Heather Humphreys’ reported remarks to the Thomas D’Arcy McGee summer school in Carlingford the other day were fairly shocking – claiming that her heavy defeat in last year’s Irish presidential election was down to her identity as a southern Presbyterian being ‘weaponised by a minority.’
The former deputy leader of Fine Gael was speaking about her failed presidential bidfor the first time, where, despite starting well, she came second to Catherine Connolly with just 29% of the vote.
Mrs Humphreys claimed her and her family were on the receiving end of ‘toxic, targeted, sectarian abuse.’ This came in the form of ‘malicious online smears’ as well as ‘ false assertions designed to paint my tradition as inherently un-Irish or incompatible with modern civic life.’
She told delegates: ‘Like many of you, I truly believed our country had moved past that kind of tribal prejudice. It sent a deep, troubling statement to Protestant, Unionist and Loyalist communities across this island,’ she said.
‘It forced them to look at the Republic and ask themselves, is there truly a place for us here? Or is the New Ireland simply riddled with the prejudice of the old?’
In her view, there needed to be much stronger online regulation to protect politicians. ‘We must use the full wave of Irish and European digital regulation, to ensure that platforms can no longer act as safe harbours for targeted sectarian abuse against public figures and their families.’
She also said that last year’s campaign exposed a hierarchy of Irishness: ‘If someone is not fluent in the Irish language, or comes from a particular faith, tradition or cultural background, does that make them any less Irish?’ she asked.
I quote her remarks at length as they deserve proper scrutiny and rebuttal.
First off, Heather Humphreys ran a dreadful presidential campaign. She was a poor candidate and a weak communicator. And she had clearly not given any serious thought to what she was going to say when her and her husband’s previous associations with the Orange Order – historical though they were (she went to events,he was a member at one point) – came to light.
That was the nub of her problem.
The smart move would have been to say that the Order felt like a more benign entity in her early years growing up in heavily-Protestant Drum, County Monaghan. More cultural than political – but that she came to recognise that its role in Irish public life is in fact more malign and destructive.
In a political campaign, issues are black and white and Humphreys did not – would not – clarify her position sufficiently. Obviously, people are entitled to change or modify their views, but Humphreys’ campaign was incredibly muddled over conveying that she had done so – leaving open the question about whether in fact she even had.
Equally, Irish voters are perfectly within their rights to make a decision about whether such a candidate is the right person to elevate as First Citizen of their Republic. Indeed, maintaining any affiliation with the inherently divisive Orange Order is a quixotic affiliation for someone to hold on to while hoping to be President of Ireland.
And I’m sorry, but it just doesn’t wash that to be a Protestant in Ireland is synonymous with supporting the Orange. Is Humphreys suggesting that the marker of whether or not Ireland is ‘sectarian’ is the Irish having to learn to love the OO? Is it not enough to merely accept that a minority on the island of Ireland does so and to let them get on with it, if they wish?
None of which is to justify online trolls having a go at Mrs Humphreys, but welcome to modern politics. I watched the campaign closely and much of what I saw would be regarded as fair game. And while we’re at it, not bothering to learn the language of the state you hope to lead is a pretty bad look – and, again, symptomatic of a failing candidate.
Finally, in a row back from commitments she made during the presidential campaign, Mrs Humphreys appeared to pour cold water over Irish unity: ‘The truth is, a lot of people in the Republic aren’t particularly engaged about the North. They’re worried about the normal day to day realities of life,’ she told delegates.
‘The vast majority of people aren’t spending their days contemplating when a border poll might happen, or what a so-called United Ireland might look like,’ she added.
In summary: The Irish are sectarian. Learn to love the OO. I don’t want to learn the language. Regulate the internet from criticising me. And Irish unity doesn’t matter.
President Connolly was inevitable.
Heather Humphreys’ reported remarks to the Thomas D’Arcy McGee summer school in Carlingford the other day were fairly shocking – claiming that her heavy defeat in last year’s Irish presidential election was down to her identity as a southern Presbyterian being ‘weaponised by a minority.’
The former deputy leader of Fine Gael was speaking about her failed presidential bidfor the first time, where, despite starting well, she came second to Catherine Connolly with just 29% of the vote.
Mrs Humphreys claimed her and her family were on the receiving end of ‘toxic, targeted, sectarian abuse.’ This came in the form of ‘malicious online smears’ as well as ‘ false assertions designed to paint my tradition as inherently un-Irish or incompatible with modern civic life.’
She told delegates: ‘Like many of you, I truly believed our country had moved past that kind of tribal prejudice. It sent a deep, troubling statement to Protestant, Unionist and Loyalist communities across this island,’ she said.
‘It forced them to look at the Republic and ask themselves, is there truly a place for us here? Or is the New Ireland simply riddled with the prejudice of the old?’
In her view, there needed to be much stronger online regulation to protect politicians. ‘We must use the full wave of Irish and European digital regulation, to ensure that platforms can no longer act as safe harbours for targeted sectarian abuse against public figures and their families.’
She also said that last year’s campaign exposed a hierarchy of Irishness: ‘If someone is not fluent in the Irish language, or comes from a particular faith, tradition or cultural background, does that make them any less Irish?’ she asked.
I quote her remarks at length as they deserve proper scrutiny and rebuttal.
First off, Heather Humphreys ran a dreadful presidential campaign. She was a poor candidate and a weak communicator. And she had clearly not given any serious thought to what she was going to say when her and her husband’s previous associations with the Orange Order – historical though they were (she went to events,he was a member at one point) – came to light.
That was the nub of her problem.
The smart move would have been to say that the Order felt like a more benign entity in her early years growing up in heavily-Protestant Drum, County Monaghan. More cultural than political – but that she came to recognise that its role in Irish public life is in fact more malign and destructive.
In a political campaign, issues are black and white and Humphreys did not – would not – clarify her position sufficiently. Obviously, people are entitled to change or modify their views, but Humphreys’ campaign was incredibly muddled over conveying that she had done so – leaving open the question about whether in fact she even had.
Equally, Irish voters are perfectly within their rights to make a decision about whether such a candidate is the right person to elevate as First Citizen of their Republic. Indeed, maintaining any affiliation with the inherently divisive Orange Order is a quixotic affiliation for someone to hold on to while hoping to be President of Ireland.
And I’m sorry, but it just doesn’t wash that to be a Protestant in Ireland is synonymous with supporting the Orange. Is Humphreys suggesting that the marker of whether or not Ireland is ‘sectarian’ is the Irish having to learn to love the OO? Is it not enough to merely accept that a minority on the island of Ireland does so and to let them get on with it, if they wish?
None of which is to justify online trolls having a go at Mrs Humphreys, but welcome to modern politics. I watched the campaign closely and much of what I saw would be regarded as fair game. And while we’re at it, not bothering to learn the language of the state you hope to lead is a pretty bad look – and, again, symptomatic of a failing candidate.
Finally, in a row back from commitments she made during the presidential campaign, Mrs Humphreys appeared to pour cold water over Irish unity: ‘The truth is, a lot of people in the Republic aren’t particularly engaged about the North. They’re worried about the normal day to day realities of life,’ she told delegates.
‘The vast majority of people aren’t spending their days contemplating when a border poll might happen, or what a so-called United Ireland might look like,’ she added.
In summary: The Irish are sectarian. Learn to love the OO. I don’t want to learn the language. Regulate the internet from criticising me. And Irish unity doesn’t matter.
President Connolly was inevitable.