WELL, there you have have it..what a truly amazing presidential election it was.
The people have spoken, most of them anyway, to put Michael D Higgins
in the Park.
Even those who didn't vote for him can rest assured he will live up to
his campaign slogan and be a President to be proud of.
It has been a remarkable journey from a troubled childhood to the
highest State office in the land.
As a five-year-old in Limerick, he was packed off to be reared by an
uncle and aunt in Clare as his mother struggled with the ailing health
of his father.
His harsh upbringing, which he never brought up to endear himself to
the electorate, was a spur for the young ESB clerk to further his
education and enter politics.
It was obviously something that he strongly identified with as the
renowned human rights and civil liberties champion canvassed
throughout the country.
A fervent left-winger with a common touch despite his intellectual
interests he spoke in his weekend victory speech of the pain he saw
and felt in the Irish people.
He bemoaned the careless values that "that brought us to such a sorry
pass in social and economic terms".
The eloquent, soon to be ex-Labour grandee, pledged that the four
pillars of his seven-year stint would be an inclusive citizenship,
equality and participation and respect in a creative society.
But it was a promise that the President-elect would never have had the
chance of making if it wasn't for the ambush that slayed Dragon Sean
Gallagher's dream.
Supporters of the poll-topping entrepreneur abandoned him in droves
when he uttered the emotive 'envelope' word after Martin McGuinness
accused the then favourite of being a Fianna Fail bagman.
Most of them switched to Higgins, something that prompted the cheeky
quip from Gerry Adams to Eamon Gilmore that "you owe us big time now!"
And it was hard to disagreed with the gloating Sinn Fein boss, well
pleased that they had sunk what many reckoned was a Fianna Failer in
Independent clothes, or as one pundit referred to the Cavan man - a
Fianna Falser.
It wasn't evident that the hatchet job had succeeded until the ballot
boxes were opened on Friday morning.
Almost immediately it was clear that Higgins would triumph, though it
took a day-and-a-half long wait for the inevitable official result
The international news agency Reuters reported that Mr Higgns'
"statesman-like poise stood him in good stead during a grubby campaign
full of personal mud-slinging"
The world was told how a former culture minister and part-time poet
comfortably saw off the challenge of a reality TV star and an ex-IRA
commander.
There were scenes of great joy when a delighted Mr Higgins arrived at
the Dublin Castle count centre expressing how happy and overwhelmed he
was.
He might not have said it, but he was mightily relieved also, as his
tireless 14 month campaign was becalmed when Gallagher sailed by him
before hitting the rocks.
The diminutive peace activist was almost smothered when swamped a
battery of cameramen jostling to capture the beaming winner and his
entourage, but he looked to have effortlessly adapted to is new role.
The soft-spoken Gaeilgeor easy manner will suit the ceremonial nature
of the presidency and after a lifetime in the glare of public life
here won't be any embarrassing skeletons ion his closet.
When the dirt was being racked on his rivals, the best the begrudgers
could come up with was that he smoked cannabis as a student in the US.
And as recently as last year he turned the airwaves blue with a
shocking rant at US shock jock MIchael Graham urging the obnoxious
chat show host "to be proud to be a decent American, rather than be
just a w..ker whipping up fear".
It was very un-presidential language alright that we certainly won't
hear any more of.
But while he's still plain Micheal D ahead of inauguration on
11/11/11, it worth sharing one little gem that emerged as the results
came through.
Recalling that recently married Sean Gallagher didn't rule out the
possibility of starting a family if he took up residence in the Park,
a wag remarked that we will now definitely hear the pitter patter of
tiny feet in the Aras.
Posts
