Gallagher sticks to the positive in Áras race

ÁRAS hopeful Seán Gallagher has said rival candidates David Norris and Mary Davis should come clean on questions surrounding their campaigns — but insisted he would not resort to mud-slinging.

The Independent presidential candidate was responding to Ms Davis’s failure to divulge how much she has earned from sitting on state quangos and company boards, and Mr Norris’s refusal to publish his correspondence with Israeli officials over the statutory rape conviction of his former partner there.

“Everybody in the race needs to be transparent and open,” he said. But he declined to challenge his rivals directly, saying: “I’m not interested in the negative — I’m interested in the positive.”

Mr Gallagher signalled his disapproval of the fiery exchanges between Fine Gael candidate Gay Mitchell and Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness on radio yesterday.

“The general public are tired of that kind of Punch and Judy party politics,” he said. “This is not about attacking people, it’s about the office of the President. The whole campaign is marred with controversy. The office doesn’t need controversy. We need to get on with the real issues.”

Despite having been on the campaign trail, or “listening tour” for the past four months, his campaign was launched yesterday with the Tipperary Gospel Choir greeting family, friends and supporters to the Royal Hibernian Academy in Dublin.

Mr Gallagher, who was accompanied by his wife of 13 months, Trish, received a rapturous welcome on his arrival and a standing ovation after a speech in which he drew heavily on the theme of inspiring confidence and energising communities.

He paid tribute to outgoing president Mary McAleese and her predecessor, Mary Robinson, saying he wanted to continue in the reforming vein of both women.

“They have transformed the role of president and they have done so because they dealt with issues that were relevant to their time in office, Mrs Robinson nurturing a more socially inclusive society and Mrs McAleese building north-south relations.”

The defining issue for him was unemployment and emigration and he renewed his vow to work towards fostering a can-do attitude among communities and indigenous entrepreneurs while also boosting the country’s reputation abroad as an ideal place for foreign investment.

Mr Gallagher showed his own can-do attitude when asked about his poor showing in opinion polls, saying: “This campaign is just beginning.”