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Periscope by Niall O'Dowd

Running for Irish President : A first endorsement and a strange new reality--- I'm an alien.

Posted on Sunday, June 19, 2011 at 07:00 AM

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Dublin: I received my first endorsement for the presidential race on Saturday when Irish Independent columnist Liam Fay stated I should be elected.

The Independent is Ireland’s largest selling newspaper so it was gratifying to see an endorsement from one of their top columnists.

I don’t know Liam Fay except by reputation and he is a widely respected journalist but I never spoke to him or got his take on why he wanted to endorse me.

His main point was that most of the other candidates were totally compromised by their elected presence in Europe during the recent meltdown when they did nothing and at least I had a reputation for plain speaking and was in America while all this nonsense was going on.

He also stated that after the first debate when a whole lot of nothing went on, that I would provide an alternative voice, far removed from the status quo if I decided to run..

His viewpoint was also colored by my connections with leading figures in the Democratic Party including former president Bill Clinton which he believed could make for important linkages if elected president.

He wrote; "As an operator practised in the wheeling and dealing of American backroom politics, O'Dowd would be acutely aware of the importance of saying what you mean and meaning what you say. In other words, he speaks plain English which is more than can be said for most of the native contenders."

Mind you the headline writer punched a hole in my ego with the line ‘Time to put an alien in the Aras (Aras an Uachtarain is where the president resides)

This is part of this weird connotation over here that an Irish American is somehow from outer space in thinking of running for Irish president .

I am of Ireland, fiercely so , and resent any notion that there is anything alien in my connection to the land of my birth and where I lived 26 years of my life.

Nonetheless I have to accept that what I am doing strikes many here as passing strange.

In the past week I have had an all out attack on my potential candidacy from The Irish Times written by an obituary writer for the London Times attacking my Irish American identity and a supportive piece written by Liam Fay that celebrates my ‘alien’ status.

What to make of it all? Very little except keep putting one foot in front of the other and see where the road leads.

I am in Dublin for discussions with Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein to see if the potential is there for a total of twenty nominations from the respective parties in order to allow me into the election proper.

I have been encouraged by those who have said they will support me to date and will see where the road leads.
In the meantime I’ll try and get used to my alien status.

Now where can I park my spacecraft on O’Connell Street?

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antoman | Jun 20, 2011, 10:00 AM EDT

Hear hear Walter Ellis.Its true, georgyboy is mental.I've been saying it for some time now.To celebrate his mental state I wrote a song,it starts off like this.",Oooooooooh the mental man strikes again the mental man can...."

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WalterEllis | Jun 20, 2011, 09:35 AM EDT

You're such a literal man, George. If someone – say you – constantly complains about the impact of immigrants on Irish society and makes it plain as plain can be that he regards the breakdown of homogeneity as bad ("catastrophic") for the natives, then it is clear to me that he sees immigrants as essentially harmful and undesirable. This is where the concept of pollution comes in. Look it up in the dictionary. I don't think you are, necessarily, a racist, and I'm pretty sure you're not a Nazi. No. My guess is that you simply want Ireland for the Irish. What you wish for the United States appears to be rather similar, perverse though this is in a country built almost entirely on inward migration. The evidence, to judge from your own words, is that you are opposed to "countless millions of foreigners" being admitted, including, I think, the Irish. In which case at least you would be consistent. On a more general note, might I suggest that neither of us in future makes any written reference to the other? This would be hard for you, I know. Insulting and abusing me seems to satisfy some deep-seated psychological need. And I don't doubt that I would sometimes be tempted to get stuck in again myself. But I think we should give it a go. I am prepared to ignore you. To be honest, I want nothing more to do with you. The question is, are you ready to ignore me? It really would be best – for both our sakes. So,George, let me (please) bid you a final goodbye and, as Frasier used to say to his listeners in the eponymous sitcom, good mental health.

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antoman | Jun 20, 2011, 09:04 AM EDT

Walter Ellis for President.He crushed georgyboy and will probably fix the road to.People have read the articles here and like me must have concluded that the USS Niall O'Dowd was sunk by georgyboy before it even left port.

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antoman | Jun 20, 2011, 08:56 AM EDT

If its attention you seek georgyboy remove your underpants and show it to your psychologist.Given the amount of shite you spew here on a daily basis.Not only will he up your meds and arrange for you a shower.But he will most likely contact NASA and see that you receive underwear capable of retaining your shite without causing offence to those who up until now had no choice but to suffer your vile stench and baby like abilty to produce it.Its a lovely day in Wisconsin why don't you go outside for awhile in the fresh air.

