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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:
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I think the treatment of McGuinness was unbalanced. it’s perfectly valid to address his IRA membership – but to continuously beat it with a stick, and ignore the solid work he has done in the north bringing about the peace process, and working alongside with the DUP for the betterment of the community is just absurd.
Unfair treatment my arse
I think it’s fair to keep pushing any candidate as long as they keep hiding the truth. "I never shot or killed anyone". Does anyone honestly believe the IRA would allow an innocent novice who had never even shot someone into their senior command during the height of the Troubles? Really? Given their fear of spies and informants there is no way they’d allow someone that level of access if he hadn’t "proved himself". As long as he keeps misleading people about this he deserves to be questioned. If we had a Truth and Reconciliation exercise like they did in SA with full disclosure of actions on both sides of the conflict then we could lay it all to rest. Until then, there are still unanswered questions floating about and he won’t be getting my vote.
No what’s unfair is the lack of information to the families all the missing people murdered at the hands of Sinn Fein/IRA in the past 40 years. Now that’s UNFAIR!!
The thing to do is to rise above the gombeens Martin, they have had their day of turning this state in to a cash cow for themselves. They are on the way out.
I agree with you that the gombeens have had their day, but only for the moment. When the same situation arises in twenty or thirty years, the same old mistakes will be made. Not because the new generation is any better or worse, but because they too will be all too human. And that is something all political parties have in common.
Exactly, Tony. I hope he’ll show all of these idiots
Would ya vote for the likes of Larry Murphy I do not think so a vote for M.McG is a vote for a murderer
well said Joe i made the same point to a friend the other day.
And I won’t be voting for a Fianna Failure either !!
Norris is getting more and more freakish everytime he speaks.
Miriam was unfair to McGuinness. Well McGuinness and his cronies terrorised while communities for decades. Are we supposed to forget that and treat him with kid gloves! Pathetic Sinn Fein. Pathetic McGuinness.
MMcG must be the Most Oppressed Person Ever. The Brits oppressed him by paying his housing benefit while he was trying to kill them, and now that he’s abandoned his elected responsibilities in the North to pursue a better paid job in a republic where he doesn’t pay taxes, people have the insensitivity to ask him about the thousands murdered, wounded, traumatised by the terrorist organisation he commanded and the billions in damages they were involved in.
Poor terrorist wah wah.. everything is the Brits fault, 800 years, black and tans,
thousands murdered this means more then 2 thousand ??? better paid job??? were u away r something?
what did you ever do for your country???? a FF man jack lynch and ye so called Irish stood by while the innocent people of the north were been killed by Loyalist and English soldiers and burnted out of there home’s and when the Civel rights marchers were a tacked by the RUC where were ye Martin McGuinness was with his people fighting for there rights as people and you were you in the upper class of Loyalist elite and that is why you hate martin mcguinness and all he stand’s for i am so sorry that i did not do the right thing at that time. Now i say to the people of IRELAND”" be proud of Martin McGuinness and all he stands for Peace and a better and Ireland.
@ James Collins
What did I ever do for my country? I voted honestly and thoughtfully to ensure it didn’t elect a terrorist to represent it. I never killed anybody I never broke the law, I never did anything to make the world ashamed of Ireland.
Which means I’d be a better president than McGuinness.
I am very bemused at how successful this tired media diatribe over the IRA and the Troubles in the North has been, in deflecting attention from all the good work this man has actually achieved. All these people shrieking about murder are clearly lacking in historical insight, the way they keep parroting what RTE and the likes of the Independent want them to believe.
I attended one of his rallies and it was such a relief to be able to hear, without negative interference, some true insight into what happened then and how it set him on the path he followed.
I would have stood up and fought for my community had I been subjected to the same thing. I admire his can-do ability and of course he has my vote.
It’s also a disgrace how our fellow countrymen in NI can’t vote here in the Republic. Yes, things have changed in NI and Britain- it’s the Republic of Eire that refuses to change and continue to act like they don’t exist.
Amusing how when anybody challenges McGuinness they’re all "gobshites" and "sheep". Only 13% of the votes in a new Red C poll – I guess 87% of us are all west Brits now
yes sadly i think your right damien
“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,”
The president can’t go ‘speaking out’ without the say so of the elected government. The president must work within the restrictions of the ‘establishment’ because that is what the constitution requires of the office. If he really means that then either he has no understanding of the office and it’s limitations or he intends to subvert the office.
As an aside, I loath that ridiculous term ‘the powers that be’. Such a meaningless cliche and so condescending, trying to convince an audience with varied options that ‘I am against whatever/whoever it is you are against’.
