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Home Page > Blogs > News blogs > Periscope > Why I'm not running for Irish president ---a tough decision to pull out of contest

Periscope by Niall O'Dowd

Why I'm not running for Irish president ---a tough decision to pull out of contest

Posted on Thursday, June 30, 2011 at 11:25 PM

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I have decided not to run for the Irish presidency.

The logistical challenges of running for an office as an independent against established political parties is incredible.

This holds most notably on fund raising. The race costs about $700,000 to run a proper national campaign. The main political parties can easily raise that.

The independent candidates have to raise it for themselves at approximately $9,000 maximum contribution per person.

That is a lot of fund-raising --especially as you are trying to run a national campaign from scratch at the same time for an October election.

The party candidates will also be chosen by early July allowing them to begin competing in the election proper.

The independents will not finally know their fates until September when either the county councils or the parties not fielding candidates will agree to back them.

You need either 20 members of the Irish parliament or Seanad or the approval of four county councils.

It is a complicated system which overwhelmingly favors the big guns in the main political parties such as Fine Gael and Labor.

Bottom line, unless they are completely terrible candidates either the Labor or Fine Gael contender will win the race

I told my backers I would take until the end of June to come to my best conclusion. I have now done that. They have loyally supported my decision.

Quite simply I believe the race is not winnable for an independent, any independent, no matter what the current polls say because the dice is stacked.

I think I have been around enough political races, either supporting my brother, now a minister of state in Ireland or campaigns here in the US to see that writing on the wall.

But it was a fascinating adventure which came about in a surprising manner and I think highlighted the Irish abroad in a new way

It was an unexpected detour on life's road and I have to say I enjoyed it and met some great people along the way including so many over here who wished me well.

Thank you for all your kind messages of support.

'Ar Aghaidh Linn' as always.

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37 Comments

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Pyramid | Jul 07, 2011, 08:49 PM EDT

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Towngate | Jul 03, 2011, 09:35 AM EDT

declanfoley: " Until the people in Ireland ... stop making tin gods of idiots ..." ~~~ Congratulations! ~ that is a mighty mouthful! I am furious I didn't think of it first! ~ ~ ~ Anyway,fair play to you! Right, now: which of our tin gods will we de-consecrate and start this self-empowerment with? Larkin? Connolly? Pearse? Dev?, McQuaid?,Collins,... and so on, up to the latest bunch ~ ~ ~ choose your own 'favourite'! ~ ~ ~ What worries me about your idea,though, is that once we stop fooling ourselves that they are any kind of gods ~ we will have to face the truth that they are all little more than delusional eeejits who have to turn a perfectly good little country into a pathetic debt-ridden living nightmare!

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DeValera | Jul 03, 2011, 08:27 AM EDT

delusional

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themurphia | Jul 03, 2011, 03:37 AM EDT

Niall:'Whatever you say...say nothing'..!

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declanfoley | Jul 03, 2011, 02:44 AM EDT

Niall, I for one am more than pleased you made the right decision. You can do far more for Ireland where you are in one day, than in seven years in de Park. So stay with what you know best, and your family are young and require the guidance of both parents. Like me you are too long out of Ireland and it is not the same country we both left. Until the people in Ireland empower themselves and stop making tin gods of idiots whom only spend ( much of it wastefully) the money they take from the people in taxes, nothing will ever change. !977 and Haughey in 1979 sowed the seeds of selfishness, and the mantra is still they same: "the government owes us everything from children's allowance to subsidized housing, completely free health care, education, new roads etc, etc."

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jacersagain | Jul 02, 2011, 06:46 PM EDT

For some odd reason at ICentral’s end, my post yesterday re Niall’s decision didn’t make it online. I basically said that I thought his decision to pull out of the contest was a wise, astute one. It leaves him free to pursue what he aspired to do for his Ireland within business environments rather than thatnwithin restrictive duties of the Presidency. I wish him well in that regard. Now that he is free, perhaps he might now feel free enough to tell us all who was so stoopid as to invite him to posit for the Presidency in the first place??? Transparency is the name of the game these days, isn't it, Niall...? Do tell!

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cillowen | Jul 02, 2011, 10:18 AM EDT

i knew you would - good resume but seeing you in buckingham palace would be a stretch

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jacersagain | Jul 02, 2011, 09:12 AM EDT

This is a wise decision by Niall. It leaves him free to pursue what he might have aspired to for Ireland - but which he would have been incapable of achieving within the restricted duties of office as President - in the more appropriate environs of the business world. And I wish him well on that.

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Towngate | Jul 02, 2011, 03:14 AM EDT

The lights have dimmed a little with the news that Niall has decided not to run for President of Ireland. ~ ~ ~ @ themurphia (11.30). You could be right about Gerry Adams being the first President of a reunited Ireland. But bear in mind that it is up to whoever was responsible for 'disuniting' the country in the first place - to put it back together again, so don't assume it will be the'North' who joins the Southern breakaway sector ... the way the land lies at the moment,it is much more likely to be the other way around! - if Britain would be kind enough to consider having us back!

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ellenfromcork | Jul 01, 2011, 10:28 PM EDT

Niall, the dice are not stacked, the dice are loaded, the deck is stacked.

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PolinDeB | Jul 01, 2011, 08:45 PM EDT

In fairness. There is an awful amount of people in Ireland hoping you're wrong and we get David Norris . an Independent President, rather than some FF/FG hack in the Aras. I think it is possibly the right decision only due to the fact that people I know back home will be given you the "what right has he.. coming back here from his fancy Irish Newspaper"... I was told so many times back home I didn't understand when I pointed out House prices were not only too high but unaffordable.. not really looking forward to the return this year.. and the "well you know .. nobody could have predicted it"..."actually everyone including the government did"

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themurphia | Jul 01, 2011, 05:54 PM EDT

Can't wait to see how long it takes for that to be recycled by the(sh)IT times parasites...I give it 24 hours max...

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themurphia | Jul 01, 2011, 05:43 PM EDT

The real Niall O'Dowd has returned and sent that Presidential imposster back to his mothership... Well said that man...Wonder who the next target will be on the Obituary writers hit list...But listen did Gerry really sink the Titanic...WOW...!

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WalterEllis | Jul 01, 2011, 04:22 PM EDT

I take your point. What do I know? I'm only a British obituary writer and a Unionist acolyte of the Mad Major.

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niallodowd | Jul 01, 2011, 02:59 PM EDT

Walter Gerry Adams shot JR and JFK and sank the Titanic from the iceberg with a slingshot. he told me so last week. That should give you and Mr Moloney lots of new conspiracy theories

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