Ógra and the Presidential Election
Representing the Yes side firstly we have Keith Henry
Fianna Fáil has never been afraid to put itself before the electorate for any office, a trend which we should not even contemplate breaking. This election gives us a chance to begin a process of renewal which will take us into every town and townland and to attempt to regain public trust and confidence.
Some would say that there is no point in wasting resources on an unwinnable election. However such an argument was not even considered in advance of the last election for the simple reason that it is not a reasonable stance for a political party to adopt. Persistently putting our case to the people of this nation is something we should not be afraid to do.
Potentially the next opportunity a Fianna Fáil logo will appear on a ballot paper is 2014. Many constituencies have no national Fianna Fáil representation and in these we face becoming a forgotten political entity that has lost touch with the people through our refusal to interact with them.
It has been argued the public are more attracted to independent candidates as opposed to party ones; however much of this support is made up of disaffected voters of many political parties including our own. Remember that even in the disaster that was the general election we secured 400,000 first preferences against all the odds and in my opinion to turn our back on these people would do us more damage than good.
Sean Lemass once said “A defeatist attitude now will surely lead to defeat”, indeed never has this phrase been more apt. We must not be afraid to fight for what we believe in because it is only through fighting that we can ever succeed.
Declan Harmon now puts the no side of the argument to us:
While the Presidency is the highest office in the land, the election to the office has rarely been a partisan political competition. Indeed, of the twelve terms of office of the eight citizens to hold the role, there has been a contested election on only six occasions. While the Presidency is the highest office in the land, the election to the office has rarely been a partisan political competition. Indeed, of the twelve terms of office of the eight citizens to hold the role, there has been a contested election on only six occasions.
As the role of the office has evolved, so has the way in which the public sees the office. The public are far more attracted to independent candidates for the office and do not see it as one that should be in the gift of political parties. The context of this election is therefore different to that of other types of electoral contest. It is not a test of party strength but rather a competition between different visions for the office.
I understand the argument made by those who believe Fianna Fáil should contest this election, simply because it is an election and contesting elections is what political parties do. However, I would argue that this election is not a political priority for the party right now. Furthermore, the chances of a Fianna Fáil candidate winning appear to be slim at best.
Therefore, I believe that the party should not be distracted and expend valuable resources on this election at this time. We should instead concentrate fully on the task of renewal that faces us both in local organisations and in policy.
Furthermore, while I do not think we should run an official party endorsed candidate, I think we should take the opportunity to facilitate the entry into the race of other citizens of distinction who wish to run as independent candidates but who, through the arcane system of nomination, would otherwise find themselves excluded from the contest.
Cast your vote using this online poll:
http://www.easypolls.net/poll.html?p=4e4a91b9c83fb0e4585c6f97
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