World of Politics with Harry McGee

Michael D Higgins has two years or so left of his presidency, and for an octogenarian politician, he shows little sign of slowing down – rather it looks like he is determined he will leave with a bang rather than a whimper.

You would have to be a very dim student of politics not to notice how much more political the President has been in his second term.

In recent times, his comments have seemed closer in some senses to the outstanding Labour Party politician he once was, rather than the supposedly effete apolitical president.

Presidents of Ireland are expected to keep their political opinions to themselves, to be above politics; that means they cannot be subject to criticism from parliament or the Executive, but the other side of the coin is that they try not to say anything too political themselves.

That was grand up until the 1970s. Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh was a pioneering Chief Justice who became President in the mid-1970s after Erskine Childers died in office.

The Government in place was a Fine Gael and Labour coalition which went very big on the whole law and order thing, and especially went after paramilitaries. I

t was in that atmosphere that the ‘heavy gang’ operated within the gardaí: they were alleged to have beaten confessions out of suspected IRA members.

Liam Cosgrave’s government also introduced some very strong emergency powers (one of those from that era, the non-jury Special Criminal Court, is still with us).

When Ó Dalaigh had the temerity to refer a piece of emergency legislation to the Supreme Court to test its constitutionality it did not go down well with Fine Gael ministers.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App

Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.

Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.

Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite  HERE.

Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.