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MARTIN MCGUINNESS has shared his belief that he was treated unfairly during Wednesday night’s presidential debate on RTÉ’s Prime Time.
Addressing an audience of young people at a wide-ranging debate organised by SpunOut.ie on Earlsfort Terrace in Dublin, McGuinness said he was “disappointed in the way Prime Time debate was handled” by moderator Miriam O’Callaghan.
“Yes, absolutely; I thought it was unfair,” he said, having been asked if he was frustrated at how each had been treated by the media over the course of the campaign.
Mary Davis concurred that she was disappointed with how she was treated, while Sean Gallagher said he was “disappointed with the tone” of the coverage of the campaign so far.
David Norris refused to give a ‘yes or no’ answer to the question, but remarked, “If I’m not elected the ninth president of Ireland, theyll bloody soon find out how I feel”. Michael D Higgins said he would recommend “a period of reflection” after the election.
Earlier in the debate, McGuinness had said he wished “to be a president who speaks out and who is prepared to shine a light on those issues which are of concern,” pointing to Sinn Féin’s gender balanced representation in Stormont.
“I would be someone who is prepared to speak out, and not sit tamely in the Áras and be subjected to the restrictions of the establishment or the powers that be,” he said.
Michael D Higgins said Ireland should accept it was “making a new tapestry” but that if Ireland was serious about inclusion, it needed to embrace that inclusion was “not just about tolerance, inclusion is about full equality”.
“That means feeling the freedom to listen and to incorporate other stories… and that includes people from different traditions north and south aswell,” he said.
Asked about her campaign posters, Mary Davis again denied her photo had been “airbrushed”, instead attributing her photograph to having her hair and make-up done, with good lighting and good photography.
“I would love to get up every morning and look like I do in the poster,” Davis joked, before acknowledging the “serious question in relation to women in general, and the commodification of women.
David Norris told the attendees he was particularly worried about the absence of a national sexual health strategy, commenting that when he had commission ed leaflets encouraging sexual health, it was considered illegal.
“I think people should tell the truth, take the bit of courage – if necessary, undermine compliance! Get it done, because it’s your lives, and tell the truth about human sexuality – which has never been done in this country, by the Church or by the State,” Norris forcefully asserted.
Sean Gallagher told the audience he wished to visit every secondary school in the country, only to be asked whether this would be “a waste of his time” given his plans to entice investment and tourism to Ireland.
Gallagher said there was “nobody else in this race” who understood enterprise in the way he did, saying his main wish would be to ensure that each young person in Ireland could realistically hope to have a job.
Neither Dana Rosemary Scallon nor Gay Mitchell attended today’s debate, as both were canvassing in other parts of the country.
The entire SpunOut.ie debate can be watched here:
I can’t resist the idea.
Is this a tradition we could ressurect?
Yeah! We could stuff Bertie and Cowen in a bog.
I dunno before we stuffed Bertie and Biffo in a bog, we’d have had to kiss their nipples first at some stage. Doesn’t bear thinking about.
So many ignorant comments. The religion of the time was founded on what was all around; nature, sun, light, dark, life/death, fear, sexuality, the hope of rebirth. Makes more practical sense than a man in a dress telling you what he thinks someone else said 2000 years ago.
Fair play don seandream. Ní raibh aon friggáil thart le tribunals ansin. Isteach sa bportach leo – agus an cheart ar fad acu.
Beidir ta seans ann go tiocfaidh nosanna den soirt seo ar ais? hah
Yes, there is a historical reference and it’s from St Patrick no less. It’s in his Confessio. You can find a reference to it here http://www.whatsaiththescripture.com/Stories/St.Patrick.Confession.text.html.
Patrick might have made it up.
So Paddy was into sucking young men’s nipples and playing with snakes… nothing new then!?
Orris bro read your links but they didn’t work. So I am not able to believe it.
Ahhh. They be the good ol’ days. When ya could leave your door open for the neighbours. We used to gather around the King and give his nipples a good old suck, just his nipples mind you. None of that gay stuff in those days. When we got fed up with him we might just have a hooley and give the nipples an ol cut, just to make sure nobody got a free suck after we battered him and threw him in the bog. Too my mind there’s too many uncut nipples wandering around Leinster house these days. I propose a flash mob nipple cutting revolution.
ahem…who would be sucking the kings nipples? this is a genuine question!
Maybe we should have a nipple cutting ceremony each year and throw some of them in a bog. Nothing else seems to be working.
Did they check his pockets for the Anglo passwords?
Looks like Shergar’s hind leg to me.
What, could they not find any virgins, even then?
Virgins? In Laois?!?! ;D
Is that body, the body of the Celtic tiger and Ireland’s pride? both are gone to the bogs.
Exciting stuff!!
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