Fergus Finlay has signalled he would run as a “sleeves rolled up” candidate for Áras an Uachtarain if “intellectual” President Michael D Higgins decides not to seek another term in office.
The former Labour strategist, who is retiring as chief executive of children’s charity Barnardos this year, ruled out running against his former party colleague, who he frequently disagreed with during their days in the Dáil.
While praising President Higgins as "an outstanding representative of the country", he told RTÉ's Today with Sean O'Rourke it "has been a cerebral presidency, an intellectual presidency", and suggested there were many communities in the country not being "validated" by high office.
Mr Finlay, who lost the Labour nomination for the presidency to his erstwhile party rival last time around, said he had been very strongly of the view that there was a role for a “sleeves rolled up president”.
“That wasn’t the role Michael D chose to follow,” he said on Thursday.
“He has done a fantastic job in other ways. But I still think there are so many communities in Ireland I have worked in over the last number of years that need to be recognised, need to be validated, need to be supported, where people need to understand the incredible work that is going on in the ground.”
Mr Finlay cast himself as a very different prospect to President Higgins.
“I think Michael D has been an outstanding representative of the country, I think he has led in the right way a very powerful debate,” he said.
“But it has been a cerebral presidency, an intellectual presidency. Michael D has described himself as a public intellectual, and I think it has been really, really valuable.
“I think there are very few people in Ireland who could offer the presidency that Michael D did. I’m not cerebral, I’m not intellectual – I’m not stupid, but I’m not an intellectual.”
The former adviser to then tánaiste Dick Spring and key figure behind Mary Robinson’s presidential win in 1990 said he has “always believed in the presidency” and “the potential power of the presidency.”
He said: “The fact is we have a President, we have a very good President, a very distinguished President, who was a colleague of mine for many years, but we didn’t always agree.
“In fact, we frequently didn’t agree when we worked alongside each other, he as an elected representative and me as a back room person.
“But I respect him and he is the President, and it is for him to decide whether to seek another term. I think he should seek another term if he wants another term.”
But he added that President Higgins should not run unopposed for a second term and ought to welcome an opportunity to “refresh his own mandate”
“I think the value of the presidency is enhanced when it is contested and diminished when it isn’t, and it should always be contested in my view,” “If he indicates he would like another term and he is willing to take on all-comers, I won’t be one of those comers. I’m not going to oppose Michael D.”
As well as helping Ms Robinson secure the presidency, Mr Finlay was integral to Labour’s success in the general election in 1992 when the party doubled its Dail seats to a record 33.
He stunned colleagues by announcing he was leaving the party in 2005 to take up the top post with Barnardos.
