Elected Mayor For Dublin – First Candidate out of the blocks

Joe Higgins or Ciarán Cuffe please..

@Yixian wrote:

Joe Higgins or Ciarán Cuffe please..

As what?

ONQ.

Mayor of Dublin

I’m not convinced that Joe Higgins could work with anyone other than Joe Higgins; CC has undoubted qualities but his skill set although similar in background is far less well developed than Ruairi Quinn; envisage a scenario where CC goes to Europe for information on a particular municipal provision; Hi I’m CC a former Junior Minister in the Irish Government that oversaw financial armageddon.

Compare that to RQ; HI I’m RQ current VP & Treasurer of the European Socialist Party, Former Finance Minister during the sustainable phase of the boom and former chair of ECOFIN.

RQ is probably the only chance the City will get for a European weight politician with a built environment background and economic credibility.

@Yixian wrote:

Mayor of Dublin

Joe can only see the world from Joe’s point of view, although a socialist Mayor wringing his hands over the deshperate plight of the citizenry might play into the Governments hands nicely.

I have nothing against Ciaran Cuffe – its just that we have a Green Miniser making a mess of the Foreshore license for the Pooleg incinerator – we don’t need a Mayor backiing him up.

As for Ruairí Quinn – he’s one guy in the Dáil I have a lot of time for, and since I’ll be backing David Norris for President, Ruairí Quinn can be Mayor.

ONQ.

Ruairí Quinn was most impressive speaking on Prime Time a few weeks ago about the nature of the position, but principally on Dublin itself, about which he was passionate and eloquent. Most refreshing.

David Norris is ‘in conversation’ with Ursula Halligan tonight at 23.15, onq.

@GrahamH wrote:

Ruairí Quinn was most impressive speaking on Prime Time a few weeks ago about the nature of the position, but principally on Dublin itself, about which he was passionate and eloquent. Most refreshing.

David Norris is ‘in conversation’ with Ursula Halligan tonight at 23.15, onq.

Cheers Graham.

Yes, Ruairí cuts the mustard for me – urbane, a vast intellect and a well-experienced politician. Had his finger on the pulse in his day.
When the Fianna Fáil lads are taking the credit for the Celtic Tiger in years to come just remind them that Ruairí Quinn introduced the Economic Development Zones in the mid-nineties.
A great mayor-in-waiting, but only if the office gets some real teeth and claws.

I buttonholed David Norris recently in the Dáil coffee dock after a meeting to lobby for a review of the Building Control Act 2010 and he was as affable and good humoured in real life as he is in the media.
Norris punted a lone canoe for years about the atrocities in East Timor when there was no political capital to be made, purely on principle.

If I recall correctly, he had to put up with the same patronising good humour on the Late, Late Show speaking about East Timor, that Mannix Flynn had to when he spoke about the abuse of children in the Industrial Schools.
I used to disbelieve Mannix Flynn and – until I researched Kissinger’s authoriship of many atrocities – I confess didn’t think a whole lot about East Timor.

East Timor was another American-sponsored disaster, well-covered in Christopher Hitchens’ book “The Trial of Henry Kissinger”.
I think David Norris would make an excellent president.

As long as Ivor Callelly doesn’t run for either post, we’ll still be able to look Europe in the eye.

ONQ.

I could live with Ruairí Quinn as Mayor, though in truth the office holder will have little more power than the existing office holder.

Ideally the role of the new Mayor & Dublin City Manager should be subsumed, but the City Council seem determined to hold on to their coveted trophy post. God forbid the people of Dublin should determine who actually runs their city.

I’d be another vote for Ruairí Quinn

@Peter Fitz wrote:

I could live with Ruairí Quinn as Mayor, though in truth the office holder will have little more power than the existing office holder.

Ideally the role of the new Mayor & Dublin City Manager should be subsumed, but the City Council seem determined to hold on to their coveted trophy post. God forbid the people of Dublin should determine who actually runs their city.

Your only hope of getting real action from the elected mayor is to elect someone with a high enough media profile to be larger than the office. One only has to look at Mary Robinson in a role with no real power whatsoever; it would have been a very foolish politician or civil servant that would have tried to oppose her such was her ability to go right through the grey area to the edge of the line on any issue she wished to promote; despite her lack of statutory power.

With Pauls endorsement it seems that the bid seems to have near universal support on the board.