So Michael D IS running again!

alaimacerc

Andrew Beef wrote: »

My own sense is that it won’t be the more lurid rumours regarding President Higgins’ private life that sink his campaign; it’ll probably be stories around the abuse of public money in terms of expensive hotels etc. And perhaps people seeing hypocrisy in his form of socialism and the “family man” image that he presents.

Won't be; will? Sounds like another one of those non-prediction predictions we keep seeing in this thread.

Andrew Beef

My sense is that the media are waiting to sink Higgins at the right time.

I might stick a few quid on Gallagher.

Leo Varadkar’s rise to the top has shown us that people no longer look down their noses at unconventional lifestyles.

However, if hypocrisy and misuse of State resources were uncovered, that could be fatal for any candidate.

alaimacerc

Andrew Beef wrote: »

unconventional lifestyles.

Andrew Beef wrote: »

the more lurid rumours regarding President Higgins’ private life

the “family man” image that he presents.

You appear to keep saying these things you're not saying.

Water John

Couldn't really care if MDH is into Devil's Triangle. The media don't think, as one. They strongly compete with one another, so the theory that they are waiting to get MDH is ludicrous.
Some here seem to be thinking Ni Riada is being pushed to get a Dail seat. From the people of Cork North West, no thanks.

Loafing Oaf

alaimacerc wrote: »

Andrew Beef wrote: »

unconventional lifestyles.

Andrew Beef wrote: »

the more lurid rumours regarding President Higgins’ private life

the “family man” image that he presents.

You appear to keep saying these things you're not saying.

I’d say he’s mistakencallans kicks for a serious current affairs show.

alaimacerc

Loafing Oaf wrote: »

I’d say he’s mistakencallans kicks for a serious current affairs show.

TBF, many of our elected representatives -- much less certain wannabes -- seem to be forever mistaking themselves for Callan's Kicks parodies.

alaimacerc

Half-listening to whatever halfway house slot Lillian Smith is on these days, and I believe she mentioned a story about Ni Riada being on a higher salary than previously represented to be the case? Didn't catch which paper, etc, and can't find it by googling. Maybe the auditory hallucinations have set in again? Or can someone else point to the source.

Edgware

eastwest wrote: »

Ming is completely irrelevant in European politics, but he could still manage to hold the seat next time. People will still vote for populist nonsense.
What happened to his presidential ambitions this time around? A lot of his supporters were talking in terms of taking a run at it this time. Or maybe he's not such an idiot as he makes out?

He couldn't be that much an idiot. Could he?

Edgware

rossie1977 wrote: »

When was the last time an Irish president failed to gain a second term when they put themselves forward for one?

Higgins has done nothing crazy so far to suggest he won't win re-election. Its a ceremonial role and Higgins has represented Ireland well over the past 7 years.

Do we need old man Higgins with his finger on the ATM?

Turnipman

Good to see the Sunday Times revealing the details of "Socialist" Stumpy's landlord credentials! The impoverished old fraud is earning rent of €2,200 p/m from his luxury CGT-avoiding six bedroom property in Galway. Small wonder that he can pose as a decent scout by declining to take a portion of his tax payer-funded salary and pensions.

The stench of pure hypocrite is overwhelming as one approaches the Aras.

President Michael D Higgins, who has criticised speculators who buy up “a string of houses”, is renting out a property in Galway city to six people, mostly mature students and researchers at NUI Galway.

The house, on Sylvan Road in Newcastle, is generating a monthly rent of €2,220 for Higgins and his wife, Sabina, who jointly bought the detached property in July 2014.

The couple have also retained their long-term family home — Aimhirgin, in Letteragh, Rahoon, Co Galway — since moving into Aras an Uachtarain in 2011. The president also owns a two-bedroom apartment in Grattan Hall in Mount Street in Dublin, which he used during his 38 years as a senator and TD. His daughter, Senator Alice Mary Higgins, currently lives in the apartment.

When the rental property in Galway was visited last week by The Sunday Times, one of the tenants said he was paying €370 a month before bills. He described this as “pretty good value” for the area.

Daft.ie’s second-quarter rental report shows the average rent for a five-bedroom house in Galway city is now €1,381 a month, considerably less than what is being charged by Higgins. However, locals said the property’s size — it has six bedrooms — and proximity to NUI Galway means it attracts a premium.

The house is within a short walk of the university campus, where Higgins worked as a lecturer in politics and sociology for almost two decades before resigning in 2001. The president’s spokesman confirmed last week that the house was being rented out “as part of servicing the mortgage”.

