We good citizens of Ireland will have Mary McAleese as our President for another seven years.
Now I admit I have nothing against the lady from Rostrevor; I'm just sorry we're not going to have a Presidential election. Because elections are my favourite blood sport.
If Dana had been allowed to run as a candidate, I would have voted for her, just as I did seven years ago. But I'm not making sour grapes. The key point is that the political establishment have basically decided that we will not have a election, and therefore we do not get the chance to choose our Head of State.
But I wouldn't have voted for her this year anyway - election day would have been October 22nd, and I'll be out of the country!
Would I like to be President? Well, you can't make a public statement without permission of the Government; you can't leave the country without permission of the Government; you must sign every piece of legislation passed by the Oireachtas, though you can send a Bill to the Supreme Court for a ruling whether or not it is constitutional. That's about the only real decision you can make.
The wages are good - over a hundred grand a year! And a nice pension at the end of seven years!
Hmmm, if I start now I should have 20,000 signatures on the petition by 2011!!
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