David Norris launches bid to become Irish president and world’s first gay head of state
These comments are un-moderated and do not necessarily represent the views of PinkNews.co.uk. If you believe that a comment is inappropriate or libellous please click "Report" or email us. Terms and Conditions · Privacy Policy
London: Gay couple threatened with death in violent late night homophobic assault
141
Government considers watered down same-sex marriage bill to minimise Tory rebellion
133
UK: Card Factory accused of homophobia for selling offensive 'fag' birthday card
103
Tory MP Gerald Howarth: 'There are plenty in the aggressive homosexual community who want more than just same-sex marriage'
95
France: Far right activist commits suicide in Notre Dame following legalisation of equal marriage
93
Philip Hammond: 'No great demand for gay marriage and it's upsetting vast numbers of people'
73
Norman Tebbit: David Cameron has 'f**** things up' with his equal marriage bill
66
Tory MP Sir Gerald Howarth defends 'aggressive homosexual community' equal marriage slur
65
US church blames Woolwich suspected terror killing on UK acceptance of gay people
64
David Cameron: Gay teenagers will stand that bit taller following equal marriage vote
63
Robert in S. Kensington 722
GulliverUK 361
Midnighter 352
D.McCabe 348
Mark Y 327
Jock S. Trap 324
Iris 307
That There Other David 292
Sasha 288
Rehan 274
There is already an openly gay head of state in Iceland
Er, no she is the prime minister. The president of Iceland is not gay
Yes, but Iceland’s head of state is largely ceremonial. Their lesbian prime minister is the head of government, ‘holds the reigns of power’ and all that.
As is Irelands Head of state Mary McAleese, who has much the same powers as Queen Elizabeth of the UK with the exception of the Opening of Parliment which in Ireland is carried out by the Ceann Comhairle or speaker.
Ok I got it wrong …
That’s one more in the eye for Iris Robinson if he gets elected then!
@ Flapjack …. whose this she used to be again. Oh yea, i just remembered .Thats the adulturist christian homophobe who got caught out having it away with a teenage boy while at the same time telling GLBs that they were an abomination and intrinsically disordered and that she knew a”nice psychcologist person in my office” who could turn them straight. Presumably to be an christian adulturer like her. Didn’t she end up in a nut house??
Paddyswurds – more to the point isn’t David Norris going for the top job her husband once had?
Don’t you just love it when the planets align in such a way that you have about 5 bits of poetic justice all piling in on top of each other. This would just be like rubbing her face in it.
Not that I like to gloat… but HAA HAAAA ;)
Different part of the island – Robinson was First Minister of Northern Ireland.
I stand corrected – still, it’s not like Iris doesn’t have enough egg on her face as it is!
no he’s going for president in irish republic not leader at stormount. The irish president is like a ceremonial role like our royals but they have democracy so can elect who they consider suitable , whereas we don’t have a choice and are stuck with charles n camilla..
@ rapture….more like stuck with Willie and Kate. If Lizzie Saxe-Coburg & Gotha lives as long as her mother Charlie will be too old and has already said he’s not interested any more.
@paddyswurds
I hope you’re right, think wills and kate would be a better choice
and whilst there are certain parts of the monarchy that I like and feel are peculiarly British and good, I instincitvely feel we would be represented better by a democratically elected head of state …
@ Flapjack…….No, Peter Robison, her husband is first minister in the devolved government of the north of Ireland,the Six Counties or the part still under British rule, contrary to the wishes of the majority of the people of Ireland.The country was partitioned by the British in 1922 after a democratic poll of the people had voted against partition but which was ruled invalid by the British when they lost. David Norris will be President of the Irish Republic,or the 26 counties, which was constituted after that partition.
Peter Robinson shares the first ministers job with Republican Martin McGuiness, who will probably become first minister after this years elections as his Party, Sinn Fein, becomes the largest party. It will be the first time since partition that a nationalist party will hold the top job in the north of Ireland Government . That in itself will be a huge blow to Mrs Robinson, as she is a member of the DUP a deeply anti Nationalist party of which her cuckolded …
…husband Peter is leader and current First Minister. Mrs Robinson lost all her government jobs when she was found out to be a homophobic bible quoting bigot who was however an adultress at the same time as she was preaching xtian homophobia on national radio. She believes that sexuality can be changed to suit whatever the ancient fiction she follows says. she has been in a psychriatric hospital for the last two years in an attempt to cure her bigotry and homophobia. I hope this clears up any confusion about the setup in Ireland for you.
