Martin McGuinness President Of Ireland

Sceala Philosopher Location: So Cal

Can Martin McGuinness become the next President Of Ireland. Martin McGuinness sure has earned the right to run for President. This was the brave leader of the Irish in Northern Ireland, back in the dark days when the British made it a apartheid state.
Martin McGuinness President Of Ireland can follow Nelson Mandella President of South Africa.
Sounds awesome.

This is a very interesting reflection of what it was like in Northern Ireland for Irish.
When questioned about his past, Mr McGuinness did admit to his membership of the IRA.

“I was shocked when I saw my father march in 1968, it told me something was wrong with Derry. People had been treated like second and third class citizens. What was the response from the British? It was to beat people up, to bring in the British Army who then murdered people on the streets.

“I joined the IRA, I have never denied that.” He denied he ever killed anybody but did not directly answer if he ordered anybody to be killed.

“In 1974 an ITN journalist went on the news and said I had boasted that I killed eight British soldiers in the Bogside. It was a total and absolute lie. I had never boasted of such a thing, if I was to talk about what I did when I was in the IRA, I can see tomorrow’s headlines ‘McGuinness boasts’, I am not going to do that.

"I have plenty of regrets of the fact there was almost 25 years of conflict in which many people lost their lives. I dedicated my life when I first entered electoral politics almost 30 years ago, to bring conflict to an end.”

Mr McGuinness spoke about the fact he will not be representing any political party during the election and responded to accusations this week by Gay Byrne that he was "a liar”.

“I made my peace with Ian Paisley and Peter Robinson and many Unionist leaders. It’s disappointing when you hear these comments, because others are not as advanced in their thinking as Ian Paisley and Peter Robinson are. It means there is a deficit in their minds around the whole concept of peace making. It’s as if they feel they have no contribution to make, only a negative one. I’m disappointed that that would be said.”

He added that he had been to such places as the Oval Office in the White and to Iraq and as a guest of Nelson Mandela. “I would not be invited to participate in these things if I was a liar. I would hope that people that much such intemperate remarks would recognise that they too have a responsibility to make peace. If Ian Paisley and Peter Robinson can make peace with me, then it is incumbent on Gay Byrne to try and do the same.”

Addressing the subject of his membership of the IRA, Mr McGuinness said he had no other option growing up and if elected would only take an average industrial wage.

“I grew up in the Bogside with people who were treated as second class citizens. People were beaten up on the streets, people were shot on the streets by the British army and by the RUC. Many young people like myself found ourselves conflicted by all of that. We took life changing decisions, but I never contemplated growing up in that environment I would be a candidate for the Presidency of my country.

“I am not representing any political party, I am there in my own right. That’s why I took the decision, because I have control over it. I earn £112,000 a year as Deputy First Minister, that money is not paid into my bank account, it is paid into Sinn Féin. We use it to open Sinn Féin offices in Kerry and Cork and all over the place.

"I live on an average wage of about £300 a week, I am happy to donate that money to Sinn Féin to promote Irish Republican politics. This is different, I am not representing Sin Féin, I took the decision that the vast majority of that money will go back to the Irish people. The best way I can show we can move forward from the terrible era of greed and selfishness is if I am prepared to share in the pain.”

These Irish President poll look favorable.
Martin McGuinness topped a flash poll on the Joe Duffy show today with 5,947 votes.
However, David Norris, who now looks unlikely to get nominated on to the ballot paper for the presidential election, was just over 200 votes behind him at 5,732 votes.
Fine Gael’s Gay Mitchell got 2,668 votes, followed by Independent Mary Davis at 2,314 and Michael D. Higgins at 2,194.
Dana secured 1,424 votes and Sean Gallagher came in last at 1,290 votes.

Controversial candidate for the Republic of Ireland's Presidency Martin McGuinness has topped a flash poll carried out by state broadcaster RTE with 5947 votes.

Martin McGuinness was well out in front in 96FM text poll.
Irish Presidential election candidate Martin McGuinness says , he doesn`t put much stock in opinion polls even though most have him well placed to win next month`s contest ... A text poll carried out by 96FM today puts the North`s Deputy First Minister well out in front on 61% with David Norris his nearest challenger on 15% .. 2 ,241 votes were cast in just over an hour on the Neil Prendeville Show . Mr McGuinness welcomed the support but said the real poll is on election day , and he wouldn`t be drawn on who might present him with his biggest challenge ...

Michael McDowell on Martin McGuinness President of Ireland

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Martin McGuinness President Of Ireland