Greatest President of Ireland (as per the constitution to save confusion)

mikemac

Edit: edited thread title as I got nominations for every two bit organization in Ireland. Who would have thought greatest President of Ireland and a complete list would have been confusing

Poll to follow in a minute

So vote and explain if you wish.

Listen, if you're going to jump in and say it's irrelevant or the President is a waste of money then hey, stroll over to Politics forum or even start your own thread

Just vote, add your reason or ignore. All are fine.

Biggins

Irelands greatest President?

Hang on - I haven't even got the job yet!

galwayrush

Biggins wrote: »

Irelands greatest President?

Hang on - I haven't even got the job yet!

We can share it, i need the money.

OPENROAD

OP Where you around at the time of Patrick Hillary? You will have to make a better case then he did a lot of work

sligopark

Ahern

no one f*cked a nation like ahern in the history of democracy - he deserves some sort of award surely

Oranage2

I'll go Douglas Hide the first president

Midnight_EG

I've only been around long enough to know two of em...

Biggins

galwayrush wrote: »

We can share it, i need the money.

Indeed, according to your hole in the wall anyway! :pac:

starbelgrade

sligopark wrote: »

Ahern

no one f*cked a nation like ahern in the history of democracy - he deserves some sort of award surely

When was he President?

I must have missed that.

mikemac

OPENROAD wrote: »

OP Where you around at the time of Patrick Hillary? You will have to make a better case then he did a lot of work

A fair point.
I shall add a better explanation on my choice.

AnonoBoy

David Norris. What he did after the invasion was truly the mark of a great leader.





Wait, what year is this?


Damn! I've said too much.

bleg

How do you measure greatness in an Irish president? Their irrelevance?

Star Bingo

bruton. where's bruton??

john bruton.

Terry

I'm running in the next election.
Vote for me.
I'm not joking.

Star Bingo

Terry already.

knird evol

You left out GAA president Christy Cooney.
And the president of Anglo Irish Bank Sean Fitzpatrick

sdanseo

Terry wrote: »

I'm running in the next election.
Vote for me.
I'm not joking.

You've to be nominated by 4 local councils or 20 TD's though. Stupid requirement really.

sligopark

starbelgrade wrote: »

When was he President?

I must have missed that.

LOL

Thanks Starbelgrade

AnonoBoy wrote: »

David Norris. What he did after the invasion was truly the mark of a great leader.

anal invasion?

starbelgrade

sdonn wrote: »

You've to be nominated by 4 local councils or 20 TD's though. Stupid requirement really.

How did Dustin manage that when he ran?

Guy:Incognito

sdonn wrote: »

You've to be nominated by 4 local councils or 20 TD's though. Stupid requirement really.

Stupid indeed. Because what we really need is Dustin on the actual ballot.

You need a system to keep the crazies out.Could you imgine the listof choices on the page if anyone could add their name?

D-Generate

Ah I remember 2004 well, I was a bright eyed bushy tailed young lad relishing the chance that this was the year when I would first avail of my right to vote. Fresh to the world, I was also naive and believed that we lived in a democratic country where our head of state is elected by the people!

A few months later my aspirations to vote and my confidence in the system collapsed. The damn bastards decided that we would have a non-contested presidential election and just kept Ol' Mary going in the office. I am still annoyed that this was allowed happen and even more annoyed that the media decided not to care either. Sure the position is nothing more than ceremonial but it is still a position that the people should have the right to vote on, not some back room dealing in the Dáil that decides it.
Its quite embarrassing really, we rotate our Lord Mayors between parties (in Cork at least) and we have non-contested Presidential elections.

P.S. Before someone says I should have ran, I would need to be 35 or over to be eligible.

mikemac

knird evol wrote: »

You left out GAA president Christy Cooney.
And the president of Anglo Irish Bank Sean Fitzpatrick

Thread is titled Irelands greatest President.
Swop it around to greatest President of Ireland

Start your own thread in Investments & Markets forum or GAA forum

mikemac

D-Generate wrote: »

A few months later my aspirations to vote and my confidence in the system collapsed. The damn bastards decided that we would have a non-contested presidential election and just kept Ol' Mary going in the office. I am still annoyed that this was allowed happen and even more annoyed that the media decided not to care either.

Dana failed to get nominated.
The same Dana who decided at the last minute to run in an election for Galway West.
Asked to name five estates in Knocknacarra, Galway, a massive area in west Galway city with thousands and thousands of residents.
**** it, she could not even name five estates and she wants to represent these people?

Lost all credibility, no wonder no council would nominate her in 2004 for President

starbelgrade

feelingstressed wrote: »

Dana failed to get nominated.
The same Dana who decided at the last minute to run in an election for Galway West.
Asked to name five estates in Knocknacarra, Galway, a massive area in west Galway city with thousands and thousands of residents.
**** it, she could not even name five estates and she wants to represent these people?

