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Senator David Norris says Michael D Higgins is too old to run for a second term. PA Archive/PA Images
The Daily Poll
Poll: Should there be an upper age limit to running for public office?
David Norris suggested this week that people were afraid to raise Michael D’s age.
8.50am, 29 Jun 2018
23.8k
86
SENATOR DAVID NORRIS has suggested that people are afraid to raise the issue of Michael D Higgins’ age, in advance of the expected announcement that the 77-year-old former Labour TD will seek a second term in the Áras.
“With the best will in the world, do you want a president who’ll be 85 in the last year?” Norris, a candidate for the presidency in 2011, told the Seanad.
When running for the presidency of Ireland candidates must be 35 years or older but there is currently no age limit in place. In 2015 the country had a chance to lower the age at which a person can run for the Áras to 21-years-old but that referendum was defeated by over 70%.
We’re asking: Should there be an upper age limit to running for public office?
Poll Results:
Yes (6104)
No (4257)
No interest/no opinion (334)
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@Briscoe Sundara: It is inconceivable that whoever wrote that dross cannot see how bad it is. There’s a paragraph there near the start that try’s to justify Far Left Vs Far Right Doxxing….. Ultimately it says……..
Far Left Doxxing….. Gooooood, because they’re harassing people on the far right….!!!
Far Right Doxxing….. Baaad… because they’re harassing people on the far left….!!!
Can we not all agree…. that you’ll all nuts…. The Nazi’s\racists on the far right and the loons on the far left like the author.
I think the cut and paste nature of right wing politics from the UK is the main reason it remains on the fringes here. It is extremely sympathetic to imperialism and loyalism, a deal breaker as this is at odds with the views of the vast majority of Irish people who would otherwise agree with others elements e.g. anti abortion.
“the far-right in Ireland is effectively a “copy and paste” groups in the US and Europe. ”
Very well described! It’s so pathetic how many of them don’t even understand the very basics of Irish politics.
One of their favourite mantras when they found themselves with a brown taoiseach was to claim he was “unelected” because they could only equate leadership with american style presidential contests.
The liberal consensus is creating opposition which it has labelled ‘Far – Right’.
The leaders might be opportunists looking for a cause and they are finding support from men who are reacting to being vilified, shouted down and discriminated against.
However the ‘liberal consensus is also well populated by opportunists and as they say “it takes one to know one”.
There is an economic concept, called the law of diminishing returns in play here. When you have got more than you ever asked for don’t start coming up with new “asks” and historical grievances as supporting facts.
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