A people’s president in a time of crisis

Published on 31 October 2011 at 11:57

Cover

Having secured the support of over a million voters to become the ninth President of Ireland, as the headline in Saturday’s Irish Times points out, Michael D. Higgins pledged to be a “president for all people”, and announced his immediate resignation from the Labour Party.

In the Irish Independent, columnist Brendan Keenan wonders about the awkwardness of this situation: “Now, he will be the people's chosen representative, but muzzled by the constitution he embodies while all kinds of things happen with which he is bound to disagree profoundly. Can anything be done, before he boils over in frustration or, worse, sinks into embittered silence?”

Nonetheless, Keenan concludes that the new president could play valuable role in selling government policy to the people. “The most difficult thing for the Government is to stitch together into something which can be presented as a strategy, the conflicting threads of reducing borrowing, protecting the most vulnerable, promoting exports and investment, and meeting the requirements of our lenders — whether troika or the markets.”

Receive the best of European journalism straight to your inbox every Thursday
Tags

Was this article useful? If so we are delighted!

It is freely available because we believe that the right to free and independent information is essential for democracy. But this right is not guaranteed forever, and independence comes at a cost. We need your support in order to continue publishing independent, multilingual news for all Europeans.

Discover our subscription offers and their exclusive benefits and become a member of our community now!

Are you a news organisation, a business, an association or a foundation? Check out our bespoke editorial and translation services.

Support independent European journalism

European democracy needs independent media. Join our community!

On the same topic