Achievements of Mary Robinson

[dubsthcentralboy]

I was just wondering what posters opinions were on the achievements of Mary Robinson while she was President of Ireland before her early resignation to take up her job in Geneva.

I'm quite nervous because I know that Robinson is somewhat of a demigogue in some circles, I just can't remember anything worthwhile she achieved as President. Also, I think her early resignation to take up a desk job in Geneva was regrettable.

[Catalpa]

I was just wondering what posters opinions were on the achievements of Mary Robinson while she was President of Ireland before her early resignation to take up her job in Geneva.

I'm quite nervous because I know that Robinson is somewhat of a demigogue in some circles, I just can't remember anything worthwhile she achieved as President. Also, I think her early resignation to take up a desk job in Geneva was regrettable.

I can't recall any myself.

She was clearly unsuited for the role and no one (not even herself) expected her to win.

Brian Lenihan had it in the palm of his hand until his unfortunate er 'memory lapse'.

She won it through a fluke as the FG candidate was Austin Currie who was an almost complete unknown this side of the border and in over his head.

She was mediocre at best.

[peadarmc]

personally i think resigning from her job for no reason other than to take another job, was to be quite frank, an insult to the Irish people who voted her President in the first place!

[Catalpa]

personally i think resigning from her job for no reason other than to take another job, was to be quite frank, an insult to the Irish people who voted her President in the first place!

I wouldn't get upset about it - she was no loss.

[joel]

personally i think resigning from her job for no reason other than to take another job, was to be quite frank, an insult to the Irish people who voted her President in the first place!

But she never had much time for the Irish people, did she?
- hence her concern for others.

[corelli]

I can't recall any myself.

She was clearly unsuited for the role and no one (not even herself) expected her to win.

Brian Lenihan had it in the palm of his hand until his unfortunate er 'memory lapse'.

She won it through a fluke as the FG candidate was Austin Currie who was an almost complete unknown this side of the border and in over his head.

She was mediocre at best.

Now you know you are just out looking for trouble. You know well that she can be a somewhat controversial person and you are looking for a reaction!

Now I don't like her personally, however,

For one the office of the President of Ireland has no great function save for some important, but uninteresting to the public, constitutional functions. She did, however, make the Presidency more friendly and open. Could I even say popular? Yes, I think I could.

Secondly, the assertion that she left to take up some office job is gratuitously insulting.

She became the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. A much much much more important role than the Presidency of Ireland, whether you like that or not. It was a huge honor for the Irish people for one of them to have been trusted with such a position. So she is ambitious. You make it sound like a bad thing!

[joel]

Now you know you are just out looking for trouble. You know well that she can be a somewhat controversial person and you are looking for a reaction!

Now I don't like her personally, however,

For one the office of the President of Ireland has no great function save for some important, but uninteresting to the public, constitutional functions. She did, however, make the Presidency more friendly and open. Could I even say popular? Yes, I think I could.

Secondly, the assertion that she left to take up some office job is graciously insulting.

She became the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. A much much much more important role than the Presidency of Ireland, whether you like that or not.

Now you are being insulting.

[joel]

And you're being a little insular, if your implication is that being the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights is a less important than being President of Ireland.

In answer to the question on what she achieved, she made the Office of the Presidency of symbolic relevance both nationally and internationally, something it had never been before by simply being (or if you like looking like) a revolutionary figure when she got the job.

That in itself is a great achievement for an office without any real power. And it's an achievement that was very unfortunately undone by her successor, by being and looking very unrevolutionary indeed.

You are ignorant in every way - I never said one office was more important than another - you did.

[soubresauts]

I would praise rather than criticize her achievements as President, but I think her latest move is a serious blunder. See here:

Copyright © RTÉ - 10/30/2008 3:42 PM

Robinson to chair vaccine prevention group

Former President Mary Robinson has been elected as chair of the board of GAVI, a group that buys vaccines for the world's poorest children.

Former President and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson has been elected as chair of the board of GAVI, a group that buys vaccines for the world's poorest children.

Supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and several UN agencies, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI)makes advance commitments to purchase vaccines and then helps poor governments obtain, store and distribute them.

The World Health Organisation estimates its programmes have helped immunise 213 million children and prevented 3.4 million future deaths from diseases preventable through vaccines.

Mrs Robinson said life-saving immunisations needed to remain a priority for donor governments, in spite of the brewing financial crisis.

Vaccination is a racket; see this, for example. If only the Gates' would donate their money to providing clean water for the billion+ people who need it.

[Trampas]

could.

Secondly, the assertion that she left to take up some office job is gratuitously insulting.

She became the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. A much much much more important role than the Presidency of Ireland, whether you like that or not. It was a huge honor for the Irish people for one of them to have been trusted with such a position. So she is ambitious. You make it sound like a bad thing!

But she did leave the post of Head of State in order to further her career. To suggest that her UN job was an "honour for the Irish people" is utter baloney. She is now biding her time
at Columbia while influencing impressionable young minds with her grotesque leftist world view, while she is waiting for another suitable sinecure on First Avenue, surely the most useless and corrupt office block on the planet.