Good point. Make it an honorary position. No salary. No pension. Just expenses.

Won’t see too many pigs at the trough then.

To be fair though, in the last few elections, there haven’t been too many “pigs to the trough” when it comes to the presidency.

@robin The salary should be outrageous but if there isn’t one only the rich would be able to become president.

*shouldn’t

Pigs?

Maybe Presidents should be allowed paid leave of absence from their jobs plus 5% to do it. And their employers reimbursed by the state. They can retain whatever pension they already have. Think of the savings they’d make on accommodation, food, heating, insurance, transport, etc etc.

Look at all the recent and past candidates for f’s sake! Politicians the lot! Money and power is all they want. That’s not the kind of country we want.

@Robin Pickering

Who do you think you are coming in here with your common sense? A logical, critical thinker capable of thinking for yourself???

Sorry sorry! A moment of madness! This is what I really meant to say….

Lock them all up! Burn the bondholders! Ban the government.

5 years….? – it has already been shortened to 5 feet…

i think they should make it a 20 year term. think of the savings there.

President for life….!!
- I mean what’s the point in changing…??
it’s only a token position, – no power.

Agreed. 7 years is fine but the Presidency ought to be limited to one term.

Conor

It gives citizens a chance to give their view on an agenda set by Gilmore and the likes.

It gives Gilmore and co a chance to ponce around feeling important while ignoring the real issues!!

Hardly a free forum for citizens to air their concerns.

No politician in power at moment or president, cares about the country it ALL about the money ! If it wasn’t Enda would slash his wage along with rest of party( only party suggesting that is SF, love their country) as for yoda what sickens me is the outright suffering and targeting by the government of the least well off and he does or says nothing ( Martin McGuinness wanted to stay and an average salary and hire people to do jobs in the Oireachtas with the rest if his wage, loves his country ) get the money drainers out and get in people that LOVE our country ! Makes sense like

Great.idea

It does have an executive role. Up to when the death penalty was repealed, the President would have signed the warrant or commuted it.

The Presidential role is a Constitutional role, he is the Guardian of our Constitution. Legislation doesn’t come into force unless and until it is signed by the President. If the President and Council of State are ‘suspicious’ of the legislation being constitutional, it’s passed on to the Supreme Court for a final decision. That’s hardly a ceremonial role.

I wish McAleese was still President.

Yes shorten it. Unfortunately our current President is a disappointment. Every thing he says is about himself. “I did this, I have done that”… I was at a local opening that the President attended where he wizzed passed all the kids and parents who waited hours in the cold to meet him. It was polar opposite to the previous 2 ladies.I think he is a hark back to pre President Robinson days and the office is back to being a retirement home for aging politicians. The dynamism from the two Mary’s has gone from the highest office in our land. IMO.

If some people were around 100 years ago, they’d be taken out and shot!
Always rattling on about the Army and the Presidents office been a ‘waste of money’
People died so to gain these positions. People fought (and died) for independence and civilisation and the Republic.
And we, the 21st century screwball with everything at our beck & call want to scrap things willy nilly..
Have we lost our spirit on this island or are we back to where we seemingly started? ‘Eating poison Apple?’

i think its short enough as it is…. is he even five foot???? (ill get my coat)

Glorified diplomat. Waste of tax payers money. Move the Taoiseach into the aras, and cut his pay. They always say the high salary makes up for not getting a house. Problem solved.

At boy russell, current and past governments have ground the spirit from our country. Those who fought for Ireland fought for the people. Fast forward 100 years our current so called leaders do the opposite.

?Yeah definitely get shot of it, we have enough money wasted on sh!te like this, how many pensions does our current president have at the moment anyway?

This small, broke country cannot afford a president – we are top heavy with politicians and councillors and they are overpaid extravagantly. We are sinking under the weight of them all.

@Rob Cunningham.. And the former of your comment I agree with. You’re spot on!
But it’s also up to the person in his/herself to relay back to those 100 years ago and not lose our spirit and be dragged down by today’s blasé remarks.
I’m sure there was less money in the country in Douglas Hydes time.

I wish de Valera was still the prez

No thank you. “Holy Mary” can stay in Rome, as far as I am concerned.

