I do think “the plank” is a good, involved and (perhaps not always obviously) impassioned interviewer, and that his research is almost flawless. I’d have to say that on this occasion, the other referenda were raised in a question from the audience.

We definitely needed the 9th one. Hopefully. I’ll be sick if Gallagher does well in the count on friday. Sick I tell you!

Good point Alan (not related), I have a suspicion these debates were taking up media time and attention that could have been better spent informing the electorate about the other issues to be balloted on the same day.

Bread and circuses.

+1 – Gallagher thought he was gonna wriggle out by throwing dirt, Pat smacked him right back down again…you could see him deflating.

Never thought I’d say this, but fair play to Pat Kenny.

It also showed the lengths people will go to to rake up dirt on each other. SG has rightly lost out because of dishonesty. But, there isnt one candidate that has come out of this campaign with a clean sheet.

Won’t someone beg Mary M to stay on ? Happy to pay her salary, but not any of the candidates that have put themselves forward.

yeah the drama and showing up sean wasnt thanks to pat though, it was thanks to mcguinness!

that’s because you and Niall and Ailis don’t like seeing your terrorist candidate being asked questions.

@ mad Angela hind. If you’re addressing that to me you’re mistaken. I’m voting Michael d as he’s the closest thing we have to a humanist in the running and the only one we can trust not to cause a scandal.
I do welcome the debate MMcG has brought to the campaign tho and wonder how long Irish people can hold a grudge when we expect unionists in 6 counties to forgive. I think it’s time for a bit of soul searching on behalf of people in 26 counties to consider what it was like to be a republican in 6 counties after we had FOUGHT for our independence. AND OUR GRANDFATHERS DID FIGHT – and ended up fighting each other too.

How easy it is for us to judge.

Madeline, I’m also voting for Michael D, as it happens.

But seeing as you mention it, I think that Martin McGuinness has done himself no harm at all in this campaign. The idea that you can win dismiss anything he says by just closing your eyes and screaming “thug, terrorist, MURDERER” really is played out at this stage, it only serves to highlight your own prejudices.

It’s an argument that Gallagher and Fianna Fáil have spent the past week hiding behind.

Pat’s finest hour, for me: http://www.broadsheet.ie/2011/10/25/did-you-get-a-cheque-from-this-guy-or-not/

Gallagher: “He’s a convicted criminal, a fuel smuggler, investigated by the Criminal Assets Bureau and rented the office out to Gerry Adams, Martin’s colleague, in the last general election. I don’t want to get involved in this, I don’t believe….”
Kenny: “Hang on a second, you’re saying you went around to a fuel smuggler and all sorts of things and invited him to a Fianna Fail do?”

@ Niall

hiding behind accusations of mcguinness being a terrorist?
he is a terrorist. He was arrested in possession of explosives and ammunition.
The people murdered by the IRA are still dead, leaving husbands,wives,parents and siblings to grieve.
I think MMcG has proven himself to be exactly what I thought he was, a dirty tricks merchant.
I see no reason to lionise scum or defend murder or dismiss the destruction of innocent lives.
And as for showing my prejudices..I don’t consider despising indiscriminate murder a prejudice. I think anyone who does needs to rethink their moral code.
The majority of people in NI never supported terrorists on either side. The provoes never benefitted this country.
Why should we reward a criminal by electing him to the highest office in the land.

Whoa whoa whoa.

Dirty tricks? Highlighting Gallagher’s lies over his fundraising for Fianna Fáil counts as dirty tricks? Do you really think so?

Sue, we’d obviously have to change the Constitution to allow for another 7 years of Mary Mac, but by the standards of preparation prevailing these days, there’s plenty of time for that on Thursday morning.

There was indiscrimate murder on all sides of the troubles, British state, Loyalist and IRA. Not saying it was right, or even forgiveable, but it needs to be understood in context.

Getting back on topic …. yes, Gallagher has hidden behind “accusations of being a terrorist” since the debate – the line I’ve been getting from the Soldiers of Fortune since the debate has been “poor Seán, and he set up by those horrid Sinners. And who are they to talk, after all they’ve done?”

Which is a nonsense argument. But some people seem so hysterical about Sinn Féin that they’ve gone ahead and bought it.

If he could’ve dismissed the accusations in any kind of convincing manner, then maybe he might have gotten away with attacking the Sinners. Just pointing and shrieking “thug, terrorist, MURDERER” doesn’t wash in this day and age.

He wasn’y far off . Miriam O Callaghan was for me . She was so dogmatic with ALL of the candidates .even Michael D lost his patience with her !

Donnagh, I never miss “Tonight with Vincent Brown”. Yes, I agree, he is entertaining but I think he is very fair and insists on getting the answer.

