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Michael D Higgins' speech outlines his plans for the next seven years

President Michael D Higgins says he would focus on equality, togetherness and strong sustainable communities during his next term.

5565 Michael D_90557391 Eamonn Farrell Eamonn Farrell

People have made a choice as to which version of Irishness they prefer… I will be a President for all of the people.

MICHAEL D HIGGINS has been re-elected as President of Ireland, with a landslide vote of over 58%. 

In a packed out auditorium in Dublin Castle this evening, the returning president outlined his plans for the next seven years.

He said now is a “time of transformation” adding that there is a “momentum of empathy, compassion, inclusion and solidarity which must be recognised and celebrated”. 

Sharing his vision for Ireland, he said there were four strands he wanted to focus on in the coming years. 

But first, in what some are saying is a slight towards runner-up Peter Casey, he said: 

Words matter. Words hurt. Words heal. Words empower. Words can divide. 

Over the next seven years, Higgins wants to bring forward the ideas of equality and togetherness, strong sustainable communities, sharing history and shaping the future as well as championing that “Ireland’s voice matters.

There was loud applause for Higgins when he told the crowd that he wants to build a Republic of equality, where every person is encouraged and supported to participate fully in society, and where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. 

Mentioning the advent of technology he said he wants it harnessed in a way that is used for universal benefit, “rather than creating new forms of inequality”. 

Referencing the ongoing housing crisis, the president said Irish people “want to see security in shelter, housing that can be a home, as part of a healthy community”. 
https://www.facebook.com/journalpolitics/videos/180006529591821/

Higgins also spoke about the upcoming commemorations for Ireland, such as the civil war centenary. He said these were “difficult periods of our history”. 

“This task will require sensitive thought, reflection, and understanding – an ethics of memory and a narrative of hospitality, enabling different visions of shared events to be placed side by side, uncomfortable truths acknowledged.”

He also has plans for the 2019 celebration of the first sitting of the Dáil. This should be used to re-evaluate Irish institutions, he said. 

The president said he will also represent the Irish voice abroad, as “we face challenges that are global – responding to climate change and sustainability, the challenge of global hunger in a way that sustainable, Brexit, trade, and a fragile multilateralism. 

There was a rousing applause when he said:

“The urgent need to end the scrouge of violence against women cannot be deferred, but must be ended now.”

He added that he will continue work for better relationships in the North and with Europe. 

Higgins said the presidency does not belong to one person, but to all the people of Ireland. 

“I will be a president for all the people, for those who voted for me and those who did not. I am so proud of our country, I am proud to be president for all of you and with all of you , and I look forward with joy and hope to all that we will achieve together.”

With that, Higgins returned to his wife Sabina’s side. The runner-up candidates then each took to the podium, giving short speeches (Peter Casey and Gavin Duffy) and some not so short (Seán Gallagher). 

With closing remarks from Taoiseach Leo Varadkar who commended all the candidates for having the courage to take a step forward and put their name on the ballot paper, it was a wrap. Before heading to the Michael D Higgins after-party in a nearby hotel, there was just enough time for a family photo of the Higgins family.

IMG_2952 The Higgins family Christina Finn Christina Finn

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    Mute Onion Knight
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    Jun 29th 2017, 4:09 PM

    ‘Pro-abortion’? I think it’s pronounced ‘pro-choice’.

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    Mute Shawn O'Ceallaghan
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    Jun 29th 2017, 6:59 PM

    @Onion Knight: no its pro abortion…. for abortion. Just lime against abortion is anti-abortion. Once side wants abortions to be allowed the other not.

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    Mute Mo
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    Jun 29th 2017, 7:22 PM

    @Shawn O’Ceallaghan: no it’s not it’s pro choice i.e. Just because I choose to have a baby doesn’t mean I impose my choice on another woman to do so – I’m sure you didn’t really need me to point that out because that would mean you’re a bit stupid…..

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    Mute Atheos Euripides
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    Jun 29th 2017, 4:20 PM

    Those extremist Anti-Choice groups seem to have more organosations than members.

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    Mute DaisyChainsaw
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    Jun 29th 2017, 5:48 PM

    The same ten or so agitators, it would seem. It’s all so incestuous.

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    Mute David McDermott
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    Jun 29th 2017, 7:27 PM

    @DaisyChainsaw: seems to a commune of several integrated families all trying to pretend their not related as they pop up in the media.

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    Mute JMac
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    Jun 30th 2017, 2:40 AM

    @Atheos Euripides: Extremist groups! Kettle pot etc,!

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    Mute KEV
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    Jun 29th 2017, 4:08 PM

    The BAI better get used to these claims. Glad it was rejected.