Higgins is paid a reduced presidential salary of €249,014 a year and also receives about €19,000 in pension payments from NUI Galway, although he does not take his TD’s or ministerial pension.

Angela Magennis, a “family friend” of the Higginses, deals with the Galway property’s tenants and looks after the house’s maintenance. Last week she said the “very low rent” covered refuse collection and general upkeep, including gardening and window cleaning. “Letting agents take a hands-off approach,” she said, “but I deal with any issues as they arise immediately.”

Higgins, 77, bought the house at auction in July 2014 through a third party for €370,000, €90,000 above its advised minimum value. The auctioneer who sold the property was not aware that Higgins was the buyer, and neither the president nor his wife viewed the property in person before purchasing it.

A local newspaper report before the auction noted that the advised minimum value of the six-bedroom house was increased from €260,000 to €280,000 due to “huge interest” among investors, partly because of government incentives that allowed for houses purchased before the end of 2014 to quality for a full exemption on capital gains tax (CGT), normally levied at 33%, as long as the property was kept for at least seven years.

Higgins raised concerns about the housing crisis while on the campaign trail last week. On Thursday he backed calls by homelessness campaigner Fr Peter McVerry for a three-year moratorium on evictions and defended living in Aras an Uachtarain, saying the constitution specifies that the president must live “within a radius of Dublin”.

In Higgins’s final speech to the Dail in 2011, he criticised those who spoke about “getting a piece of the action” during the so-called Celtic tiger years.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/landlords-critic-president-higgins-rents-out-house-for-over-2-000-w2jmcmfdg

FrancieBrady

Turnipman wrote: »

Good to see the Sunday Times revealing the details of "Socialist" Stumpy's landlord credentials! The impoverished old fraud is earning rent of €2,200 p/m from his luxury CGT-avoiding six bedroom property in Galway. Small wonder that he can pose as a decent scout by declining to take a portion of his tax payer-funded salary and pensions.

The stench of pure hypocrite is overwhelming as one approaches the Aras.



https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/landlords-critic-president-higgins-rents-out-house-for-over-2-000-w2jmcmfdg

What was he expected to do with the property left vacant when he took up 7 years residence elsewhere? Give it away rent free? Let it fall into ruin?

hill16bhoy

Turnipman wrote: »

Good to see the Sunday Times revealing the details of "Socialist" Stumpy's landlord credentials! The impoverished old fraud is earning rent of €2,200 p/m from his luxury CGT-avoiding six bedroom property in Galway. Small wonder that he can pose as a decent scout by declining to take a portion of his tax payer-funded salary and pensions.

The stench of pure hypocrite is overwhelming as one approaches the Aras.



https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/landlords-critic-president-higgins-rents-out-house-for-over-2-000-w2jmcmfdg

That details in that article actually paint Higgins in an excellent light.

The rent he charges is very reasonable, he doesn't take a TDs or minister's pension.

He has a small apartment in Dublin which is being used by a relative. So what?

Some people refuse to see the wood for the trees and are never happy.

batgoat

Turnipman wrote: »

Good to see the Sunday Times revealing the details of "Socialist" Stumpy's landlord credentials! The impoverished old fraud is earning rent of €2,200 p/m from his luxury CGT-avoiding six bedroom property in Galway. Small wonder that he can pose as a decent scout by declining to take a portion of his tax payer-funded salary and pensions.

The stench of pure hypocrite is overwhelming as one approaches the Aras.



https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/landlords-critic-president-higgins-rents-out-house-for-over-2-000-w2jmcmfdg

The scandals with Michael D are getting less and less controversial. Sounds like a pretty reasonable landlord and I've experienced plenty of bad landlords...

eastwest

Turnipman wrote: »

Good to see the Sunday Times revealing the details of "Socialist" Stumpy's landlord credentials! The impoverished old fraud is earning rent of €2,200 p/m from his luxury CGT-avoiding six bedroom property in Galway. Small wonder that he can pose as a decent scout by declining to take a portion of his tax payer-funded salary and pensions.

The stench of pure hypocrite is overwhelming as one approaches the Aras.



https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/landlords-critic-president-higgins-rents-out-house-for-over-2-000-w2jmcmfdg

Yes, it's shocking.
Being a really good landlord and charging below market rent for a house is way worse than being an apologist for burying bodies in bogs. Definitely rules him out of the job.

Loafing Oaf

Turnipman wrote: »

Good to see the Sunday Times revealing the details of "Socialist" Stumpy's landlord credentials! The impoverished old fraud is earning rent of €2,200 p/m from his luxury CGT-avoiding six bedroom property in Galway.

And if he wasn't renting it out no doubt there'd be a shock-horror story about how he was contributing to the housing crisis by leaving his family home unoccupied while he was living in the Aras...