I think Miriam O C posed a very good question to MMcG that he failed to answer,regardless if he was in,or out,murdered many, or none, when the son of Private Kelly questioned him it was embarrassing for MMcG,however if as president he is asked the same question by sons or daughters in London,Birmingham,Warrington or Enniskillen, the nation is embarrassed.
McGuinness certainly has the most objectionable history, but he has still outshone all but 2 of the other candidates in this whole things so far, and that’s despite him being subjected to the most criticism, fair or otherwise.
If the Gardai entered ur house, Beat the Crap outa U, threatened ur wife with mollestation and frightened ur children nearly to death… u wudent be long about lookin for Daddies hunting gun up in the Lodge. As far as I’m concerned he was trying to defend ‘working class’ communities. Maybe they will call for mortgage payments. Ho Ho!
Presidential candidates? I think not.
in ireland we dont like people with spine and backbone we love worms like bertie and gay we deserve what we get s africa got nelson cuba got che and fidel we got bertie brian and enda
Your right there Richard, this forum is a reflection of how many gutless "run with the hare and hunt with the hound" gobshites are out there!
Hmmm there is a distinct smell of sheep from this forum tonight, it seems most have fallen. for the media witch hunt which is the presidential campaign, like all you sheep that voted fianna failure in the recent past, (didnt they just beggar Ireland ?)
and the fine gombeens, (fine gael) gutless and self serving, following the same strategy to consign Ireland to decades of financial slavery with their Labour chums (why they call themselves Labour a superb con). So run along allyou muppets, sing along with the media witch hunt the devil while they sell you out!
Unfair treatment your arse? No thanks.
The fact is,even ignoring Mr. Mc Guinness’s paramilitary history (and why should we, it is totally fair game in a democracy), he is an extremely conservative candidate. His views are extremely conservative and downright right wing extreme. Is this what we want or need in the for the 21st century? Dour conservatism ? It’s the same for Gay Mitchell, too by the way.
@ Damien
and of those 13% how many are able to vote in this election?
Now where did my sheep comment go to? Free speech hmmm not on a forum for sheep!
Paul – Your ‘sheep’ comment is still there. If you’re viewing the site on a mobile app you might not be able to see all comments at once – this is being addressed in an update shortly.
Gallagher’s company got over 650,000 Euro from Enterprise Ireland. What good this this money do? He recently received a research grant – God help this country as some people are loosing their homes and he gets subsidies.
Is their anybody going for the job with any pedigree as that is what is needed.
They wouldn’t qualify for King of Dale Farm.
It doesn’t matter who he’s supporting, it doesn’t detract from the point he’s making about McGuinness. This whole fiasco has shown him up for the bully he is.
Nice one mr Stamper. So true.
Very sexist and uncalled for remark there. I’m surprised at the language being used – gutter level.
p a ward more hear say repeated as fact report theese murders u know to be true u obviously have proof to make such a loose comment
@ oli foster
all Irish people are hypocrites? what nationality are you
The queen is head of the UK armed forces yet she was welcome here, and rightly so.
Nelson Mandela was a terrorist yet he was welcome here.
When Catholics were treated as second class citizens in the north the Irish government and Irish people stood by and did fuck all.
Anyone who can’t accept that things change and people change, and who continue to treat Martin McGuinness as a terrorist is a hypocrite. Come to think of it, Irish people are born hypocrites.
@ paul anthony ward
they were always pathetic and they are still scary
i see your supporting finna fail. You must have brilliant judgement
I am amazed by the deliberate attempts by those who would judge Martin McGuinness without reference to how their own freedom was won. Throughout our history it was always the few who rose up against injustice. Anyone who judges Martin and his actions most likely never even visited an area like the Bogside or Ballymurphy during the conflict for if they did they would not judge so harshly.
I would much prefer to have tested our statesmen in terms of their commitment and patriotism to see if they would put their lives on the line for the people they would profess to serve. I would prefer to have tested these same statesmen to come out and risk everything for their local community, be tortured and imprisoned for what they believe to be that communities right to vote, right to housing and right to protest without being shot in cold blood by a colonial world power who inflicted it’s type of politics of many poor nations, bleed them dry and then left them only when it suited that power to move on. That power took almost 40 years to tell the truth of that day and had no problem blaming the innocent and only did so because of the immense pressure and persistence of the families of the innocent who got very little support from any of those who now condemn Martin.
Vote for a real statesman that any other nation would be proud of, vote for Martin McGuinness.
Of we do. Please don’t talk on my behalf
@ Kieron
well if any other nation would be proud of him they’re welcome to him.
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