Gerry Adams for President?

Nodin · 04-12-2008 9:50am

cson wrote: »

Again the focus of the thread is lost, I'm going to lay the blame squarely at my own door and request a mod change the thread title as it is misleading. Perhaps "Irish Presidency & Election" may be a better title.

Just to clear up; I am not advocating Gerry Adams as next President of Ireland. I merely sought to use him as an example of how someone like him (Despite the obvious reservations and plain horror of some of the electorate) could be nominated if suggested reforms were to proceed.
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Should have picked David Norris as an example. Anyhoo....a more open system would indeed be good. Certainly the way its run at the moment leaves a lot to be desired. However as they can do and say essentially SFA (and get hammered when they do what they're supposed to) it's unlkely to make the office any more relevant.

EamonnKeane · 04-12-2008 1:20pm

sink wrote: »

Tiocfaidh ár lá

That's not even correct Irish; the verb "tar" can't be used in a figurative sense like that. "Beidh ár lá againn" would work.

Permabear · 04-12-2008 1:29pm

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RichTea · 04-12-2008 1:29pm

Camelot wrote: »

David Norris

Seconded! We have ourselves a nominee!

therewillbe · 04-12-2008 1:43pm

Was Dev also a "terrorist" ! Like so many Irishmen and Women during our history a lot of them could have been called a Terrorist.

Nodin · 04-12-2008 2:01pm

donegalfella wrote: »

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Well, only 30 signatures are required to run for the Dail and its not turned into complete chassis, as the man says....and its rather more significant, in day to day terms. I'm sure some system could be put in place whereby its open enough without going to extremes.

rcecil · 04-12-2008 2:10pm

It's time to give republicans credit. Even with being practically banned by airwaves and print media. Even with being shunned for years by the corporate parties (You know who they are) Sinn Fein stopped a war with brilliant negotiating skills, increased their vote in 2007, worked for the vast majority of the Irish people honestly and successfully on a multitude of issues including Lisbon, Farmers, Fishermen, incinerators, anti budget cuts, hospitals, cancer services etc.

Face it! Shinners work for a united Ireland and for a united, prosperous people. Not bankers, developers, polluters, drug dealers and thieves..... Time to give them a vote!

NOGMaxpower · 04-12-2008 2:14pm

donegalfella wrote: »

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You are an ignorant fool, read a book and learn your history before making remarks like that. Don't believe the propeghanda and think for youself for a change you never know you might find the truth.

NOGMaxpower · 04-12-2008 2:15pm

rcecil wrote: »

It's time to give republicans credit. Even with being practically banned by airwaves and print media. Even with being shunned for years by the corporate parties (You know who they are) Sinn Fein stopped a war with brilliant negotiating skills, increased their vote in 2007, worked for the vast majority of the Irish people honestly and successfully on a multitude of issues including Lisbon, Farmers, Fishermen, incinerators, anti budget cuts, hospitals, cancer services etc.

Face it! Shinners work for a united Ireland and for a united, prosperous people. Not bankers, developers, polluters, drug dealers and thieves..... Time to give them a vote!

Finally someone who knows what they're talking about, you comrade are a breath of fresh air on boards.

Permabear · 04-12-2008 2:16pm

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Hagar · 04-12-2008 3:11pm

donegalfella wrote: »

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Too open? What exactly does that mean?
In the USA every citizen can aspire to be President, even the minority ethnic group citizens. Should every Irish citizen not have the same right of aspiration to our highest office?

donegalfella wrote:

It's only been a couple of years since Adams was turned away from the White House, remember?

Personally I would deem it an honour to be shunned by one of the greatest war-mongers of my lifetime. Mr. Bush has been responsible for more innocent civilian deaths than all the killings in N.Ireland.

Great thread OP.

Fratton Fred · 04-12-2008 3:28pm

rcecil wrote: »

It's time to give republicans credit. Even with being practically banned by airwaves and print media. Even with being shunned for years by the corporate parties (You know who they are) Sinn Fein stopped a war with brilliant negotiating skills, increased their vote in 2007, worked for the vast majority of the Irish people honestly and successfully on a multitude of issues including Lisbon, Farmers, Fishermen, incinerators, anti budget cuts, hospitals, cancer services etc.

Face it! Shinners work for a united Ireland and for a united, prosperous people. Not bankers, developers, polluters, drug dealers and thieves..... Time to give them a vote!

Yes they have, but is it not time they stood down and let fresh blood take over? you only need to look at the comments on this thread to see that SF are associated with the IRA and terrorism. Would not a new leadership be able to cast aside this once and for all and be seen purely as a socialist party that is stricing for a united Ireland.

Gerry Adams will (Rightly or wrongly) always be associated with the IRA, his presence alone in Pheonix Park would surely get in the way of unification.

I know it is off topic, but worth discussing I feel.

Permabear · 04-12-2008 3:41pm

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leincar · 04-12-2008 5:15pm

donegalfella wrote: »

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Schwarzenegger may be a U.S. Citizen but as he is Austrian born he can never run for president.

I must admit I hope Adams does get enough signatures to be nominated then he will find out hopefully how small his electoral mandate would be.

SEPT 23 1989 · 04-12-2008 5:19pm

cson · 04-12-2008 5:34pm

leincar wrote: »

Schwarzenegger may be a U.S. Citizen but as he is Austrian born he can never run for president.

