Would you like to see him stay on as President?
President Michael D. Higgins was a guest on the Late Late Show this week and aside from being his usual charming self, Uachtarán na hÉireann revealed that he’s considering another term in office.
When Higgins was elected 2011, he stated that he would be a one-term president, however, he told Ryan Tubridy that he will make an announcement on his future at “the appropriate time”.
During his term as President, Higgins has accepted a United Nations invitation to be a global champion for the rights of women and girls, wrote to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to request a voluntary reduction in pay (he currently earns a yearly salary close to €250,000) and participated in the first state visit to the United Kingdom by an Irish President.
G'Wan Michael D! pic.twitter.com/iNqnlquoGY
— Dave Matthews (@davepmatthews) June 22, 2016
Aside from being a strong patron of Irish sport, culture and the arts, Higgins has also taken a stand on social issues, describing homophobia and racism in Ireland as a “blight on society”. While the presidency is largely a ceremonial and ambassadorial office, they do exercise certain powers with absolute discretion, the most important being their role in signing bills into law.
While the majority of Irish people seem content with our President, some are vehemently opposed to the former leader of the Labour Party and it’s predominantly to do with the Water Services Bill 2014.
Granted, we know that politics is a divisive issue where no two people see things the same way, however, some of the comments on the JOE Facebook page following Higgins’ appearance on the Late Late Show were particularly strong.
Some people have even felt that Higgins “sold out” his principles as a man of the people and betrayed his Labour roots.
In 2004, when Mary McAleese decided to run for a second term, she was unopposed. Using these remarks as a barometer, would you like to see President Higgins continue on for another term as Uachtarán na hÉireann?
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