Joe Higgins views politics as way of life rather than career

FORGET for a moment those who are running for the next Dáil and turn to one who has run his race: Joe Higgins is retiring from parliamentary politics. He will be missed.

Higgins is that rare breed in politics, a man of principle. That’s not to say that many if not most politicians are not as principled — or unprincipled — as any cross-section of society. But Higgins was always different.

Politics is about compromise and for Joe compromise is just another word for “nothing left to lose”.