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David Norris to withdraw from presidential race?

by Frank Schnittger Tue Aug 2nd, 2011 at 05:47:39 AM EST

Three independent members of parliament have now withdrawn their support for the nomination of David Norris to run for President.  He needed 20 nominators and now is down from 15 to at best 12. Other supporters have gone to ground, and most of his campaign staff have resigned. Besides giving one interview to the Sunday Independent, the normally voluble David Norris is nowhere to be seen.  Joe Jackson, author of an otherwise sympathetic book David Norris, Trial by Media says he knows of other scandals waiting in the wings. It is not looking good for him.

I have very mixed feelings about my letter to the Editor (below the fold) being published. As usual, the Irish Independent have edited out the argument and printed only the conclusion. I actually surprised myself with my own conclusion in this case. Normally I am pig stubborn and will hold my position to the end.  David Norris would be a good President for many and a divisive figure for others. That's not always a bad thing, even in a largely ceremonial Presidency.

But I know David Norris slightly and have always been amazed that he should have considered himself a viable candidate for the Presidency.  Nothing to do with his sexuality, and everything to do with the narrow cultural niche he occupies in Irish society as a representative of what is still perceived to be a rather elitist university. Trinity College Dublin graduates still elect three senators to the Senate - a legacy of the time when it was an almost wholly protestant institution and there was a desire to include protestants in the newly independent Irish state.

I suppose the bottom line is that I don't think he will be elected, even if he still manages to secure a nomination.  He could do well on first preferences, but not achieve the lower preferences required to bring himself up to the 50% of the vote needed to win in a single seat constituency election.  

So the question becomes: will he do more harm than good to his cause by competing and losing, or withdrawing now with dignity. I have no problem with fighting a battle and losing - it seems to be the story of my life - but in this case my judgment, FWIW, and it is a finely balanced decision - would be that it would be for the best that he withdraw now.

What is remarkable is the affection in which Norris is held even by conservative Catholics, considering he once called Pope John Paul II an "instrument of evil" and Cardinal Ratzinger a Nazi. Perhaps, given what has been revealed since in terms of Vatican cover-ups of child sexual abuse, public opinion is finally catching up with him.

Some will put this controversy down to a Zionist conspiracy. Many others will put it down to homophobia: that if Norris or his former partner had been heterosexuals, this wouldn't have gained such prominence. But there have been gay ministers in Government before, and there is at least one in Government now, and it has rarely been an issue. I have no doubt there will be LGBT Ministers and perhaps Presidents in the future. Their campaigns will simply not be built around their sexual orientation.

And perhaps that is how it should be.

Past struggles hint at future problems - Letters, Opinion - Independent.ie

If we were to go back 15 years, which of us hasn't said and done things we now regret -- especially in defence of a loved one, or over a bottle of wine?

The question is: should a different standard be applied to potential heads of state who are supposed to be wise and popular figures that a large majority of people can identify with and be proud to have representing them abroad?

While I would have very much wanted a President who could have continued to push the boundaries of tolerance and acceptance towards those previously discriminated against, I am now reluctantly coming to the conclusion that Mr Norris is a man of great past struggles rather than a representative figure for the future.

Frank Schnittger

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David Norris to withdraw from presidential race? | 4 comments (4 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)
Regrets (none / 0)
I will be traveling shortly to a largely internet free zone and so will not be able to participate in any discussion here as much as I might want. Feel free to throw eggs in my absence.

Index of Frank's Diaries
by Frank Schnittger (mail Frankschnittger at hot male dotty communists) on Tue Aug 2nd, 2011 at 05:55:53 AM EST
Re: David Norris to withdraw? (none / 0)
Norris to make statement as his Áras campaign falters 1
Meanwhile, it has emerged that a number of letters written by Mr Norris on behalf of Mr Nawi have not come into the public domain. Ex-campaign workers said he wrote letters appealing for clemency for Mr Nawi to a range of public figures in Israel and beyond. After they were shown the letters last Thursday a number of Mr Norris's campaign team resigned.

Separately, the Israeli embassy in Dublin said allegations it had been involved in the publication of the letter written by Mr Norris to the court in Israel had "absolutely no foundation".

In a statement, the embassy said: "No such letter was or is in the possession of the embassy; as in Ireland, the judicial system in democratic Israel is entirely separate from the Government and Ministry of Foreign Affairs."



Index of Frank's Diaries
by Frank Schnittger (mail Frankschnittger at hot male dotty communists) on Tue Aug 2nd, 2011 at 09:51:44 AM EST
Re: David Norris to withdraw? (none / 0)
He's announced his withdrawal.

I guess it'll be some party hack then.

<engage apathy about who wins>

Not that I expected Norris to make it through a term without having to resign for provoking an incident of some kind, but it would have been entertaining and well-spoken.

by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Tue Aug 2nd, 2011 at 10:16:10 AM EST
[ Parent ]
David Norris withdraws (none / 1)
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/senator-admits-plea-for-mercy-was-wrong-2837825.html
Mr Norris broke his silence yesterday to condemn Nawi's "disgraceful behaviour" and apologise to his supporters for forgetting to tell them about his letters seeking clemency.

"In one sense, he was the love of my life. And you don't stop loving someone, whatever their flaws and faults were," he said.

Mr Norris (67) announced the end of his campaign outside his Georgian home in North Great George's Street, Dublin, after admitting that he had given the impression of not showing enough compassion for Nawi's young victim.

"It is very sad that in trying to help a person I loved dearly I made a human error," he said.

Speaking from his residence in Jerusalem last night, Mr Nawi declined to comment on Senator Norris's resignation.

He said: "Thank you no, I am not prepared to (speak)" before hanging up.

Mr Norris did not blame members of his campaign team for quitting in protest at his failure to alert them to the existence of the letter.

He also said he was not angry with the three Independent TDs who withdrew their support -- and therefore doomed his bid to get the 20 Oireachtas signatures he needed to get into the race.

The technical group of Independent TDs is now searching for a new candidate. Independent Dublin North Central TD Finian McGrath said they had "four or five names" in mind.

"Attempts are being made to find a strong credible Independent candidate to carry the Independent banner," he said.



Index of Frank's Diaries
by Frank Schnittger (mail Frankschnittger at hot male dotty communists) on Thu Aug 4th, 2011 at 07:40:16 AM EST
David Norris to withdraw from presidential race? | 4 comments (4 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)


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