Adi Roche interview…

There’s an interview by Jason O’Toole in the Mail with Adi Roche. Just by the by one of the odder aspects of the present period is how in-depth interviews seem to be being edged out a little by commentary. I don’t know whether that’s a good or bad thing, although actually, when I think about it, interviews can, and as with the one with the Israeli ambassador recently, throw up information the interviewees might really prefer not to come to light, or be phrased in certain ways. And that can cut directly across the facade of communication that we are often presented with. All obvious enough observations there I guess, but it does seem to be characteristic of a shift in the discourse. This is probably good news for interviewers though because it leaves an open field. With regard to Roche a number of things are striking, not least a certain degree of Red Scare about her candidacy during the 1997 Presidential Campaign as the left candidate:

Shortly after her candidacy, Miss Roche’s election campaign started to implode when it was revealed that her brother, Lieutenant Donal de Roiste, had been mysteriously ‘retired’ from the Irish army for socialising in the famous O’Donoghue’s pub with members of the paramilitary group Saor Éire. Her brother was never charged with any crime and his request for a court martial was refused. But despite the mysterious circumstances, it was clearly not lost on the electorate that they were been asked to vote for a woman who would be the figurehead of the army – the very same army that had dishonourably discharged her own brother, albeit 27 years prior to the election.

‘They (Saor Éire) used to drink in O’Donoghue’s, but so did half the rest of the world because they happened to have a liking for Irish music,’ she says. ‘He used like to play the guitar. But it was something that was used very mischievously against me in the presidential campaign.

‘That is one of the things that I will always have on my own conscience — because of my running this happened to my brother and set him into a terrible spin emotionally and psychologically. He went through torture. ‘It caused huge upheaval for everybody and it unearthed something we never thought was a problem. The shame that was on the family. And that had a detrimental impact on my parents. My father was diagnosed with an accelerated form of Alzheimer’s as a result of the stress that caved in on my family. ‘I love my brother. We always believed — and will always believe — in his innocence until the day he is finally declared innocent. His name should be cleared. It could be done with a stroke of a pen. He’s still fighting for his good name. Unfortunately, my parents didn’t live to see that day.’

As regards the campaign she also notes another issue:

No sooner had this…emerged than Miss Roche was faced with unfounded allegations that she had bullied a dozen staff and associates of the charity. ‘I’ve never gone into this and I made a vow to myself then that I probably never will,’ she says. ‘Because I just don’t need to dig it up again. But I’m at peace with that and everybody can only live with their own conscience.’ But she adds that she believes bullying allegations, which she rejects, were made to ruin her chance of becoming president. ‘There’s always begrudgery; there’s always people who have petty jealousies or who have other issues, and not everybody will always love us. We all have good and bad traits and I’m absolutely far from being perfect. There is no such thing as a perfect human being. ‘If I had been a male CEO manager, people would have said, “He’s a great fella! He’s keeping things going. He’s keeping everything sharp and focused and making sure the money’s being spent right”. But if you are a woman who shows any little bit of assertiveness or authority, it’s a much harder task. So, I think sometimes it’s just a little bit of begrudgery.’

Interesting perhaps as an example of how political campaigns can be seriously damaged by such allegations. Not that Roche had much chance in the ferociously competitive mixture of candidates, and Robinson-alikes, presented by other political formations. But certainly her campaign suffered from a perception that it was in some ways uniquely peripheral. And that she came in fourth behind Dana on a desperately weak 6.89% (lower than the 10% or so the LP which was her sponsor received at the election the same year) was surely demonstrative of significant problems with the campaign. And also an interesting point made at the end as to the perhaps dubious centrality of political electoral approaches (or too exclusive a concentration on them) for many…

If she had been elected into Áras an Uachtaráin, it would have been virtually impossible for her to continue with her hands on approach with the charity she founded almost a quarter of a century ago. From that perspective, her supporters would argue, her presidential defeat was Ireland’s loss and Chernobyl’s gain.