To secure a nomination will require the backing of 20 members of the Oireachtas or four local authorities. The Irish Times surveyed the country’s 949 local councillors to gauge their attitude towards Mr McGregor’s candidacy and if they are concerned about coming under outside pressure. None of the 187 who replied said they would vote to nominate the 36-year-old.
This is a selection of the responses received: Councillors are elected to serve the interests of their constituents here in Ireland, not those of Elon Musk or anyone else. Should a member of a local authority vote in favour of McGregor’s nomination, it would be purely indicative of their character, their worldview, and their poor judgment. – Luke Corkery (Fine Gael), Fingal County Council Mr McGregor is undoubtedly a divisive figure.
And with the world becoming more polarised every day, what we need in a president is someone who can soften division, not sharpen it. Unfortunately, Mr McGregor’s natural instinct seems to be to split people into corners – be they red or blue, or in his case, the nearest boxing ring or UFC octagon. That might work for pay-per-view, but it won’t do for the presidency of Ireland.
– Rita McInerney (Fianna Fáil), Clare County Council No such pressure would ever influence me to even consider voting for that horrid man. – Stiofán Conaty (Sinn Féin), Cavan County Council Expecting getting online pressure/abuse but that has already been on the rise. – Pierce Dargan (Fine.
