O’Neill: There must be a better election system

LIAM O’NEILL admits the canvassing process ahead of the weekend’s GAA presidential election put him ‘out of his comfort zone.’

And he hopes the system used for elections can be revisited.

“I don’t like it,’ he says bluntly. “It’s not that I think I am too good to ask for a vote, I just think it’s a pity that we haven’t a better way of electing a president.

“It’s something we should probably consider for the future. It’s something which puts me out of my comfort zone. I am an administrator and not a personal sales rep!

“I don’t like having to promote myself and I think the function of Uachtarán is more to promote the organisation. That’s something I would be a lot more comfortable with. That’s something I would bring to the presidency — that there would be less of the emphasis on the person and more emphasis on the organisation.

“In fairness, people want to know what your views are and the only way you can get that across is to go and meet them. They want to know your views — and if the organisation would be in a safe pair of hands were you to get the job.

“In order to convince people of that, of course you have to go.”