Gay Mitchell is the Dublin based candidate representing the major Government party Fine Gael.

Fine Gael traces its origins back to those who accepted the “partitionist” Treaty and have been involved in a sterile eighty years old feud with Fianna Fáil, the Party which opposed the Treaty. Fianna Fáil was thrown out of Government (and humiliated) in February 2011 over its handling of the economic chaos which has engulfed Ireland over the past three years.

Mitchell’s party Fine Gael is in coalition with the Labour Party. In February 2011, Fine Gael got 36% of the votes cast. Opinion polls suggest that Mitchell will struggle to get 10% of the votes. Why?

Well, in February the Irish Electorate chose a Government. Next week they choose a President. Ceremonial and Totemic. And Mitchell doesnt fit the bill. A surprise choice…and not the choice of Party Leader and Taoiseach (Edna Kenny), Mitchell is a veteran partisan bruiser, who has been out of the Irish scene for a while. He is a Member of the European Parliament. I dont think he fits the non-partisan requirement in a President. And the Irish Public is sick of “jobs for the boys”.

Mitchell is also a bit of a traditional Catholic. Anti-abortion and fairly traditional. Now Abortion is a curious thing in Ireland. It is illegal but there is a neat little compromise where anyone seeking an abortion can simply get on a plane to England. Deep down in Ireland nobody likes Abortion. Most reasonable people think theres a certain amount of hypocrisy in the travelling to England compromise. But there is no appetite to change the Law. It would be divisive. The fact is that anyone taking up a pro or anti abortion stance is engaging in token politics.