But this one is a cute daddy bear
Thought Iceland had a gay head of state…?
Read till the end of the article. She is the prime minister. The president is straight
Talking about this position being ceremonial, I don’t even know what Mary McAleese looks like!
You’ll find some photos here :)
http://www.president.ie/index.php?section=20&lang=eng
Mary McAleese is a fantastic woman. I met her once and she was charming, gracious, extremely intelligent and genuinely interested in what I had to say to her.
She was a working class woman who was told as a teenager she couldn’t become a lawyer because she was a woman and working class. She became a lawyer! How about that for a role model for anyone, gay or straight! She’s done well as President. Senator Norris would be the best possible choice to follow her.
@ Rose…… For once something we agree on.
WE don’t agree on anything.
@Rose ….pedantic. Well then, I agree with you on this occasion re: Mary McAleese.
@Paddyswurds
As a Brit who has always been fond of the island of Ireland I find Mary McAleese inspiring and charming.
I agree with both you and Rose on this one
@Lucius…how on earth did you miss her in 14 years . She is never off the TV news wearing that awful camel coat, David Norris will i hope bring a smidgen of style to the Office. Can i be your Consort David??
She wore a black coat and dress to the Annual Arbour Hill commemoration where I met her. She dresses perfectly respectably. Not that it matters. She is president of a soivereign nation not Posh Spice.
@ Rose …. I don’t recall anyone ever saying that she didn’nt dress respectably. I just don’t like the camel coat she wears quite a lot. It is redundant to remind me that Ireland is a soverign nation or that she is President. If you are attempting to goad me you are failing miserably. However i will say that you are displaying typical lesbian misandry. Get down off you high horse, you are now on a different thread.
I’m not interested in goading you. I’ve got better things to do.
Yet again you’ve made assumptions about me. Even on Pink I don’t necessarily have to be a lesbian. I could be bi, trans, or a mother/sister/child of a gay person or just a really huge fan of John Barrowman who sympathises with gay issues! Rose might even be a humorous nickname for a gay man for all you know. Or maybe I’m none of the above. Anyway, the idea that only a lesbian would be offended by men criticising the way a woman dresses is a stereotype I wouldn’t expect here on a gay forum. What matters is that an intelligent, educated woman held the highest place in Irish society, camel coat and all. Look beyond her clothes is what I’m saying.
How about you stop making assumptions about me, and I’ll reserve judgement about you and your brand of Irish Republicanism.
@ Rose i seem to remember you spoke of your girlfriend on the other thread, but if i’m wriong , do excuse me. You talk of making assumptions and then go on to make some silly ones. Firstly it was nothing to do with Mary’s coat that made make the comment about misandry, just your general tone and your apparant need to name drop. I can, contrary to female assumptions about men, do several things at once and i have always admired Mrs McAleese as well as see her bad dress sense and all. And finally you assume that because i have issues with British Imperialism that that makes me some “brand”of Irish Republican. As it happens i am a very proud and registered Irish Republican of the mainstream sort and am an enthusiastic supporter of Sinn Fein…Provisional that is . Please, please don’t feel that you need to reply. I would rather you didn’t.
Well, she may always be on your telly, but I’m watching a different telly on the other side of Europe. And in all my years of following BBC News website I have only recently come across her name – in an article about the Queen’s visit!
Funnily enough, I could sketch the mugs of Brian Cowen and Enda Kenny in my sleep. :D
‘Lucius… try http://www.rte.ie website for news of Ireland. BBC rarely mentions Ireland and totally ignores the Republic of when broadcasting things like the weather.
You have my deepest sympathy re the mugs of Biffo Cowen and Ms. Enda Kenny as an American tv reporter called him. Possible therapy might help to rid you of that awful affliction …lol
“Ms. Enda Kenny”? Seriously, somebody thought Enda was a girl’s name? What picture were THEY looking at?
Thanks for that link! I’d been visiting The Irish Times website regularly but it got too much during last year’s meltdown and I never returned. I just couldn’t bear the utter pain and desperation of people commenting under Morgan Kelly’s somber articles.
I get soppy like that sometimes. Don’t judge.
I think I referred to a ‘partner’ on a thread somewhere, not a girlfriend. Paddy, again you miss my main point. which is STOP making assumptions.
