THE CITIZENS have spoken with clarity. Michael D Higgins is set to be the 9th President of Ireland; a dramatic outcome in the face of the most spectacular collapse of any candidate in Irish electoral history.
The outcome is a triumph for Labour but, more pertinently, a vindication for Mr Higgins’s distinct personal values
He is a politician who has displayed single-mindedness, a voice for the oppressed and disadvantaged, and a supporter of campaigns that sometimes ran contrary to the populist view – but always calibrated by standards of justice and the public interest. Most significantly, given the office he will hold, he articulates a vision for our Republic, tangible optimism in relation to its future, and an acute sense of place with culture at its heart.
Mr Higgins retained a calmness and dignity which at one point saw him risk being bypassed by the momentum of the Seán Gallagher campaign, noted for its ability to engage with an electorate disillusioned by politics. The electoral pendulum swung against Mr Gallagher when it seemed his 40 per cent support base was rock solid. The “undecideds”, the “switchers” and many within Fine Gael’s core vote, disillusioned by a lacklustre Gay Mitchell campaign, applied critical mass.
Mr Gallagher crumbled when forcibly challenged by Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness in the RTÉ Frontline debate. Live television can be the cruellest medium. The respondent can appear overly-defensive and dithering as inquisitors demand an instant response and – like never before in an Irish election – the ripples spread out rapidly within the narky online world of Twitterland.
In reality, there were issues the Independent candidate failed to address adequately. He reacted with disdain and then anger when a businesswoman legitimately questioned accounts related to one of his businesses. He repeatedly refused to respond to unanswered questions from Irish Times journalist Colm Keena about an €82,829 loan from one of his companies, and on his fundraising on behalf of Fianna Fáil. Connotations associated with collecting cheques in brown envelopes resurfaced in the public consciousness. His predicament was compounded by initial denials, dissembling and poor radio interviews on subsequent days. Populism gave way to principles.
It was in many ways an extraordinary campaign with an unprecedented seven candidates; the demise of the poster as a means of securing a vote; the dominance of negative campaigning and the influence of social media in stirring debate but also fuelling rumour. For many candidates it was a brutal experience, sometimes unfairly so. The entrance of Mr McGuinness into the race broadened the debate on the new Ireland – but it is one requiring a fuller reconciliation of its past, rather than a simplistic “let’s move on”. The reward for Sinn Féin, nonetheless, is a greater foothold on the political landscape of the island of Ireland.
The outcome is sobering for Taoiseach Enda Kenny. The presidency was not there for the taking; there was no entitlement. It required a stronger articulation of our future and deeper engagement with the voters.
The Higgins presidency is likely to be different from the groundbreaking Robinson and McAleese eras. There is every indication his will be a platform built around human rights and inclusivity that are core to his politics. He is arguably the most appropriate candidate to mark a series of important centenaries up to and including 1916. But the biggest challenge will be to embrace the special requirements of his office while becoming a voice for a new Republic; a place where there is a better way of conducting politics and its citizens have regained their sense of purpose and identity.