David Norris to approach Fianna Fail for Presidential election support

Trealach: Agreed, but the 'fly in the woodpile' is when a Party forbids any of its Members to support an individual. ~ that's bullying tyranny; not democracy. It should be a 'Free Vote' on such an important matter. ~~~ The arrival of the Second First Deputy Substitute Minister's second best cawbeen into the ring; gives the Electorate a dilemma: Who can they vote for to best keep Norris and McGuinness out of the Aras! --- things are a little brighter today for the Lisping Gombeen and O'Hobbit! ~ et.al.

@Antonman - the system is democratic, unlike the US. ALL anyone needs are the 20 votes of the Oireachtas or 4 County/City Councils. It's OPEN to ANYONE who can get those votes. The members of the Councils and the Oireachtas have already been elected by the people, with THAT mandate when a Presidential election is called, to choose the 'most suitable candidates/s'. THAT IS Democracy.

@Trealach- I was making the comparison to the Irish Presidency and the Royal Navy in that to gain rank or position in the Royal Navy it was a case of who you are and who you knew. This, in this day and age applies to the Irish Presidency too. There is nothing democratic about the Presidential race. People who vote do so only after those higher up have decided that the candidate can finally be presented to the people.

@Antonman - since WHEN did the British Navy have a President? I suppose you'd like the Social Welfare to pay for you to stand for election? Get REAL!!

This silly man should give it up already. Only the Irish would elect someone as their President who is ambivalent at best about the county he claims to want to represent.

I would have given Dorris my vote months ago even with all the crap surrounding him.But he quit to take the heat off himself when the going got tough.Something weak about a person who doesn't tough it out.He should have said he was wrong or stood by his convictions.Instead he just ran away.He just wants a handy number.We need politicians with a bit of backbone.

Change the election process so that the common man walking his dog on the Commons road can enter the race. Getting the backing of four councils or twenty TD's smacks of elitism and nepotism. Gaining the Presidency in Ireland is akin to how it works or worked in the English Navy. In that its a case of who you are and who you know.

Full marks for tenacity to David Norris! But his appearance on the RTE Late Late Show was a defensive struggle even against a no-count media puppet like host Tubridy. David needs to learn to 'drive the agenda' soon as he is running out of time. Otherwise,it's 'curtains' for him, I'm afraid.