That is a pretty good platform to start his Presidency run on...
A few months back it was confirmed that the
Good Friday alcohol ban was to be abolished for good in Ireland.
The new bill would, if enacted in its current form, permit the sale of intoxicating liquor on Good Friday in public houses and off-licences. It would not permit such sales in other categories of licensed premises, such as restaurants and hotels.
The new bill introduced by Senator Billy Lawless and co-signed by other Independent Senators, including Senator Gerard Craughwell.
Today, Craughwell announced that he believes Michael D Higgins should stick to his word of just running for one term, a pledge he made prior to his election in 2011.
If Higgins does decide to run again however - and he already has powerful supporters who hope he does, including Taoiseach Leo Varadkar - then Craughwell says he will also run, in order to make sure that Higgins doesn't run unopposed.
Craughwell spoke to The Pat Kenny Show this morning, and talked about how his part in the Alcohol Ban reversal will be both a positive and a negative in any potential campaign (via
Newstalk):
“Like most things in this world, 50% of the country will love me for it and 50% of the country will despise me for it,” he said."
“One never enters a race unless they see the finish line. If you look at my track record as president of the Teacher’s Union of Ireland, when I entered that race, I had no chance and I managed to get over that line."