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    Mute Francis Mc Carthy
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    Jun 29th 2017, 4:20 PM

    Odds are pretty short that Cora will be ranting on about IFPA on her twitter account..

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    Mute Atheos Euripides
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    Jun 29th 2017, 4:36 PM

    @Francis Mc Carthy: I’m always puzzled as to who Cora, David and Breda think they actually represent, because it’s not the Irish people. They might as well be campaigning to change the name of Leitrim to Tokyo, they’d have about the same amount of support.

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    Mute Francis Mc Carthy
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    Jun 29th 2017, 4:59 PM

    @Atheos Euripides: To be honest with you,I think that they represent a tiny minority of Irish people…A ball point figure to me, would be the amount of people that would want to see Irish women continue to travel to the UK in cases of FFA…and that usually is around the 12% mark..

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    Mute Iohanan
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    Jun 29th 2017, 5:24 PM

    @Atheos Euripides: they represent people like me actually. And if you consider that 38% of the electorate voted against same-sex marriage 2 years ago one can safely assume they represent a fair chunk of the electorate, especially when one considers that not everybody who is in favour of same-sex marriage is equally in favour of abortion, indeed the recent pole by the Irish times on abortion indicated that there was big divergence between the Citizens Assembly’s recommendation for unlimited and unrestricted abortion and the Irish electorate as represented in the Pole. So I’d say that Breda, David and Cora are representative of a substantial section if the Irish people.

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    Mute Atheos Euripides
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    Jun 29th 2017, 5:43 PM

    @Iohanan: They represent you? You must have very antiquated views then.

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    Mute Larry Doyle
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    Jun 29th 2017, 5:57 PM

    I’d say not everyone who voted on to losing side of the marriage equality referendum are anti-choice either @lohanan, but that’s just an opinion like yours and until there is a vote by the citizens of this country that is all we have, opinions. To object to having a referendum on this subject, which would allow this generation to have their say, is profoundly undemocratic and ultimately proves that those who wish the current restrictions to continue have little faith that they can prevail, hence these pointless complaints about media coverage of their dubious claims of abortion causing cancer and child abuse.

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    Mute Mark Walsh
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    Jun 29th 2017, 6:27 PM

    @Iohanan:
    It’s no one’s Business what other people do in their private lives
    If two same gender people want to marry it’s not anyone’s business
    If a Lady needs an abortion be on Social ‘ economic or any other reason it’s not anyone’s business
    The Church and its employees (priests) were molesting children for years and yet these F****ng were no where to be seen
    Leave people make their own decisions and get a life
    You people make me sick

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    Mute Iohanan
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    Jun 29th 2017, 8:05 PM

    @Mark Walsh: I care less what people do with their own lives but when one has an abortion they’re ending someone else’s life. Wrong full stop.

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    Mute Iohanan
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    Jun 29th 2017, 8:07 PM

    @Atheos Euripides: just because my beliefs are ‘antiquated’ doesn’t mean they’re wrong.

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    Mute Larissa Caroline Nikolaus
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    Jun 29th 2017, 8:17 PM

    @Iohanan: You must be such a saint, talking out of your behind, that you side with the (word starting with a w, rhymes with bankers) of the IONA so called institute tells me enough about you to label you a bigot and hypocrite and disregard your opinion as baseless

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    Mute Iohanan
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    Jun 29th 2017, 8:17 PM

    @Larry Doyle: whether we prevail or not in maintaining current abortion restrictions doesn’t address the simple question: is it lawful to end the life of another human being? because that’s what a foetus is, a small human being. Right and wrong, justice and truth exist in and of themselves and are not the fruit or the result of a public vote nor derive their essence from having been enacted by some governing body. Democracy is not infallible because the brainwashed proletariat can get it wrong as was the case with Hitler in Germany who ascended to power through popular vote. Perhaps if you deigned to condescend from your moral high horse you might put your mind to a more productive use than justifying the legalisation of a practice which will result in the loss of life of innocent people.

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    Mute Dave O Keeffe
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    Jun 29th 2017, 8:19 PM

    @Iohanan: well you’ve just called your own views outdated so where does that leave you? Second question, should pregnant women be counted as two people on census night? Give reasons for your answer please

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    Mute Iohanan
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    Jun 29th 2017, 8:32 PM

    @Dave O Keeffe: that my opinions are outdated is innocuous, and what would be wrong with counting a pregnant woman as two people?

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    Mute Iohanan
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    Jun 29th 2017, 8:39 PM

    @Larissa Caroline Nikolaus: if I were a saint I wouldn’t be on the journal arguing with scoundrels like you!

