INDEPENDENT SENATOR David Norris has said restoring the nation’s self-confidence is the challenge facing the next president.
Mr Norris, who yesterday announced his campaign to secure a nomination to contest the presidential election, said if elected he would reach out to communities “devastated by isolation and suicide”, adding that those who struggled with mental health issues would no longer be ignored.
“The strength to overcome this current crisis will not come from government but from the people. The role of the next president will be to harness that spirit, to support our people and to channel that positive energy to help rebuild a community that protects the weak, values the young and respects the old,” he said.
“The challenge for the next president will be to restore self-confidence to our people, they are hurting, [and] to remind ourselves and those abroad of all that is good about this country,” he said.
Mr Norris said he was exploring all avenues to secure a nomination and had written to the cathaoirligh of local authorities requesting an opportunity to address their meetings. He had also engaged with political parties and Independent Oireachtas members, although he was committed to running as an Independent.
“The victory I seek will not be easy . . . The might of the political establishment will be marshalled against me, but I have taken on the establishment before,” he said.
Asked if Ireland was ready for a gay president, Mr Norris said: “I don’t see myself as a gay president, I see myself as a president who happens to be gay.”
“I think the Irish people are a little bit bored with my sexuality,” he added.
Mr Norris said if he was elected, he would put a substantial portion of his salary into a fund that would make the presidency more accessible.
Asked how his campaign would be funded, Mr Norris said he was the main, “if not the only”, contributor, although the campaign was starting to receive donations.
