Independent presidential candidate Catherine Connolly has sharply criticised Conor McGregor’s bid for the presidency, saying the former MMA fighter is not be fit to hold the office.
In an interview with the Irish Examiner, Ms Connolly outlined her opposition to Mr McGregor’s presidential bid.
“I don’t think any woman would think that man is fit to be anything, given his history and his record,” Ms Connolly said.
Her comments come as Mr McGregor has formally sought to appear before Dublin City Council to seek a nomination for the presidency.
Mr McGregor is due to appear before a meeting of the council on September 15, when they hold a special meeting to interrogate candidates.
Ms Connolly said that while she does not believe Mr McGregor is fit for the office, there should be a discussion on changing the nomination process for the presidency, but added that her “instinctive conservative reaction” is to leave the process as is, with the requirement for either 20 Oireachtas nominations or the backing of four councils.
She also argued for extending the right to vote in presidential elections to Northern Ireland, but was more cautious about extending the franchise to individuals living abroad.
“I think there should be a discussion, a rational discussion, around how we could extend the franchise, but there are consequences and implications for that.”
She acknowledged that it is “most unfair” on individuals who are out of the country for a short period of time to lose their vote.
On her own plans for the presidency, Ms Connolly said one of her first foreign visits would be to Palestine to “stand in solidarity with the people”.
We’re at a point in our history where we need to stand up and say what is right and what is wrong. We have genocide unfolding in front of our eyes and it’s simply wrong.
She believes the world is at a “very dangerous crossroads”, as large countries, such as the US and Russia, edge back towards being “empires”.
Ms Connolly strongly criticised the Government for its move to dismantle the triple lock for deploying Irish troops abroad.
“We as a nation have always respected and honoured the UN. That we should be part of the dismantling of it is absolutely appalling and unacceptable for me,” Ms Connolly said.
Ms Connolly is critical of all countries who have used the UN Security Council veto, but said Ireland primarily would call out Russia for its veto usage, under her presidency.
“If we’re talking about credibility as a country, then we need to call out all powers that misuse their veto.
“Russia was the enemy and America was our ally. It’s more difficult to keep that binary distinction now because it’s so blatant that they’re [the US] using their veto stop the peacekeeping force [in Lebanon],” Ms Connolly said.
She said debates in the Dáil should be on how to face up to the bullies that are the US and Russia.
Questioned if she believed the US, under Donald Trump, was an ally of Ireland, Ms Connolly did not answer directly but described the country as a “colonising empire”.
“The language has been reduced to ‘you’re for us, or you’re against us’, which is dangerous and worrying and will not help democracy.
“We’re back to siding with empires and that’s why we need Ireland to use its voice,” Ms Connolly said.
Catherine Connolly said one of her first foreign visits would be to Palestine to ‘stand in solidarity with the people’. Picture: Gareth Chaney
Ms Connolly also criticised the use of a “coalition of the willing” — to facilitate peace negotiation attempts to end the war in Ukraine — by European states.
“We’re back to language like the “coalition of the willing” that was just so terrible actually. It was used in the illegal invasion of Iraq,” she added.
On her nomination of Gemma O’Doherty for the 2018 presidential election, Ms Connolly said while she has “many regrets”, she did not regret her decision at the time.
“One can’t regret making a decision as best they could at that time. Gemma O’Doherty had been a good journalist, she had been recognised for that.
“Quite clearly at that point she was saying things, and more so afterwards, that would be unacceptable to me.”
Ms Connolly stressed that she did not endorse Ms O’Doherty’s campaign.
Put to her that many people would view a nomination as an endorsement for Ms O’Doherty’s campaign, Ms Connolly said she agreed it could be interpreted as such.
“I’ve taken every opportunity to point out that’s not a correct interpretation,” Ms Connolly argued.
About her controversial visit to Syria, Ms Connolly reiterated she travelled to the country on a “fact finding mission” and never supported the regime in place.
She described seeing “utter destruction” the Al Yarmouk camp in Damascus and that it changed her forever.
“I went with a horror of dictatorships. I mean, if it wasn’t so serious, it would be funny that I would be accused of supporting a dictatorship,” Ms Connolly said.
On her platform for the presidency, Ms Connolly said the country is now at a “very different” point in its history compared to when Michael D Higgins was elected in 2011.
“We’re facing a housing crisis which is just an obscenity, and it has been normalised. We’re part of a world order that has facilitated and normalised genocide,” Ms Connolly said.
She said the Government is going “backwards” on efforts to tackle climate change, and those issues would be “uppermost” in her mind throughout the campaign.
While Ms Connolly praised Labour for backing her presidential bid, she would not be drawn on her previous comments that the party had “lost its soul”.
“It’s not a question of what I think of Labour, or what Labour thinks of me, or indeed what Alan Kelly thinks,” Ms Connolly said.
“This is about a presidential election, whether I have the characteristics to be president of Ireland. The good thing about that is the people of Ireland will decide that.