Norris had no option

DAVID Norris really only had one thing to consider before he bowed to the inevitable and withdrew from the Presidential race on Tuesday – and it was never whether or not he could secure the 20 nominations to earn him a place on the ticket.

In reality he’d have done well to hold on to half the 15 he thought he had. It was whether or not he still believed he was the best man for the job – and whether he was truly fit for high office. That may not be the way he described it in withdrawing from the race on Tuesday, but in a nutshell that’s what it came down to.

This had nothing whatsoever to do with his own sexuality, nor was it because this now infamous intervention on behalf of his former lover involved a young boy rather than a young girl.

It was simply that he used his office – and the office of the Seanad – to attempt to appeal for clemency to an Israeli court for a man convicted of the statutory rape of a minor.

It was because the compassion he showed for his former partner was in stark contrast to the lack of compassion he showed for his child victim.

It was because he was interfering into the affairs of another country – and while that is perfectly legal, it is equally not what we elect our Oireachtas members to do. And the fact that 90% of the population are debarred from electing Mr Norris or anyone else to the Seanad on the Trinity panel is another matter altogether.

At the very least Senator Norris had shown incredible political naivety on more than one occasion, and while his supporters may suggest he was blinded by love and motivated by his heart, that’s not in keeping with the role of the President either.

The fact that he then went to ground from the time this story broke until Tuesday afternoon also indicated a certain political naivety at the very least – or a failure to face up to a crisis, even more so when it’s one of his own making.

Perhaps he has spent too long around the hallowed surrounds of the Seanad, where his seat was secured last time by the acquiescence of a mere 5,471 graduates of one Irish college.

For more of this editorial see the Opinions pages of this week’s Tribunes.

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