Michael KellyIs it prudent of Mrs McAleese to interfere in domestic politics?
Pope emeritus Benedict XVI has retained a studious silence since his retirement. In numerous interviews, Pope Francis has said that he goes out of his way to visit Benedict in his residence in the Vatican gardens and Francis says he is in frequent telephone contact with his predecessor who he has described as a model of humility. Benedict, of course, is reluctant to allow anyone to try to caricature him as in opposition to his successor.
Whether in the political sphere or in Church governance, it’s not easy to step in to the shadows after a stint in the public eye.
It’s not infrequent for US presidents, for example, to take on other important work on the world stage after they leave office. Jimmy Carter, whose term as US president ended in 1981, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his post-presidential work in troubled parts of the world. In the US, as in many other countries, there is an honourable tradition of former presidents keeping out of politics.
In Ireland, many people credit Patrick Hillery with effectively saving the presidency after he returned home from a stint in Brussels and was elected unopposed after a number of controversies involving the Office of President.
Dr Hillery replaced Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh who famously resigned after a row with the Government. It wasn’t the first controversy to beset the office.
The previous president, Erskine Childers, had caused consternation in 1973 when he proposed setting up a think-tank in Áras an Uachtaráin. Most commentators thought that the country needed fresh political thinking, but all agreed it wasn’t the role of the non-partisan president to provide it. Following Mr Childers’ death, further controversy was ignited by a botched attempt to install his wife Rita as president.
In short, Dr Hillery inherited an office in crisis. He studiously worked hard to restore the credibility of that office at a time when many people were wondering aloud whether it should be abolished.
His successor, Mary Robinson, recalled in 2011, “I remember learning so much from President Hillery and how he conducted himself as an iar-uachtarán (former president) and I will try to do the same”.
Her comments come to mind this week reflecting on the intervention of Mary McAleese on the forthcoming referendum on same-sex marriage.
Mrs Robinson elaborated further on the role of a former president when appearing before a Seanad committee a few years ago: “it may disappoint those who asked some very good questions because as an iar-uachtarán, a former president, I do not intend to go into the specific details of Irish policy.
“I will speak in general terms, but to make my points I may sometimes come near to the wire, as I have always tried to do. I will try to answer the questions posed, but if they have been too specific, I ask the members to bear with me because it is an honourable tradition. There are two former presidents and we will both continue in the tradition of former presidents,” Mrs Robinson said.
And to be fair, Mary Robinson, while being vocal on global human rights concerns, has kept out of domestic affairs. Not so Mrs McAleese.
So, the question arises, is Mrs McAleese prudent to set aside what Mrs Robinson described as the “honourable tradition” of not interfering in domestic politics?
Mrs McAleese clearly feels passionate about the issue of same-sex marriage. But there is a more fundamental question worth considering given her past and current constitutional position. As a former president, she remains a member of the powerful Council of State, a body which can be charged with advising the president on whether or not legislation should be referred to the Supreme Court.
Is it prudent for a member of such a body to so publicly intervene in controversial issues where there are passionate beliefs on both sides?
Citizens will have to assess the prudence of setting aside an “honourable tradition”. In so doing, they will surely consider why other former presidents like Dr Hillery and Mrs Robinson had a clear line that they did not cross.