Lost all credibility, no wonder no council would nominate her in 2004 for President

But Dana knows all kinds of everything.

knird evol

feelingstressed wrote: »

Thread is titled Irelands greatest President.
Swop it around to greatest President of Ireland

Start your own thread in Investments & Markets forum or GAA forum

Well you yourself are lacking in some of the key qualities required for a presidential aspirant. Flexibility, diplomacy, imagination and being a woman.
So you hardly in a position to split hairs and criticise my selections

Biggins

I didn't like Hillary.
Met the man in Dublin a few times. Never took to him.
He always came across as cold, stiff and scary calculating.

Star Bingo

here's to you mrs. Robinson, reciting the same rhetoric gurning like an idiot ur so fake :pac:

mikemac

knird evol wrote: »

criticise my selections

Did your candidates run in 2004?

I can't control who ran before, I have only one vote same as you.
Thread is on Ireland's greatest President, I cannot do anything about candidates in 2011.

Do you have a favourite President before 2011? Then pick a selection on the poll.
Or.........start a thread on Ireland's next President

recylingbin

My old fella knew Hillery well and thought he was a bóllox.
Case closed there, I'm afraid.

starbelgrade

Biggins wrote: »

I didn't like Hillary.
Met the man in Dublin a few times. Never took to him.
He always came across as cold, stiff and scary calculating.

In fairness to him, Biggins, he was dead at the time.

knird evol

feelingstressed wrote: »

Did your candidates run in 2004?

I can't control who ran before, I have only one vote same as you.
Thread is on Ireland's greatest President, I cannot do anything about candidates in 2011.

Do you have a favourite President before 2011? Then pick a selection on the poll.
Or.........start a thread on Ireland's next President

You are deliberately adopting a narrow definition of 'president' to be obstructive, these are my favourite presidents

Biggins

starbelgrade wrote: »

In fairness to him, Biggins, he was dead at the time.

LOL
He might as well have been. He spoke very little.
Last time I saw him was in a Dublin Art Gallery at a launch of a painters collection going on display.
He was very grand shall we say...

mikemac

knird evol wrote: »

You are deliberately adopting a narrow definition of 'president' to be obstructive, these are my favourite presidents

Christ knird evol do you even read the poll which was there for close to an hour before your last post?. If you're going to go that way then why not nominate the President of Ryanair or President of Apple Ireland.

Ok, I'll adjust the OP for you.

Thread is entitled Ireland's greatest President, start your own thread and watch the pedantic posts fly in

knird evol

feelingstressed wrote: »

If you're going to go that way then why not nominate the President of Ryanair

Ok, ill vote for Michael O'Leary

recylingbin

Hillary's name is actually spelled Hillery.
Yours,
P. Dant.

Blisterman

Mary Robinson, no doubt about it. Campaigned for issues like birth control and homosexuality when nobody else would go near them. Appointed UN commissioner for Human Rights and improved relations with Britain when relations were deeply strained.

recylingbin

Blisterman wrote: »

Mary Robinson, no doubt about it. Campaigned for issues like birth control and homosexuality when nobody else would go near them. Appointed UN commissioner for Human Rights and improved relations with Britain when relations were deeply strained.

Loads of people campaigned for birth control and gay rights. Some of these people even created organisations. OMG.
How did she improve relations with britain and why were these relations strained?

heyjude

sdonn wrote: »

You've to be nominated by 4 local councils or 20 TD's though. Stupid requirement really.

Seems like a stupid requirement, but actually its sneaky clever as it ensures that the politicos maintain control of who gains access to the presidency. It means that anyone that rocks the boat too much or thinks too independently can be kept out, without the public having any direct say,as it stops very small political parties from ever having a presidential candidate or an independent from ever standing as a presidential candidate unless he/she has the support of one of the bigger political parties.

Mr Benevolent

Where's the Atari Jaguar option? All the presidents of this country are/were non-executive, they don't matter a jot. Dev should've been assassinated though. What a motherf*cking c*nt.

mikemac

Confab wrote: »

Where's the Atari Jaguar option?

It's a thread on Presidents of Ireland, away with your nerdish tradition rules.

Atari Jaguar was a computer games console and has no business on a poll on heads of state.

chucken1

Blisterman wrote: »

Mary Robinson, no doubt about it. Campaigned for issues like birth control and homosexuality when nobody else would go near them. Appointed UN commissioner for Human Rights and improved relations with Britain when relations were deeply strained.

I dont like commenting on these polls but I have to on this one. Mary Robinson did more for human rights in this country than anyone I've seen as President. An amazing person who brought the plight of "battered" women,(ya thats the expression that was used..is it still?)to the fore.Not too long ago in this country it was ok to kick the life out of a woman!! Now I believe its called assult. And as you say the issue of homosexuality and basic bloody human rights!
I had the pleasure of meeting her once and it was the biggest turning point of my life.
If she could be heard,well so could I.