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    Mute Karen Wellington
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    Jun 29th 2017, 9:57 PM

    @Iohanan: your antiquated view that a foetus is a human being with the same inalienable human rights as the mother is wrong. Not because its antiquated, because its not supported by science and fact rather than nutty religious beliefs. Activity in the Cerebral Cortex doesnt begin until weeks 22/24, upgrading the foetus from the neonatal equivalent of whole brain death to the slightly more cognitive higher brain death, Im confident that youll argue that a foetus will potentially “grow out it”, doesnt change the fact that a foetus isn’t a person and potential isnt good enough reason to force a woman to continue with an unwanted/unviable pregnancy, all that aside;do you believe keeping a person whos clinically brain dead alive indefinitely via machines and medication is the right thing to do?

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    Mute Iohanan
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    Jun 29th 2017, 10:40 PM

    @Karen Wellington: its interesting that you assert that science does not support the notion that a foetus is a person. If tomorrow scientists discovered that there was a molecule of living bacteria on Mars it would be considered the greatest ground breaking potentially human advancing discovery in history to date, yet a foetus which will in all likelihood develop into a human being is not to be considered as life by scientific standards? And I would ask you this: if someone were in a coma but according to doctors had a 50% chance of making a full recovery would you turn off life support? Yet in the case of a foetus we know scientifically that it will develop into a person. So on what grounds do you abort the foetus? I’ll tell you, on the grounds of the anti-principle, might is right.

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    Mute JMac
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    Jun 30th 2017, 2:36 AM

    @Atheos Euripides: that’s the only ammunition you have, rubbishing your oponents with personal abuse. Who would represent inocent babies from pro-death groups if they and their supporters didn’t.

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    Mute Karen Wellington
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    Jun 30th 2017, 7:12 AM

    @Iohanan: you just went ahead and ignored my hypothesis to answer one of your own, and a demented one at that; what doctor is going to say “there’s a 50% chance of recovery but we’re going to give you the option of pulling the plug”? If you’re just going to draw ridiculous parallels there’s probably not much point in explaining anything to you. However, a foetus has the potential to become a person, it’s not guaranteed (miscarriage, stillbirth, fatal fatal abnormalities, a woman’s choice not to bring into the world an unwanted child they have no way of supporting to further exacerbate an already strained system). Bacteria is considered a form of life, not sure what point you’re trying to make by ascertaining that, bacteria doesn’t get special protection at the expense of an adult woman.

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    Mute Richard Lippy Collins
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    Jun 29th 2017, 4:26 PM

    Complaints about being bias towards an issue are fair and welcome, when warranted. There was no bias. People were caught out lying and that is what was reported on. They exposed the lies that women are being told to scare them out of abortions. Did these complainant’s want someone to come on and back up the lies? I’m confused. #repealthe8th

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    Mute John B
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    Jun 29th 2017, 6:30 PM

    @Richard Lippy Collins: the type of balance they’re looking for is akin to insisting on having an astrologer on for balance when discussing astronomy.

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    Mute Larissa Caroline Nikolaus
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    Jun 29th 2017, 8:57 PM

    @John B: Or having a flat earther on, when discussing geology

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    Mute Tommy Browne
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    Jun 29th 2017, 4:05 PM

    Everything produced by RTE has a distinct lack of balance.

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    Mute Paul Fahey
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    Jun 29th 2017, 4:09 PM

    @Tommy Browne: says the man who was stumbling around yesterday. None of your dozens of online personas has any balance, more imbalanced it seems.

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    Mute Tommy Browne
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    Jun 29th 2017, 4:11 PM

    @Paul Fahey:
    Just deal with the substance of the article and less of the ad hominems..thanks.

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    Mute Tommy Browne
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    Jun 29th 2017, 4:12 PM

    In the interest of civilised debate.

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    Mute DaisyChainsaw
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    Jun 29th 2017, 5:50 PM

    Yeah Paul. Tommy and his pseudonyms don’t like homos.

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    Mute Deborah Behan
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    Jun 29th 2017, 7:53 PM

    @DaisyChainsaw: he he hee!

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    Mute The Bob
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    Jun 29th 2017, 5:24 PM

    Whatever about having to make sure that opinions on both sides of a debate based on opinions and wishes are heard, it is disingenuous to try and fake balance and present it as if both sides are equally valid. Were RTE to go out of their way to try and find someone that thinks abortions do give you breast cancer to “balance” the expert opinion of the gynecologist no matter how valid it is or if there is any evidence to the contrary? If they presented both of them sides as equally valid then I think they would actually be biased.

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    Mute Tony Murphy
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    Jun 30th 2017, 4:18 PM

    I boycott everything to do with RTE. got rid of radio stations in the car and phone. Would delete from the TV also if it was possible. Shouldn’t be made pay for the license with the tripe they produce. Let them fend for themselves and watch them go down the plughole

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