhile, there were question marks last night over who Labour would choose as a candidate in Meath. Party sources had speculated that former ICTU general secretary Peter Cassells, who narrowly lost out in the European elections to Fine Gael's Avril Doyle, would stand. But sources have suggested Mr Cassells might not be interested in the job.

arcadegame2004

We need to be careful not to elect someone like Michael D. who I fear (though I might be wrong) could use the Presidency to make speeches denouncing US foreign policy and President Bush. While in some instances I would agree with such criticisms, a small country dependent on exports to the US and the EU needs to tread carefully, possibly including keeping their mouths shut sometimes.

I will vote for Mary if she stands again. In the unlikely event that she doesn't, I will still not vote for Michael D. If Mary isn't gonna run, then FG might put forward a candidate. I wonder who that might be? Maybe Michael Noonan.

Sparks

You said that before Arcade. 'Twas wrong then, 'tis wrong now.

mike65

It looks like a shoe in for the incumbant, if there is an election she'll walk it.
On the Last Word Dana is banging on about the stitch-up as she sees it to stop her or anyone else standing.

Mike.

Redleslie2

arcadegame2004 wrote:

a small country dependent on exports to the US and the EU needs to tread carefully, possibly including keeping their mouths shut sometimes.

I think exports from Ireland to Russia are worth something like 150 million a year (1 billion a year from the EU as a whole), so maybe we should keep our mouths shut on the Chechnya thing too.

arcadegame2004

Exports to Russia are worth something like 1 billion a year, so maybe we should keep our mouths shut on the Chechnya thing too.

That amounts to less than 1% of all Irish exports. I think our economy would survive.

If Adolf Hitler was in power would you advocate we avoid criticising him?

dubadub

Now that's guy I'd vote for. I wonder has he even considered it? Its not an Old Folks home. Old die hardups Fianna Fail & Fine Gaels. Come on Gerry,sure you would walk away with it.

I must say Mary Mac has done a fine job.

But that other skally wag Dana (All kinds of Everthing) she should join a convent. An enclosed order.

angeldelight

I hope someone from the Labour Party like Adi Roche runs again. I think it was pretty disgraceful last time how couple of weeks before the election ppl started dragging up dirt on her (majority of which was inaccurate). I know its politics but feel she would have been better choice than our current (and probably for some time) president. She was so genuine and caring when I met her, would be proud to have her as representative. Unfortunatly I'm not 18 til Christmas so can't do anything bout it

Redleslie2

arcadegame2004 wrote:

That amounts to less than 1% of all Irish exports. I think our economy would survive.

I think the department of agriculture would tend to disagree. So we should only criticise countries we can afford to criticise? The seriousness of the issue, whether it's lying to the UN or human rights abuses, is a secondary concern?

arcadegame2004 wrote:

We need to be careful not to elect someone like Michael D. who I fear (though I might be wrong) could use the Presidency to make speeches denouncing US foreign policy and President Bush.

If *Adolf Hitler was in power would you advocate we avoid criticising him? Or does it depend on how many cows we send over to feed the SS.



*Yes I know

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

arcadegame2004

I think exports from Ireland to Russia are worth something like 150 million a year

Actually may I correct myself. If exports from Ireland to Russia are really only 150 million euro, then thats more like 0.01% of our total exports. An insignificant amount. There are plenty of other markets to fill the gap.

therecklessone

arcadegame2004 wrote:

We need to be careful not to elect someone like Michael D. who I fear (though I might be wrong) could use the Presidency to make speeches denouncing US foreign policy and President Bush. While in some instances I would agree with such criticisms, a small country dependent on exports to the US and the EU needs to tread carefully, possibly including keeping their mouths shut sometimes.

But you'd have no problem with a criticism of Russian actions in Chechnya, cos their economy is worth half nothing? Do you have any principles?

aidan_walsh

Thread hi-jacked. Close and start again.

therecklessone

arcadegame2004 wrote:

If Adolf Hitler was in power would you advocate we avoid criticising him?

And if his regime was our main trading partner, would you advocate us keeping our mouths shut every now and then?

Victor

arcadegame2004 wrote:

We need to be careful not to elect someone like Michael D. who I fear (though I might be wrong) could use the Presidency to make speeches denouncing US foreign policy and President Bush.

You do realise that the Presidency is effectively a gagging order and that the President can't make any public pronouncements without the government's OK? It's in the Constitution.

arcadegame2004

But you'd have no problem with a criticism of Russian actions in Chechnya, cos their economy is worth half nothing? Do you have any principles?

All the countries engaged in genocide at the moment are poor countries compared to us. Hence we have nothing to lose from criticising them.

For example, the US is hardly doing something like the what the Russias are doing in Chechnya. Example:

http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/ENGEUR460192002

Many Chechen civilians have disappeared after being detained by Russian
security forces. The bodies of some of the ''disappeared'' have later been
found in unmarked dumping sites or mass graves. Many appear to have suffered
torture, including rape, or violent death. For example forty-year-old Nura
Lulueva and her cousins Markha and Raisa Gakaeva and Aset Elbuzdukueva were
arrested during a raid on a market in Grozny on 3 June 2000. Their blindfolded
bodies were found on a dumping site in Dachny village, near the Russian
military base at Khankala, on 4 March 2001.