I also believe Pat Kenny was the best and MO’C was the worst! I was contemplating refusing to pay
my TV licence because of MO’C's disastrous performance! :( Because of the great job Pat Kenny did
on Frontline, I have now reversed my decision!! :)

wasn’t far off!!haha

absolutely agree John. Miriam was excellent.
Don’t worry about the thumbs down.
The terrorist supporters vote overr and over again.

At the time if writing it was wasn’t far off ..now go get your shoe shine box and shine my shoes..

McGuinness has never denied his IRA past, he’s always admitted that he stood up to protect his family & friends when no one else would.

Yeah, those murderous Prods at that Rememberance Day in Enniskillin were just asking for it. Were’nt they, Paddy?

@ Paddy,
we all know how threatening Spanish schoolchildren, a 3 yr old and unborn twins can be.

Are you people denying that the British and Loyalist establishment set up a de facto apartheid state in Northern Ireland, and maintained it by force?

Also, Fay, Omagh wasn’t the Provos – even if McGuinness was head of the army council at the time, he had nothing to do with it.

I was in Germany when it happened, and I cried like a baby when I saw it on TV. So please don’t even start trying pin me down as some kind of fellow traveller.

Also, for clarity’s sake, I don’t think McGuinness is suitable for a symbolic role like the presidency, and I won’t be voting for him.

Niall,
the only person mentioning the British-predictably enough- was you.
oh no Omagh was a different set of sub human terrorist filth with slightly different initials. But they were just taking their lead from the provos example.
Did you cry like a baby at any of the other atrocities committed by the provos? did you?
well if you’re voting for someone else why don’t you talk about them instead of making excuses for a terorist all the time?

Niall,
the problem with this “McGuinness had nothing to do with it” bullshit is that McGuinness denies everything. So how can we believe him?
Maybe he was in charge of IRA packed lunches at the time. Gave the boys a big sloppy kiss as they went off to murder, maim and threaten. But I don’t see how he could have had the influence to be as instrumental in the peace process if he didn’t do anything.
I also don’t see how a man who hadvdone nothing for the IRA would be given Gadaffi’s semtex and 5000 bullets to safeguard.
Still even if he really did have nothing to do with the provos crimes he excused and condoned them.

Sorry Fay, I kind of feel ackward correcting someone who obviously knows so much, but the terrorist attrocity you are talking about was carried about by the Real IRA, not the provos. This is the organisation MMG is trying to destroy, and he has condemmed these murders. So professor, please, check your notes before you give us the next lecture.

Fay, Adrian, Madeline, John … do you want to answer my question?

Doesn’t have an agenda? Have you ever watched Tonight with Vincent Browne?

He’s still top notch entertainment though.

Norris is so loud he doesn’t need one

They weren’t seated like that during the debate, had to squeeze in for a photo after

If it took 9 debates, for Sean Gallagher to be found out, then it was time well spent. Agree with you about how the actual power attached to the post has been misrepresented by some candidates,principally Gallagher.

Pat, you cant vote for yourself

“On these islands” is a bit excessive. Paxman for one is probably better. But Pat is most definitely the best on this island, by a country mile.

His name is in the poll!

Miriam was uncharacteristically awful. I’m not here to sing MMG’s praises, or those of any candidate, but she was partisan to the point of being comical. Why didn’t she just send him out of the room while she was at it?

Pat Kenny is the whipping boy of interviewers, always getting flak for his lack of flambuoyance, while his research and refusal to let interviewees away with nonsense answers are commendable. He held the candidates to the questions, while avoiding haranguing any of them, and faced down any belligerence. Can’t ask much more than that, however I didn’t see all 9 (!) debates so didn’t vote.

We stopped the press because he’s been found out to have been a liar. He denied being a FF lackey and turns out he was. Why didn’t he just say he had done fundraising but thought he should extract himself when he decided to stand as an “Independent” candidate. Truth wouldn’t have sunk him. The lies did. Hopefully…

Rachel.

Gallagher was caught fundraising for a party he’d denied being heavily involved with and denied fundraising for:

http://www.politics.ie/forum/irish-presidential-election-2011/174235-comparing-what-gallagher-told-dobbo-tonight-rachael-english-5-days-ago.html

He’s lied consistently throughout the campaign.

Do you honestly think that the likes of Gallagher would have any time for you or I if we didn’t have a brown envelope for him?

No thanks-this ‘ceremony’ once every seven years is enough to deal with. An annual human sacrifice to the IMF gods would be easier to endure, and might be more of a productive role

How was he disgraceful Fay? Please elaborate?

Miriam went down in my estimation as a presenter/facilitator in the debate and I used to admire her for her ability in her job.