Bradley Bytes – A sort of political column by Dara Bradley

Heather Humphreys came out of retirement to contest the Presidential Election. It showed. The Fine Gael candidate’s campaign was slow out of the blocks and stuttered along, notable only for its negativity.

Catherine Connolly, in contrast, was contemplating the presidency for at least a year. That was evident, too. She gained momentum since declaring in July and built a movement around her, like a referendum campaign on social issues.

At the outset, Humphreys was weak in the first television debate that involved all three candidates, including Fianna Fáil’s Jim Gavin.

Maybe, in trying to look presidential, Humphreys refrained from getting stuck in on that Virgin Media debate. That was a mistake. To most viewers the Monaghan woman looked uninterested. And who could blame her? A month earlier Humphreys........

© Connacht Tribune