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Seán Gallagher with Michael D Higgins at the Inclusion Ireland debate today. Stephen Kilkenny

Gallagher plays down prospect of one-on-one debate with Higgins

Michael D Higgins has suggested the two poll leaders square off in a two-way debate but what do you think?

SEÁN GALLAGHER HAS played down talk of a possible one-on-one debate with fellow presidential favourite Michael D Higgins who has said he would be open to the idea.

Independent candidate Gallagher and Labour’s Higgins are first and second respectively in a poll published at the weekend.

Gallagher tops a RedC/Sunday Business Post poll published yesterday on 39 per cent with Higgins, who had led many polls prior to this one, behind him on 27 per cent.

The next nearest candidate is Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness on 13 per cent. This has led to comments from Higgins in today’s Irish Times in which he said a debate between the two poll leaders would be “useful”.

Speaking after the Inclusion Ireland debate at the Mansion House in Dublin this morning, Gallagher said he believed a debate involving only two of the seven presidential candidates would be “unfair”.

However, a spokesperson for his  campaign has told TheJournal.ie that the Dragon’s Den star would have “no problem debating anyone” and would not be “opposed in principle to debating anyone at anytime”.

But the spokesperson did point out that there would be time constraints given the busy nature of the campaign.

Higgins’s desire for a debate does not appear to have been dampened if his campaign Twitter account is anything to go by.

Campaign staff tweeted in response to queries from people that such a debate would be in breach of rules, saying that “there could be a separate debate for other candidates across other shows”.

It also suggested that a debate would not have to be on TV or radio and could be held in front of 600 students, for example.

A spokesperson for Higgins told TheJournal.ie: “We would examine all options,” in relation to a possible debate and added that Higgins would have “no problem with it.”

Poll: What do you think? Should Higgins and Gallagher go head-to-head in a two-way debate?


Poll Results:

No, it's not inclusive (264)
Yes, I'd like to see that (235)
Yes, so should other candidates (40)
Don't know (8)

Caption comp: There are HOW many days to the election?

In full: all TheJournal.ie’s Race for the Áras coverage >

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25 Comments
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    Mute Rommel Burke
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    May 15th 2012, 3:05 PM

    Media mogul shocked by media bias! You couldn’t make it up. Well you could but…..I’m past caring.

    101
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    Mute Fagan's
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    May 15th 2012, 2:58 PM

    Dennis you have certainly given them enough material to use against you.

    That said, it has to be one of the lowest grade newspapers I have ever read, full of made up anon. quotes, character assassination and lies.

    (A household journalist in the Sunday Independent confirmed that “Yeah, we make up the quotes, Aengus gave us 50p a word to do it, he once beat a journalist with his own shoe, after he reported the news accurately”).

    85
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    Mute jason bourne
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    May 15th 2012, 3:33 PM

    Is it me or does denis o Brien look incredibly like don conroy in that photo?

    73
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    Mute Cal Mooney
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    May 15th 2012, 4:14 PM

    I dont mean to give the baul Denis a compliment… but he looks more like Rutger Hauer in this photo..
    http://www.avclub.com/articles/rutger-hauer,55531/

    3
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    Mute Begrudgy
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    May 15th 2012, 2:55 PM

    How much has o’brien lost again in his attempted takeover of Indepentant news and media with share price collapse. Definately in the hundreds of millions. Was this revenge and power hungry mission really worth that much ? Guess you just have to ask his ego.

    68
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    Mute HARRY MARKOPOLOS
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    May 15th 2012, 7:01 PM

    Denis will just have to buy out the ”Sindo” and sack Mr Morrissey just like he did with Dunphy and Smyth.

    23
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    Mute Gay Pea McManus
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    May 16th 2012, 3:40 PM

    Could have been worse, at least they didn’t say he had a micropenis or something, that would have have had something to really whinge about, while half the country are on the breadline.