@Bo Bo, only thing is if it was shorter, then the two Mary’s would not of been there as long either. I think people will look back and see some presidents as good and others as bad. I’m not sure, but maybe allowing a president to run for more terms than currently allowed would mean we would have the good ones longer? I know usually the second term is usually unchallenged at the moment.

Wish I could give Len more than one green thumb. I remember Dev and John Charles McQuaid. It’s a wonder we didn’t all asphyxiate under the blanket of repression then.

HAVE not “of”.

Why cannot Irish people tell the difference?

If Higgins was around 100 years ago who do u think would be shot first.

The Presidential role is a Constitutional role, he is the Guardian of our Constitution. Legislation doesn’t come into force unless and until it is signed by the President. If the President and Council of State are ‘suspicious’ of the legislation being constitutional, it’s passed on to the Supreme Court for a final decision. That’s hardly a figurehad role.

It’s a sorting office role. (a) sign it (b) ask a few people (council of state) what they think and then sign it or ask a few more (supreme court) and do what they say.

Paul,
And even when it’s broken down to this simplistic sentence, you cannot see the importance of the role?

A constitutional test brought by the president prohibits any interested citizen from ever challenging any aspect of the law again, even if they spot a conflict not identified or mentioned when the law was tested by the president’s sending it to the supreme court. This is one of the main reasons why the president usually doesn’t like testing laws in this way, it’s permanent and can never take new judgements and perspectives into account. So yes, I don’t see much value in it for that reason.

Might make young people more interested in becoming active citizens of this country which is vitally important

Not everything has to have an immediate return

You can’t put a price on a good constitution

DJ how can it be undemocratic AND elected?

The tax payer is giving plenty of €€€€€€€ to this office and all associated political offices – so much so there is very little left for our hospitals, schools, gardai etc.

Red
Why display your lack of class and education with contributions as base as that. Do you understand how degenerate that is or should we draw a little picture for you?

Red ED is right… My sentiments exactly… an undemocratically selected talking shop which can only discuss what the Government says they can discuss…

I mean, who gives a MONKEYS about whether the President serves 5 or 7 years….

Surely, the main problem with the Presidency is the nonsensical nomination system – is that being addressed?? Nope.

Irony is using the flag of a republic as an avatar while supporting the concept of scrapping the office which makes this state a republic.

A president does not make the country a republic, the people do.

Why on earth would you think scraping the Dáil is a good idea? I imagine its just some unreasoned anti-government statement based solely on the fact that you don’t like politicians very much. Even the democratic countries that give their President power all have a Parliament anyway. If you honestly think some all powerful President is the answer to our problems, then you are sadly mistaken.

In case you haven’t noticed, the Dail has no power. In this country, the Dail serves only to elect the Taoiseach who then appoints ministers from the Dail. As they are all muppets, we have muppets running the country. It doesn’t matter what political party is in power, only muppets get to decide. Conversely, in real democracies, eg the United States, the people have a real say in who gets to be president (notwithstanding its funny electoral college system) and this president has real power.

The economy in this country is the main problem. In the US, Congress constructs and submits the budget to the President. The President then is legally obliged to enforce that budget regardless of his own views. He may only make suggestions to Congress on budget matters but they have no obligation to listen to his ideas

Eric
You are wrong. The Taoiseach is not obliged to appoint Ministers who are members of the Dail. He can appoint anyone he wants as long as they are Members of the Oireachtas. To achieve that he can appoint up to eleven people as Senators and that complies with the Constitution.

Sorry Eric but you’re wrong. The people make it a democracy. The roll of President makes it a republic. Otherwise you could call the UK a republic.

Does the president have to be a former or current politician? Is it mot open to all?
Out of the 6 candidates in the last election, only 2 had held any office here. We voted one of them in. But that doesn’t mean we always will vote in a politician.

Danny- you only need 2 requirements really to run for president- To be Irish & to be over the age of 35.

Exactly Emily.
Frank here seems to be under some misunderstanding that the president has to be a TD at some stage. Or a politician at least.

Frank,
Neither of our previous 2 presidents stood for election for the Dail before the presidency. They were both in the Seanad, but we’re appointed, as far as memory goes.

Even now, there are a few members of the present Seanad I would take as president.

stale while in office? the current holder of the offie is fairly stale to start with.

Aisling, good one!

Don’t know..

The younger folk are starting to know a lot more than we would of a few years ago because there is no jobs for them to go to!