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Updated at 15:30
SENATOR DAVID NORRIS has said he is committed to campaigning for the presidency, but acknowledged that his campaign is in serious trouble.
Letters published online by RTÉ outline his argument to the Israeli High Court in an appeal for clemency for his former partner, Ezra Nawi Yizhak. Yizhak had been convicted of having sex with an underage teenager in 1992.
A letter to the court, dated in 1997, includes a character reference for Yizhak and calls on the court to consider a non-custodial sentence in light of the “lasting and perhaps permanent damage” which could be “done to his psychological and material welfare by being imprisoned” and because he was his elderly mother’s main source of support. He said he was concerned that Yizhak “may attempt suicide in prison”.
Norris refers to Yizhak as a “close and valued personal friend” since 1975. He also outlines his own political and academic career, including his senior membership of the Foreign Affairs Committee and his association with then-President Mary Robinson.
The senator also voices his concerns over the court case, saying that when he attended the court he “personally witnessed some troubling anomalies in the majority verdict, such as the consistent insistence by the presiding judge that there was absolutely no difference between this case and as similar case involving heterosexual relations.”
He offered to give his own expert knowledge if called on by the court.
Yizhak is from Israel and is a pro-Palestinian activist. He was profiled in this New York Times article two years ago as a campaigner who drew heavy criticism from Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
Campaign resignations
Several members of the Norris presidential campaign team have apparently resigned in light of the letters.
Speaking to the Sunday Independent on Friday, the senator said that he has to “take it on the chin” and reassure people that he is “the same person I was last week”. He acknowledged that his chances of being nominated to run for the presidency were now “slim”, but said he remains committed to running for election.
Norris had secured the support of 15 Oireachtas members, but requires 20 in order to be nominated. He has consistently performed strongly in opinion polls of the candidates seeking to run for the Áras.
Neither Norris nor his campaign team could be contacted yesterday.
One volunteer who has been working on the campaign told TheJournal.ie that they have been left in the dark over the direction of the campaign.
They said that they had not heard from the senior members of the campaign since early last week and that an Dublin area meeting scheduled for Thursday was suddenly called off.
Support
Meanwhile, RTÉ is reporting that a number of the politicians who pledged their support for Norris have stated that they are continuing that support.
Independent TDs Maureen O’Sullivan and Stephen Donnelly say they still give Norris their backing, although Donnelly said he thought it was wrong for Norris to use official Oireachtas paper in such a highly personal situation.
Senator John Crown said he believes voters should decide if Norris should be president or not and he will continue to back him.
Other members of the Oireachtas have yet to comment on the issue.
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No phone boxes either…
Post boxes to go next – as internet communications/e-commerce/e-mails increase, and take over.
Then post offices for the same reasons.
Son there’ll be nothing left to pee into.
Finally, the post office will disappear (with benefits paid into bank accounts) when postal deliveries cease, for good.
Where we live they already use disposable nappies and throw them in the ditches……
Post will benefit from the continued increase in online shopping. Going nowhere.
The majority of my internet purchases come by courier.
It was the number one spot outside Trinity.
Doddle is dealing with deliveries in London. 300 stores will be open at train stations across the UK. Argos is also in bed with eBay
True. I always wonder why eircom (eir) don’t just convert the phone boxes into worked hubs with boosted range and provide WiFi throughout the country. I know it might not be lightening fast but it would be something. I was in Limerick recently and noted that there is city wide free Wi-Fi. A few cities on mainland Europe do the same.
@Ger Comings: “The majority of my internet purchases come by courier”. The majority of Heroin and Cocaine comes by gurrier.
If you ever wonder what they were like just think about the toilet in the bookies in Trainspotting..
In a thousand years time this will probably be looked upon as a great archaeological discovery of how the Irish pissed in the twentieth century…..academics will probably write books on the subject or whatever they will use then to document these things.
It was a shit hole anyway
Think the fact we even had public toilets that could be considered historic is the real story here.
Yes liam. They were British toilets built by Armitage Shanks of Staffordshire – and, I suppose, they had to be gotten rid of, like Nelson’s Column.