I must admit I hope Adams does get enough signatures to be nominated then he will find out hopefully how small his electoral mandate would be.

As regards Schwarzenegger, I feel that was the point donegalfella was trying to make.

Secondly, the 10,000 signatures is merely a reform proposed to the nomination process and as such has no standing as of yet in Irish law. I simply picked Gerry Adams (rather inflammatory as it turns out, but it has stimulated good debate on it all the same) as an example of someone who through the proposed new nomination process could run for President.

Clash · 04-12-2008 5:40pm

NOGMaxpower wrote: »

You are an ignorant fool, read a book and learn your history before making remarks like that. Don't believe the propeghanda and think for youself for a change you never know you might find the truth.

Jack Sheehan · 04-12-2008 5:53pm

Camelot wrote: »

David Norris

I'd vote for him.

sovtek · 04-12-2008 6:00pm

The_Minister wrote: »

Frankie Lee, are you honestly saying that the terrorist should be praised and rewarded for no longer killing people, as the man who convinces him to stop?

Really?

Really?

Worked for Mandela

LordSutch · 04-12-2008 6:04pm

rcecil wrote: »

It's time to give republicans credit.

Very tempting to take the bait and go toe to toe with you rcecil, but I wont ...........

rcecil wrote: »

Even with being practically banned by airwaves and print media. Even with being shunned for years by the corporate parties (You know who they are) Sinn Fein stopped a war with brilliant negotiating skills, worked for the vast majority of the Irish people honestly and successfully on a multitude of issues including Lisbon, Farmers, Fishermen, incinerators, anti budget cuts, hospitals, cancer services etc.

As you can see from this Thread, there are a lot of very 'sore' people out there re Mr Adams . . .

rcecil wrote: »

Face it! Shinners work for a united Ireland and for a united, prosperous people. Not bankers, developers, polluters, drug dealers and thieves..... Time to give them a vote!

Too late matey, they may work 'Now' but the wounds are deep -> very deep ...........

gandalf · 04-12-2008 6:11pm

LOL I'd rather vote for Paisley than Adams (and I can't stand either of them!).

I am pie · 04-12-2008 6:15pm

whilst i would vote for him at all...he's the president of an Irish party and is eligible to stand for an election for the post if he can scrape together the signatures.

Would need a very shrewd PR agent and a shave tho !!

Liam Byrne · 06-12-2008 8:52pm

I am pie wrote: »

Would need a very shrewd PR agent and a shave tho !!

Why the shave ? So that he looks different to the photos taken in prisons with thugs and murderers ?

How someone looks should be irrelevant; all the 20,000 make-up didn't make Bertie a better Taoiseach! Actions speak louder than words, and Gerry's actions are available for all to see.

guinnessdrinker · 06-12-2008 10:18pm

Liam Byrne wrote: »

How someone looks should be irrelevant; all the 20,000 make-up didn't make Bertie a better Taoiseach! Actions speak louder than words, and Gerry's actions are available for all to see.

Yep, remember it was Gerry that sat down with John Hulme in the late eighties for talks that led to the Hulme/Adams initiative that eventually started the current peace process.

RiverWilde · 06-12-2008 10:35pm

If it was Gerry Adams v Ham Sandwich ... I'd vote for the sandwich!

Riv

Nodin · 06-12-2008 10:37pm

Liam Byrne wrote: »

So that he looks different to the photos taken in prisons with thugs and murderers ?

Well according to you they're "thugs" and "murderers". So were the ANC so branded, the old IRA, the Hagganah.....Theres little point in trotting out that kind of emotive language now.

Liam Byrne · 07-12-2008 12:03am

Nodin wrote: »

Theres little point in trotting out that kind of emotive language now.

"Emotive language" ??? I was just stating facts.

guinnessdrinker wrote: »

Yep, remember it was Gerry that sat down with John Hulme in the late eighties for talks that led to the Hulme/Adams initiative that eventually started the current peace process.

I think this has been mentioned already.....should we be THAT grateful that someone sat down to agree to stop doing what they shouldn't have been doing ? So grateful that we'd vote for him for president ?

Aside from the above (which was basically correcting an issue that he and his kind helped to create), what has he done for the country ? Nothing.

In the context of the thread, I'd much rather vote for - and be represented by - someone who was never photographed or associated with murderers than someone who finally decided to stop.

TOMASJ · 07-12-2008 4:41am

Liam Byrne

(which was basically correcting an issue that he and his kind helped to create),

who are these, -- he and his kind helped to create-- you refer to,
what would you have done in his position, at that period in the occupied six counties?

RiverWilde · 07-12-2008 9:36am

What occupied six counties? The majority of the population in the North do not consider themseves 'occupied.' As far as they are concerned they are part of a legitimate country.

Riv

TOMASJ · 07-12-2008 2:10pm

RiverWilde wrote: »

What occupied six counties? The majority of the population in the North do not consider themseves 'occupied.' As far as they are concerned they are part of a legitimate country.

The majority of people in the 32 county's and a large percentage of people living in the six county's consider the six county's of Ulster occupied by a foreign country,
And the six county's is not a country (it an occupied statlet) of another country - a bit like Gibraltar.

Gerry Adams for President?

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