‘Martin’s experience shone through’: Readers respond to final TV leaders’ debate

Members of the Irish Times reader panel assembled for the general election have been giving their reactions to Tuesday night’s three-way leaders’ debate on RTÉ. The panel is drawn from diverse age groups and backgrounds from across the country, and has been brought together to give the perspectives of ordinary readers, who are interested in politics but not committed to any party, as the election campaign progresses. Here is an edited selection of their responses to the debate.
Jo Cahalan, a 73-year-old who ran a shop in Abbeyleix, Co Laois for years and is a former member of Fine Gael, said she believed “Micheál Martin came out ahead, definitely his experience showed”.
“Simon Harris settled in after a poor start, he was on the back foot on Kanturk. Mary Lou McDonald was very poor on specifics. Overall she didn’t impress me. I did think it was more like a monologue than debate. Perhaps if it was semicircle and a little further apart. Overall, I don’t see how it will change anything in the voting.”
Rebecca Saunders (39), a primary schoolteacher who lives in Dublin 7, felt “Martin’s experience shone through”. “He was collected and confident, seasoned. I won’t be voting for Fianna Fáil as generally, I don’t support their Ministers – Darragh O’Brien in particular is so of the old Bertie ilk and I feel he has been really disingenuous in housing – but I do have respect for [Martin] and wouldn’t be surprised if he is our next taoiseach. Martin’s little plugs for Labour were also interesting/transparent in terms of coalition outreach.
“Harris came across as petty and lacking in maturity, and his attempts at gravity seemed performative to me, like set pieces he defaulted to. A stark contrast with how Martin managed to carry himself and score points without as much interruption.
“The muttering and interjections from Harris were too frequent, and he maybe lost his cool with some of his proclamations: ‘I will get people’s children back from Australia’ like… , okaaaay, they weren’t kidnapped or anything, and Fine Gael have been in government for 14 years. I also feel he answered the question on John McGahon, but can’t get away from the fact that he was found largely civilly liable in what was by all accounts a very violent incident, and we need decent standards and trust in public office.
“I also feel in terms of his supposed passion for disability services, our current government has been so sorely lacking and I wasn’t convinced by his plans. Implementation is too slow and education, special education in particular, is woefully under-resourced.
“Martin mentioned the plan to have the Department of Education directly employ therapists for schools, special schools in particular. This should be a red line for government, and should be extended to large mainstream schools with special classes.
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“Mary Lou McDonald had some good moments I felt, but I think she faltered at times and did obfuscate too much – answering the questions with what she wanted to say rather than responding to the actual substance of the questions. She did get a lot of interruptions and flakbut I also felt that when Martin and Harris questioned her on her budgetary plans she was unable to succinctly and properly lay out why they were incorrect in their analysis.
“One thing that stuck with me is that she said there is a ‘life beyond Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael’ and that she believes the other parties can form a government. It’s a nice thought, but I don’t think Sinn Féin has the capacity to pull it off.”
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Kenneth Harper (67) is a former railway executive from the UK, who has lived in rural Co Donegal for 10 years. He is a former member of the UK Labour Party and the Social Democrats. He said: “Mary-Lou really struggles to explain money: budgets, tax, housing costs. She doesn’t give confidence that she understands it or her own party’s financial policies. At the midway point of the debate nobody had impressed me.”
Public-service worker Catherine Bergin (47), who lives in Dundalk, thought “McDonald was very poor last night. [She] fell back on hackneyed rhetoric, vague on manifesto details and failed to answer direct questions on what Sinn Féin would cut in an economic downturn and if houses built on state land were mortgageable. Also tried to miminise the effect of the return of Donald Trump, which is reckless in the extreme. Her voice was shaky by the end and she definitely seemed rattled.”
“I feel the video clip of Harris has been unfairly overblown. He performed well overall, although his gurning and muttering under his breath is juvenile compared to Martin who was calm and had command of detail. I would not be surprised if Martin were the next taoiseach.”
Admin worker Seán Ryan (54), who lives in Castleconnell, in rural Co Limerick, said
I doubt anyone changed their mind based on debate performances or substance. No one let themselves down. Apart from a few Harris-McDonald spats, debate was civil.
He felt Martin was strong on the enterprise economy and that it was obvious from the debate that Sinn Féin’s housing policy, “which was seen as their strong point, doesn’t stand up to scrutiny”.
“For the most part debate was on technicalities and logistics of implementing policies on which there was broad agreement on outcomes – more houses, more healthcare, more gardaí, etc.
“I want to see the current government return. I don’t think there is a viable alternative. It’s a pity Labour didn’t take off, as they have a good manifesto and strong leadership, and would have been a good partner for either Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael. I’m of a generation that remembers the actions of the Provisional IRA and could never vote for a party that sees them as heroic figures, so Sinn Féin is out for me.
“I’m nervous about proposed tax cuts from Sinn Féin and Fine Gael, as I think it exposes our economy if there is a downturn. I’m frustrated by delays in ramping up housing.
“I’d like to have seen a more radical proposal to mobilise construction industry, force through infrastructure and cut planning delays. We did it for Covid, why not for housing? Housing was the biggest issue five years ago and it will probably be the biggest issue in five years’ time. I know it’s a consequence of our success, and a worldwide issue, but can we try to be world leaders on tackling housing?”