Without Pat Kenny and The Frontline, we would have made a foolish decision.

Pat Kenny, worth every penny after that – best live television I’ve ever seen!

It’s amazing that if Kenny had read out a false tweet bout Norris he would have been forced to resign. Iv no sympathy for Norris tho. He pulled out after media intrusion. He had to know that he’d get it again when he came back in.

I believe it was stated during the election that David Norris was in receipt of disability allowance! That would only be paid if someone was Ill.

The media pushes its own agenda and and it is very obvious with some newspapers during election times.

The 2011 Presidential Election will certainly be remembered as the nastiest campaign ever and much of what was raised in the media had absolutely no relevance whatsoever to the Presidency. Having went after Norris in such a personal way, I think it was then ‘open season’ on many of the other candidates. Ironically its only saving grace was the outcome which I would argue the media facilitated (through the FL debate) but did not deliver. Sean Gallagher’s business practices and FF links were legitimate areas for the media to investigate but were not given the attention they deserved for much of the campaign and (as much as I hate to say it) it took an 11th hour intervention from SF and ultimately Gallagher exposing himself that had such a dramatic effect. I would like to think that MDH would have won anyway, as the gap was narrowing and he could still have taken it on transfers.

The 2011 will be remembered as the dirtiest campaign only until the next presidential election, that’s the way these things are going I’m afraid. Mud slinging works and next time the bazookas will be bigger

He was not on sick leave. He was asked to stand down by Trinity and was paid by them out of an income protection plan which he had paid into for years whilst working at Trinity. He also had to agree never to lecture again once he left Trinity.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2011/1005/breaking18.html

as Trinity admit, insurers don’t pay out unless the person is sick for the duration.

Too sick to work, but well enough to charge thousands for post dinner speeches?????

there is no justification for this.

I don’t really see your point. The two seem completely unrelated. I think he’s absolutely right to be doing this.

Nobody can doubt the low-tone of the election campaign. That’s been well-established.

I thought his problem during the election was that he couldn’t keep out of the media?

I can’t read anything written by David Norris without hearing his voice in my head…
Anyway Norris is God IMO, he took the Irish State all the way to the European court to get our archaic bigoted laws changed and he won. Anyone who can beat the Man at his own game is the bomb.

Norris absolutely right to complain. His campaign was constantly harried by stories as laden with innuendo as facts. There wasn’t an aspect of the man’s life that was held up to scrutiny tipping into ridicule. Even his accents was mocked or deemed suspect. All to often the media think it is ok to give the complete name, age, address and occupation of someone only to slip in at the end, after revving up insinuations, that there is nothing it it, he is innocent, etc. That Norris is still on his feet says something about his stamina.

They accused him of being ok with pedophilia, despite the fact that he was speaking of pederasty and how he felt he would have benefited from it (the transcripts were posted here towards the campaigns end.. It was quite clear).

Had he been a straight woman, saying that in her teens she wished she had met an older man who could have sheltered her from the world and shown her the ropes it wouldn’t have been given a second thought.. But because he was an openly gay man it was turned into something sinister.
This followed him throughout his campaign, despite the fact that he was very clear about his feelings on pedophilia.

He put his hands up himself and admitted the letter for Ezra Nawi was a mistake. For that I admired his ability to say “I was wrong”, we’re all so up for our politicians being held accountable, he was able to admit his failure and stand down. It was public support that got him to re-enter the race.

The papers were forced to print a retraction about the “disability allowance” scandal, because as pointed out above it was hardly state benefits which was what it was made out and generally understood to be.

I think you’ll find that while outright lies may not have been told, it was the words chosen, the grammar used, that constituted lies.. Pederasty and pedophilia are not the same thing. A private payment protection scheme is not “disability allowance”.

It’s a very common form of propaganda tool to mess with the wording and grammar like that, another is to introduce fallacy or dodgy rhetoric.. Seriously, you should actually read articles.. It’s all over the place..

I have to say I always find that put down quite strange.
If you cannot feel love for yourself then you cannot feel love. There is a difference between self love and narcissism because narcissists do not truly feel emotion.

To discourage people from self love is really a very negative thing, and saying that others are wrong for being comfortable enough in their own skin to just be themselves shows a deep envy, perhaps stemming from self loathing..

I sincerely hope that this doesn’t apply to you and that you can love yourself :)