Water John

Alaimerec, searched for any recent material on Ni O'Riada, absolutley zilch, nada since Sept 17. That's 3 weeks off the radar, poor campaign manager.

ancapailldorcha

Turnipman wrote: »

Good to see the Sunday Times revealing the details of "Socialist" Stumpy's landlord credentials! The impoverished old fraud is earning rent of €2,200 p/m from his luxury CGT-avoiding six bedroom property in Galway. Small wonder that he can pose as a decent scout by declining to take a portion of his tax payer-funded salary and pensions.

Banned. No more petty name calling please.

expectationlost

Loafing Oaf wrote: »

And if he wasn't renting it out no doubt there'd be a shock-horror story about how he was contributing to the housing crisis by leaving his family home unoccupied while he was living in the Aras...

its not his family home afaik but it could have been for one of his fmaily

expectationlost

FrancieBrady wrote: »

What was he expected to do with the property left vacant when he took up 7 years residence elsewhere? Give it away rent free? Let it fall into ruin?

he bought this house in 2014 https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/michael-d-higgins-has-a-secret-house-in-co-galway-and-he-stands-to-get-a-tax-windfall-wpmcwjdnf

Sam Russell

expectationlost wrote: »

he bought this house in 2014 https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/michael-d-higgins-has-a-secret-house-in-co-galway-and-he-stands-to-get-a-tax-windfall-wpmcwjdnf

He and his wife bought the property as per the report from the paper referenced above.

Is there any evidence of the beneficial owner of the property? Does he have to declare personal interests to SIPO?

Surely he and his wife are allowed to invest in property if they wish so to do.

Topgear on Dave

Sam Russell wrote: »

He and his wife bought the property as per the report from the paper referenced above.

Is there any evidence of the beneficial owner of the property? Does he have to declare personal interests to SIPO?

Surely he and his wife are allowed to invest in property if they wish so to do.

Normally I would not bat an eyelid at this, politicians can buy and sell property all the time.

But, such is the online sycophantism of his twitterati fans and the repeated messaging that he is as pure as the driven snow, a woke socialist, a poet, a man of letters etc etc that if he is landlording I find it hilarious. :pac::D

Cork Boy 53

I thought there was another opinion poll due to be made public this weekend but no sign of one. Any idea when we can expect it?

batgoat

Topgear on Dave wrote: »

Normally I would not bat an eyelid at this, politicians can buy and sell property all the time.

But, such is the online sycophantism of his twitterati fans and the repeated messaging that he is as pure as the driven snow, a woke socialist, a poet, a man of letters etc etc that if he is landlording I find it hilarious. :pac::D

See if you had proof of him ripping people off or being a bad landlord, that would be a scandal. Just being a landlord is not scandalous...

richiepurgas

Topgear on Dave wrote: »

Normally I would not bat an eyelid at this, politicians can buy and sell property all the time.

But, such is the online sycophantism of his twitterati fans and the repeated messaging that he is as pure as the driven snow, a woke socialist, a poet, a man of letters etc etc that if he is landlording I find it hilarious. :pac::D

I reckon this is a house for when he stands down as president. As far as I know, his only other property is an apartment he's had for years in Dublin, used when he was a TD.

Loafing Oaf

richiepurgas wrote: »

I reckon this is a house for when he stands down as president. As far as I know, his only other property is an apartment he's had for years in Dublin, used when he was a TD.

Though you'd imagine he'd be ready for the old folks home by the end of his second term, if there is one.:p

Water John

Dev was always worried about the small pension he would get when he retired.

Remember nonsense also about McAleese building a house in Roscommon.
Seems we're sorta stuck for mud on MDH.

Andrew Beef

If his special advisor didn’t spend so much time up in the President’s Aras, there’d be even less housing stock and more pain.

Rhineshark

So...the latest career-ending scandal of Higgins' is that he's disgracefully renting a 6-bed house near NUIG to mature students at a decent rate?

I don't know how he can lift his head for the shame. Is he not aware that the Irish people are gasping for a scandal from him? He is letting us down as a politician.

Edgware

FrancieBrady wrote: »

What was he expected to do with the property left vacant when he took up 7 years residence elsewhere? Give it away rent free? Let it fall into ruin?

Give it to a homeless charity like any good socialist would do

FrancieBrady

Edgware wrote: »

Give it to a homeless charity like any good socialist would do

How do you know what he does for the homeless?

There are very few socialists who will impoverish themselves, like everyone else Higgins has to cater for his future.
A bit of a mealy mouthedness around this 'scandal' tbh.