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GeorgeDillon | Jun 20, 2011, 07:56 AM EDT

Readers owe Ellis their thanks for his collecting some important snippets from my posts. They represent a cogent and fiery repudiation of the Mass Immigration Madness favored by the gangsters Fianna Fail and their apologists here. It is reported that some 25.000 foreign migrants arrived in Ireland during the first five months of this year. That's over a thousand settlers a week streaming into Ireland. It is reminiscent of the invasion of the Dakotas by white settlers back in the 1870s, and its result for the native Irish will be as catastrophic as it was for the Sioux. Of course, none of Ellis' quotations backed up the slimy slur he had thrown at me. Ellis is, not to mince words, a racist and a liar. His use of words such as "polluting" has echoes of the nazis and is totally reprehensible. Since Ellis has no respect for the truth, perhaps he has more interest in money. I therefore will pay Ellis or the Immigrant Council of Ireland the sum of 100 dollars if he can show where I wrote about foreign migrants "polluting" Ireland. Of course, since the Immigrant Council is bankrolled by billionaire Chuck Feeney (who has no scruples about interfering in another country's affairs) my hundred bucks would make little difference to their fat bankrolls. Thankfully, they won't see a dime of my cash. So Ells, are you a man or just a mendacious liar and bigot? Prove your dirty little slander, or withdraw it and apologize.

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themurphia | Jun 20, 2011, 07:45 AM EDT

That should have been 'The Savage loves his native shore'...from 'The Irishman' by James Orr ...

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themurphia | Jun 20, 2011, 07:24 AM EDT

I accept what you say about the role of the An Uachtarain in the day to day affairs of the State..but the freedom from the yoke of Party affiliation and the ability to network the international connections for the good of the Economy will be a positve attribute not available to the current lacklustre lot... Niall has to pitch his case in the best possible light... As for the political elite knowing and understanding the needs of the/ir people beyond their own exclusive group they have shown precious little interest other than self interest.. And for those who question the emigrants love of his/her country 'the savage always returns to his native shore'...Sometimes you have to leave albeit unwillingly to appreciate that which you have left behind.. As for the vist of 'Eilis a do' I'm not sure I agree with you but I don't want to get sidetracked on that one...

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WalterEllis | Jun 20, 2011, 06:57 AM EDT

Fair do's, themurphia. On the substantive issue of the Presidency, it is clear to me that, while it can, in the right hands, be a force for good (as in Mary McAleese's invitation to Queen Elizabeth to visit Ireland), it cannot become institutionally involved in day-to-day political issues, including the economy. It is one thing for an Irish President to take with him (or her) on his travels a dynamic sales team and for the head of state to make government-approved speeches aimed at encouraging inward investment. But the idea that the occupant of the Aras should be an active negotiator, talking to U.S. politicians and business leaders behind the scenes about how best to invest their millions seems to me a curious one. Isn't that what the Finance Minister, the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and the relevant people at the Irish Embassy are supposed to do? The idea that the Diaspora (only a tiny proportion of whom have, in any case, the necessary millions to spend) would respond better to a "well-connected" Irish-American President than to one who has spent a lifetime working in the Republic, understanding its people and their needs, is surely far-fetched. But, hey, it's a free country, and if that's what voters want, they know what to do.

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themurphia | Jun 20, 2011, 06:40 AM EDT

TiocfaidhArmani...'What's love got to do with it'...? If 'Caitlin ni Houlihan' loved her children 'she' would provide for them at home... not abandon them to their fate on foreign soil...People do not leave Mother Ireland because they do not love her they leave in order to suvive...what was it Joyce said again 'the sow that eats her farrow'...?

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TiocfaidhArmani | Jun 20, 2011, 05:18 AM EDT

I have my doubts about voting for a person who doesn't love Ireland enough to live there yet wants to be elected President, although looking at the list of candidates you'll get my vote, Niall. Good luck with your campaign, I hope you get a fair crack at the whip.

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themurphia | Jun 20, 2011, 05:06 AM EDT

Can we now get back to discussing the substantive issue...? NI 'hacks' now 'twittering'...about Niall's candidacy and endorsement by Indo...Irish Politics needs new blood...Since Independence it has been dominated by Dynastic families and I suppose like the Roman Empire and the Florentines there comes a time when absolute power vested in the few becomes corrupt figuratively speaking... Modern day Ireland bears no resemblance to the vision of the heroes of 1916...It lost the run of itself and paid the price...I hope this Presidential election will represent a Renaissance of ideas values and political integrity for 'Eire Nua'...so no pressure Niall...

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antoman | Jun 19, 2011, 06:13 PM EDT

Walter Ellis:You may be happy to hear that little has changed aside from some new light fixtures on Patricks Street.

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WalterEllis | Jun 19, 2011, 06:06 PM EDT

Antoman: Funnily enough, I used to live at the top of Patrick's Hill. I worked at the Examiner in Academy Street and drank in Le Chateau on the corner of Patrick Street. Great days! But then I was only 22. That was 40 years ago.

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DeValera | Jun 19, 2011, 05:53 PM EDT

There is too much interference in irish affairs by outside interests at the moment. Irish America is one of a long list.The last thing we need in the aras is an american patsy.

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antoman | Jun 19, 2011, 05:46 PM EDT

@Walter Ellis-Well,given the epic beatdown you delivered to georgyboy.Consider the Mayorship of Cork yours.I'll engage Sirpeter in talks to see if we can get one of the pillars of Patricks Bridge named for you in recognition of services rendered.

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