Amnesty International has gathered numerous reports of male and female
detainees, being subjected to torture, including rape, being beaten with
hammers and clubs, given electric shocks or being sprayed with tear gas while
in the custody of the Russian security forces. During military raids,
ostensibly to root out Chechen fighters, Russian security forces continue to
subject the civilian population to serious violations of international human
rights and humanitarian law. Amnesty International and other human rights
organizations have gathered corroborating witness testimony on violations
against civilians during these raids that include detention without charge,
torture, including rape, and ill-treatment while in detention, forced
''disappearance'' and extrajudicial execution. Detention facility personnel
routinely extort money and/or weapons from detainees' relatives in order to
secure their release.

http://hrw.org/english/docs/2004/04/12/russia8424.htm

About ten days ago, Human Rights Watch researchers spoke with villagers from Duba-Yurt in southern Chechnya while they were still searching for their “disappeared” relatives. They told Human Rights Watch that at around 2 a.m. on March 27, eight military vehicles bearing smudged number plates entered the village. Among the vehicles were armored personnel carriers, used exclusively by Russian forces.

A large group of masked men in camouflage uniforms, who had arrived in these vehicles, raided 19 houses in Duba-Yurt and detained 11 men between the ages of 28 and 44. Several witnesses independently told Human Rights Watch that the armed men—who spoke Russian without a Chechen accent—burst into the houses, forced the families to the floor at gunpoint, and took the men away without checking their documents or giving them a chance to dress.

The armed men released three of the detainees near the village the same night, but the remaining eight subsequently “disappeared.” Among them were Bai-Ali Elmurzaev (b.1968), Idris Elmurzaev (b. 1971), Sharip Elmurzaev (b.1974), Apti Murtazov (b.1964), Lechi Shoipov (b.1960), Zelimkhan Osmaev (b.1975), Khusim Khadzhimuradov (b.1975), and Isa Khadzhimuradov (b. 1965). The men’s relatives appealed to the procuracy—a government agency responsible both for criminal investigation and prosecution—and other authorities for information on their whereabouts, but received no response. Unofficial sources told relatives that the eight men were being held at the Russian military base in Khankala, yet the procuracy denied they were held there.

mike65

Some anti-war coalition was trying to get Dennis Halliday to stand but he rightly turned them down saying the Presidency was not an appropriate forum for him.

Mike.

Victor

arcadegame2004 wrote:

For example, the US is hardly doing something like the what the Russias are doing in Chechnya. Example

Thanks for hi-jacking the thread, but you have heard of Abu Gharib, Guantanamo Bay, Masir al-Sharif and well all those places we don't hear about?

tba

Victor I think you should run for the position, are you over 35?

Cork

arcadegame2004 wrote:

We need to be careful not to elect someone like Michael D. who I fear (though I might be wrong) could use the Presidency to make speeches denouncing US foreign policy and President Bush. While in some instances I would agree with such criticisms, a small country dependent on exports to the US and the EU needs to tread carefully, possibly including keeping their mouths shut sometimes.

I will vote for Mary if she stands again. In the unlikely event that she doesn't, I will still not vote for Michael D. If Mary isn't gonna run, then FG might put forward a candidate. I wonder who that might be? Maybe Michael Noonan.

I think Labour is flip flopping on whether to put forward a canidate.

To borrow a phrase from the very same Bush's campaign.

Victor

tba wrote:

Victor I think you should run for the position, are you over 35?

In a word, "No".

tba

Victor wrote:

In a word, "No".

ah well then you cant even apply, oh well

Victor

http://www.rte.ie/news/2004/0912/scallond.html

Motion on Dana expected before council
12 September 2004 19:14

There are indications today that Dana Rosemary Scallon is seeking nominations from county councils which would allow her to put herself forward as a candidate for the presidency.

A motion to support the former MEP is expected to come before a meeting of Mayo County Council tomorrow.

The Fine Gael whip, Paddy McGuinness, told RTÉ News that he will ask his fellow Fine Gael councillors to put a motion before the meeting, to support Ms Scallon's nomination as a candidate in the interests of democracy.

Ms Scallon would need to secure nominations from four county councils in order to contest the election.

22 October has been set as the date for the presidential election but it is still not clear whether one will be necessary. While President McAleese is expected to nominate herself in the coming days, no other candidate has emerged so far.

The deadline for nominations is 1 October. A spokesperson for Ms Scallon refused to confirm or deny that she is seeking nominations.

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

Victor

Hmmm I wonder if she'd be a Bu****e president?

Victor

lol @ censor

sliabh

daveirl wrote:

This post has been deleted.

You could be surprised. The last time there was a fair split in the vote. In a two horse race (no reflection on the women concerned) she could pick up a large protest vote as well as the holy joe vote.

daveirl

This post has been deleted.