Flapjack, not knowing the difference between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland is a bit short-sighted of you. It’s WHY Paddy is so uptight about Irish politics and history. Britain IS inextricably linked to Irish history, but British people for the most part blithely ignore everything about the country except the odd Enya album and a booze up on March 17th.
And Lucius, try not to think of Brian Cowen or Enda Kenny in your sleep. They’ll give you nightmares. ;)
@ rose…i’m extremely bored with you misandric grumpiness now and really concerned with your near psycotic need to name drop. You need watching by a health care professional…… Now go away and leave the adults alone.
I’m going nowhere. So keep your peronal insults to yourself, Paddy.
@Rose
You criticise Paddyswurds for making assumptions then you make sweeping generalizations saying that the British people blithely ignore everything about Ireland … not this Brit … thank you
Does the consort have to be Irish or will any EU citizen do, because I’m prepared to be interviewed lol
Surely the pope is gay. Maybe not, of course.
The vatican can hardly be called a State except by itself of course. I
and Italy and the USA …
closet cases don’t really count. this one is going to be out, woot woot!
Well this will make the popes Ireland trips hilarious.
No, it will make them interesting when President Norris meets him with quiet dignity as befits the leader of a proud nation.
@Scott… cant wait … Can you imagine
I doubt he has any plans to return there after the abuse scandal.
Besides the Irish would have a riot if they had to pay for his security arrangements at the moment with how their economy is.
There is a lot more to Ireland than paying lip service to Roman Catholicism. Or I’d have given up on the place completely by now.
i agree i had a riot in ireland and find the people in london more obsessed with religion, and found irish people to be much more moderate in their views.
@rapture
I totally agree with you on that point
The Irish are delightful and laid back and lack obsession – apart from craik and beer … Am sure there are exceptions but my experiences of Ireland have been great
@Tigra 07 There would be riots if he dared defile Irish soil with his ex N*zi Paedo protecting feet. Anyway only about 22% of former Irish Catholics now are practicing their faith. Most Irish people have realised that the whole Abrahamic mythology thing is and was a fiction designed to control them and defile their children.
Wishing all the best!
Michael
CCO OutMaturity
Really hope he gets it. Id love to have a gay president. Would be so funny having the bigotted head of some states meet him. Especially the pope who i hate.
“When asked by reporters if Ireland is ready for an openly gay president, Mr Norris said: “I don’t see myself as a gay president, I see myself as a president who happens to be gay.””
I think that’s an important point from him. He is running for president of Ireland, not just gay Ireland.
Meh. Plastic Paddy for an essentially superficial role.
@CYMB…and?
that would be akin to prince philip.
@CMBY
I do not think you fully understand the meaning of the word “plastic paddy”. It certainly cannot be applied to someone who is Irish and living in Ireland. In vernacular terms, they are actually a “paddy”. Look it up.
As for ceremonial role, I beg to differ. To the most part, perhaps, but the role is an important one in a democratic country, as the President may refer a bill, in whole or part, to the Supreme Court to test its constitutionality, and if the Supreme Court finds any referred part unconstitutional, the entire bill falls. Most so called democracies, even in Europe, do not elect their premier citizen.
I’d suggest you get your fact right before dazzling us with your erudite knowledge of Ireland.
“In vernacular terms, they are actually a “paddy” ”
Wrong. In racist terms they are a ‘paddy’.
Irish people NEVER use the word ‘Paddy’ (plastic or otherwise) to describe themselves.
It is a term of racial abuse for Irish people. Akin to ‘Paki’. to refer to Pakistani people.
David, I’m sorry, but as an Irish man myself living in the UK, I see no racism in the term ‘Paddy’. Its usually a term of endearment, like the way people from Dublin call people from Northern Ireland “nordies”, and other Irish people refer to Dublin people as “jackeens”. If you do find it offensive, then that’s okay. And Will was making a point, no need for you to jump down his throat. Lighten up mate.
Well I have an Irish father who worked in Britain in the 1960′s and 1970′s.
There was nothing affectionate or endearing about British people’s use of the word ‘paddy’. it was a term of racist abuse.
You grew up in ireland as you say. I did not. But I know that the term ‘Paddy’ has horrible connotations for many Irish people who endured the ‘No blacks, no Irish, no dogs’ signs in the windows of hotels.