There’s a story that one day some Japanese tourists stopped by Pat Ingoldsby selling books outside the Bank of Ireland and asked for directions to St Stephen’s green. He apparently pointed across the road to the toilets and told them to head down to the subway, take one stop and they’d be there.
A couple of old underground victorian style public toilets in london have been turned into cool little bars and restaurants.
Unfortunately our planning authorities are failing the city yet again
Yes Emma – there’s a fine/largish one on Shepherd’s Bush Green, which does extremely well. Because its near the massive Westfield Shopping Cente, which is the biggest in the UK.
We’ll just have to struggle on.
In fairness, these toilets were rather tiny from what I remember and would never have been viable as bars or restaurants.
Westfield is actually the third biggest in the UK Ger, the MetroCentre in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, is the biggest, followed by the Trafford Centre in Manchester.
Biggest – in terms of business, not square footage, which is not cost effective. In other words, the most profitable and busiest. Sorry for confusing you, pope.
Which pope is the wiki freak…p1, the kraut?
JR, in fairness? In fact, some were huge – with several staff.
Not even a nice try, you stated ‘biggest’ – not ‘most profitable’, sorry to piss on your parade Mr. Shortcomings :)
Biggest, as in business. Pope wiki…
Wrong again, you claimed ‘biggest’ period, Google ‘biggest’ and physical size will be the only results returned, learn how to communicate before digging an ever bigger hole for yourself and your overly sensitive ego.
These toilets were used during the 1916 Rising by the martyrs. This is an OUTRAGE!
I’m organising a march starting on Parnell St (outside party headquarters) on Saturday at 10am.
Will try pop down also. I have hoped for most of my years to see these public restrooms restored and put to use.
These will be as much of an improvement to the cityscape as the corpo flats. Our history is slowly being erased..
If you’re being serious, why did you wait until now? This was all planned ages ago.
Ah, Dublin City Council. From the people who brought you fines for pissing in the street, on foot of the closure of public conveniences in the 1990′s. What other civilised Capital City in Europe is without public toilets? I am not well travelled, but have been to Paris, Rome, Lisbon and Berlin – facilities which recognize human physiology are available in all these places. I cannot speak to their availability elsewhere.
I’m surprised it wasn’t objected to by people claiming a 1916 leader had a S***e in one during the rising
George Michael petitioning Dublin city council to preserve the toilets
Who she?
Sad that we had to lose the loos for the luas.
I cant understand why the existing structure couldn’t be used for a control box?
For the control of what exactly, Brian?
“Plans are now in place for a control box to be fitted at the site which will allow operate the College Street and Westmoreland Street Luas stops when they are completed.”
I would assume its that?
Remember that these particular jacksies have not been used (or abused!) for 20 years. Whatever alternative arrangements were to be made were made long ago!
Whatever the plan for the site is, It’s not available to view on the DCC planning search. I wonder Why?
Ah now! Demolished and not a protester in sight! I honestly thought that this action would surely merit a dirty protest!
Good riddance
remember the graffiti -Welcome to the Pleasure Dome. But seriously where are people meant to go for a pee in the city centre?
Against the spire…
It hasn’t been in use for 20 years. Didn’t bother you then
I think you have a point.
Put’s a new meaning to “taking the piss”
Luas drivers now going down the crapper. What next???
agh sh*te!
Pretty disgraceful treatment of the city’s Victorian heritage.
This is a real bummer.
The only sh*te you will see there in the future will be driving a tram. Ding ding.
If those walls could only talk. Shot no, we don’t want to go down that shady lane
Shur we’ll puss up the nearest alleyway it’ll be grand, we’re irish what else would you expect?
The Loos have made way for the Luas.
That’s some old shite..
“Public toilets over 100 years old are demolished to clear way for Luas”. I think this article is a load of sh*te. I’m pis*ed off!.
No shit!
A lot of Brown envelopes around the JC Decauox Dublin Bikes scheme. The deal was done in private and city manager did not allow transparency.
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