OPINION: The presidential race has descended into a farce - but it will make great TV

When a man benefitting from the Healy Rae dynasty says that the race for president has become unserious, you know things are getting bad.

Kerry Councillor Jackie Healy-Rae said on Monday that there is a “lack of seriousness around the presidency” adding: “You can send an email, say that you’re running for president, and if you’re over the age of 35 you can come before the councillors here.” 

At a “loose” presidential pitch to members of Kerry county council, the Journal reports that Councillor Healy-Rae threw a packet of custard creams when Dr. Cora Stacks thanked him for his support.

He is reported to have retorted: “She didn’t talk to me”.

In Ms Stacks’ defence, she was the only potential candidate who prepared slides - PowerPoint skills could well be essential for the next Irish president. 

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At that same meeting, Sarah Louise Mulligan said: “Because I like Donald Trump, the Irish Dáil won’t give me a seat”. I’m sure that assertion is unrelated to the fact that her largest political achievements appear to be working as an actress and creating a website devoted to Irish Trump lovers.

Dark horse and musician Charlotte Keenan mentioned in her presentation that she is an influencer, a “firm believer in God” and that her “plan B is to believe in Charlotte”. With the advent of the TikTok Taoiseach, perhaps an influencer president is what the public need. 

In his pitch for a presidential nomination, Nick Dehelanty, said he also has a plan B option. “If we get on the ballot, I won’t come last”. His presidential ambition paired with the lack of personal faith in his realistic ability to win the race could be read as admirable to some but laughable to others. 

Cut to fellow presidential hopeful and former Nutriband CEO Gareth Sheridan who has been fined by the American Security and Exchange Commission for making misleading statements about his company.

Sheridan told councillors he will be a spokesperson for the housing crisis. Should he be successful, it would be very interesting to see a role that is primarily focused on being Ireland’s global ambassador and symbolically signing legislation into law enact Irish policy change. 

Meanwhile, the Irish Examiner reports that Jim Gavin had to choose between speaking at a sporting event twenty days before the presidential vote or missing the commitment at the behest of Fianna Fáil. A similar plot line appeared in the High School Musical film when Troy Bolton had to decide whether to commit to basketball or musical theatre. 

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Perhaps my favourite gaffe so far were claims in the media that Catherine Connolly did not clap as enthusiastically as other politicians did for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Never before did I realise that the force of someone's clap was a basis for political scrutiny.

Forget about the thought-police, the clap police are watching the presidential candidates. 

Fine Gael candidate Heather Humphreys comes across as a formidable candidate, however her track record on the now scrapped unpopular Green paper reform that would tier payments for people with disabilities based on their state-assessed ability to work has already earned her criticism from Senator Tom Clonan and will likely come up again during the televised debates.

Clonan said that the Green Paper was a “cut and paste” of a “very discredited austerity measure” in the UK called the workplace capacity assessment. Humphreys is on record as being “very hurt” by mentions of the scrapped green paper reform, despite being the Minister for Social Protection at the time the public consultation was introduced. 

Crunch time is coming, with over a month to go before the election date, and the final list of presidential candidates yet to be confirmed. More county councils are to be courted and more shenanigans are likely ensue between now and October 24.

The race is in constant motion, with more gaffes to be made and surely more skeletons left to be uncovered from the candidates' closets.