    4
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    Mute Dave
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    May 15th 2012, 3:32 PM

    The Independent is no better than a red top. The whole paper is agenda driven, its not just directed at DOB.

    64
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    Mute Martin Mac
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    May 15th 2012, 4:25 PM

    Whatever about your man O’Brien….he is right about one thing the SINDO “NEWSPAPER” is one the worst & most vested interested driven paper you are EVER likely to read. FACT. I would not use that paper for my cats litter tray its that vile.

    44
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    Mute Kevin O'Sullivan
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    May 15th 2012, 3:20 PM

    A lot of people say that about the Sindo tbh.

    40
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    Mute Charles Fitzgerald
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    May 15th 2012, 5:46 PM

    Man goes from little rich kid with no aptitude for running a business to a billionaire communications mogul by getting a mobile telephony under dubious circumstances. He ‘jokes’ about giving a government minister 100k to his chief executive and claims he should have been able to deduce from the tone of his voice that he was ‘taking the piss’. He the mismanages ESAT for as long as he needs to hold the license, moves to Portugal and flogs the company to O2 for around a 600m profit and claims non residency to avoid CGT. He tells Pat Kenny he took out multiple mortgages on his house to pay for the license. The tribunal finds him a non credible witness and he claims victimization. If only CAB had a corruption wing.

    39
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    Mute Diarmuid Danger Lenihan
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    May 15th 2012, 3:13 PM

    Tis a hard old life for Denis. Hello detective ford !

    28
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    Mute limofax
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    May 15th 2012, 6:17 PM

    Wasn’t he found to be corrupt?
    That said the paper is a piece of s**t anyway.

    23
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    Mute Kieran Clarke
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    May 15th 2012, 6:41 PM

    There is definitely a market for a good sunday newspaper in Ireland, the tribune and independent are rubbish, the times is little more than the English times with about 2 extra articles and while it is very good the sunday business post isn’t exactly for everyone.

    22
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    Mute Ann Toebes
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    May 15th 2012, 11:50 PM

    There hasn’t been a Tribune for about a year now – safe to say you are not missing it!!

    7
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    Mute Kieran Clarke
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    May 16th 2012, 12:44 AM

    Haha I actually lived abroad for most of the year hadn’t realised cheers lol

    2
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    Mute Susie Chester
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    May 15th 2012, 3:43 PM

    He never said any of it was lies tho !

    19
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    Mute Frank Faldo
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    May 15th 2012, 4:08 PM

    I think hes an arogant man but he must remember money is not happiness.

    15
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    Mute Barry McSweeney
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    May 15th 2012, 5:37 PM

    When tax exiles fall out . . . .

    16
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    Mute Mick Conway
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    May 16th 2012, 1:14 AM

    the man is a hero. a through example of an irish man who has gone on to be a success. even if he did some dodgy dealings its how ireland worked at the time. His methods where called into question because he was high profile. You cannot say Denis doesnt have a business brain just look at what he has done since he made a few million with esat. digifone is a huge success one of the biggest telecoms companies ever and no matter where he is a resident now. would you not do the same to protect your income?

    6
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    Mute Frank2521
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    May 15th 2012, 11:49 PM

    O Brien owns all the media as no press will print anything about him as they are afraid of his legal team. My comments were blocked too.

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    Mute Adam Magari
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    May 15th 2012, 11:00 PM

    O’Brien should look on the bright side. The Sunday Independent might have won a subediting contract if the recent tribunal report completion had been put out to tender.

    3
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    Mute Fiachra Maolmordha Ó Raghallaigh
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    May 16th 2012, 12:16 AM

    He handed them the gun (the tribunal), and gave them a worthy motive to shoot them (potential editorial interference).

    Although the Indo is a rag, I doubt O’Brien cares much for journalistic quality – he just wants to stop them from attacking him.

    2
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    Mute Mick Conway
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    May 16th 2012, 1:26 AM

    digicel even*

    1
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