“The Establishment Is Afraid!” Ok - But of What?

Immigration and social conservatism as issues in the Irish Presidential race... or not

As the race to secure nominations for the Irish presidential election heated up, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil took some unusual steps to stop outsider and anti-system candidates from getting on the ballot. Presidential candidates require support from at least 20 members of the Oireachtas (the Irish parliament) or by at least four county or city councils. The council nominations are specifically intended to allow non-traditional candidates a route to the Presidency. FG leader Simon Harris explicitly instructed its councillors that they were not permitted to select independent candidates. FF did not formally apply the whip but were understood by some to have sent a similar message.