Well, I am Irish and I did grow up in Ireland. No one here takes “Paddy” as racist, sorry. I agree maybe the term might be different in the UK, I’m not British, so I don’t know, but not in Ireland. As an Irishman, I think I have the right to decide what is racist towards me.
besides, this has nothing to do with the story, I was correcting a rather silly remark by CMYB.
Durr…I am Irish you f….king tw@t. And I feel entitled to use it when I see people -mainly in the public eye- who proclaim their Irish heritage when they haven’t set foot in the country for the majority of their lives- Dermot O’ Leary per example. If gay guys feel entitled to use the word ‘fag’ to describe themselves then hell guys ‘paddy’ isn’t that offensive a word. I know, I use it and have heard if used by loads of other irish people. Ever here the phrase Paddies’ Day????!!!
@Tom….. Irishman or no the term ” a paddy” is considered by the Genuine Irish to be a racist term of abuse usually only used by the British and you would be risking the integrity of your oral porcelain should you use it here nowadays, and deservedly so. And furthermore the term “nordies” is a non runner most likely made up by you as you wrote. I as a northerner have a number of Dublin friends whom i’ve called jackeen in banter and i never heard them use the word “nordie” I suspect you dont see the racism because you are, like a lot of people in the UK, a racist. Going for a ” chinkie” tonight are you Tom.??
@Paddyswurds
A lot of people in Ireland are racist too
Ok I want to ask whether I am a plastic paddy or not.
I was born in Omagh but left after one month and spent the rest on my life living in dagenham.
When I was 20 I lived in belfast for a year.
Im probably a plastic paddy by the looks of things. Darn. I got called a terrorist at school, does that count in my favour?
No Brit has ever been able to pronounce my middle name.
Can’t the president refuse to sign a bill of the Dail into law and send it for referendum … or is my hazy knowledge of the Irish constitution very hazy?
As a gay Irish man who happens to live in the north of our beautiful and proud country, I believe David Norris will bring nothing but admiration and respect to our Country. Like Mary’s Robinson and McAleese before him, he will be President for all of the people of Ireland, not just the people of the
“26 counties” and i look forward to congratulating him in person at Aras an Uachtarain on open day.
The fact that he will be the worlds first openly Gay Head of State will be secondary to the fact that he is a well educated, cultured and respected politician and Ireland will be a vastly better and more fun place with the Advent of his Presidency.
I have to say I think thats a tremendously fair and appropriate summary!
Norris was born in Leopoldville in the Belgian Congo….I stand by my “plastic paddy” statement.
He holds Irish citizenship. He lives here. What’s “plastic” about that exactly?
If you have a reason he shouldn’t be voted for, then by all means enlighten us, but that nonsense you’re going on about is of no relevance to his candidacy for President.
CMYB is probably an xtian homophobe who thinks David is unfit for high office because of how he was born…Typical !!
CMYB…. Again you are mistaken Paddys Day is called after St Patrick and it is perfectly legitimate to call someone with the name Patrick Paddy Patsy or Pat. I am called Patrick and friends, usually from Belfast who know me call me Paddy,.Likewise calling a female irish person “a biddy” isn’t the same as calling someone callled Bridget, Biddy.Totally not the same thing as calling someone who just happens to be Iriish “a paddy” and if you cant see that you are just a racist, like it or not. Now feel free to use your limited vernacular on me as you did on Will.
This isn’t the United States where the Presidental candidates must be USA born. Is your problem with David Norris that he is Congolese and so a “foreigner” Even though he is Congolese he holds an Irish passport and is an Irish Senator and that is enough to allow him to become Prez. I suspect from that and your racist terms for an irish person that you may be inherantly racist.
Typo..**inherently**…obv.
HAPPY ST PATRICKS DAY….
Thank You John….. Paddys day is usually a happy day for millions around the world.
followed a day later when many people wake up and have a horrible day due to splitting headaches and vomiting. :)
@ Scott Wouldn’t know as i prefer to partake of the Sacred plant Marijuana, which causes no after affects and is quite beneficial to ones health.
Lol
Arguable mental health issues
and of illicit substances I have experimented with in the past the one that I liked least
Surely Edward II was the first openly gay head of state, back in the early 14th century?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_II_of_England
We need powerful leaders like him to fight for the rights of gays around the world. If all of the gay people in the world could rise up together and work together we can get our equal rights to marry and get a good job etc. ect.