Conor McGregor as Irish President? Ireland would be at war before tea-time – Leona O’Neill

So Conor McGregor – MMA fighter, notorious self-adoring, controversy-courting, whiskey-peddling king of outrageous bravado – is to run for Irish President.

McGregor hopes to succeed Michael D Higgins, our beloved, gentle, poetic soul known for his eloquence, compassion and deep intellect.

Higgins is a champion of social justice, culture and human rights, blending wisdom with warmth, embodying the heart and spirit of Ireland. McGregor fights people in his pants.

McGregor wrote on X: “As president, I hold the power to summon the Dáil as well as dissolve it. So as I said before, I would have all the answers the people of Ireland seek from these thieves of the working man, these disrupters of the family unit, these destructors of small businesses, and on and on and on!

Hilary Benn joins long list of useless UK overlords - Tom Collins

Casement Park: A once in a generation opportunity has been squandered through political failure - The Irish News view

“These charlatans in their positions of power would be summoned to answer to the people of Ireland and I would have it done by day end. Or I would be left with no choice but to dissolve the Dáil entirely. Stop the train until. The people of Ireland deserve the answers they seek. Point blank. This would be my power as president.”

That’s definitely fighting talk and I’m sure McGregor has been emboldened to think he can take on the hopes and dreams of a nation by watching bold-haired, perma-tanned, morally questionable, court-frequenting, friend to porn stars Donald Trump reign supreme in the states.

We might have cheered McGregor on in the ring as he beat seven shades of silly out of opponents, emerging sweaty, swollen-eyed and bloodied under a tricolour, raising a bruised fist in the air, but that does not mean that we want him to represent us politically on the world stage. Some folks need to stay in their lane.

Politics is a tough enough game. Every day of the week people imagine that they can do better than those who have spent time learning the political ropes, coming up through local councils and eventually serving the national government.

I’ve spent enough time covering politics to know that it takes more than a ridiculously expensive watch and a few shouty, snappy soundbites to get ahead in politics. It’s hard, gruelling, thankless work that requires you to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty to get things done.

It demands patience, diplomacy, integrity, the carving out of mutual respect, leadership, empathy and compassion. I’m not for a moment saying our potential president lacks any of these things, but he did punch a pub customer who refused to drink a shot of his whiskey brand. I would worry about how negotiations on war or world peace might pan out.

Politics can be a nasty business. There is a case for having a fighting spirit, grit and determination. It can get tetchy. Voters often give politicians a ‘bloody nose’ when it comes to elections.

But I don’t yet think we need to see actual bloody noses and black eyes in the corridors of power.

Irish presidents have traditionally used their platforms to promote human rights, social justice and cultural understanding. Perhaps he is completely different in real life, but McGregor’s public persona is one of brashness, bravado, boasting about wealth and often creating controversy.

Looking at it from the outside – as I haven’t yet seen his no doubt detailed manifesto – he might fancy himself as a Tommy Shelby-esque suited statesman, but he seems far more comfortable in the role of provocateur.

There would have been a time when I would have laughed at the thought of a McGregor presidency, but if the past few years have taught us anything, nothing is beyond the realms of possibility.

McGregor is the anti-Michael D. Where our president recites poetry in his soft Limerick drawl while petting his beautiful dogs, McGregor throws trolleys at buses, punches people in pubs, launches expletive-laden rants and lobs inflammatory remarks.

It would be almost comical to see him greet world leaders on the world stage, toe to toe, nose to nose, in the manner of a pre-fight press conference. Ireland would be at war before tea-time on his first day.

Everyone loves the fighting Irish spirit, but the role of president requires a cool head, a sense of diplomacy and actual political experience.

Not since the 1995 Littleborough and Saddleworth by-election where Mr Blobby stood – and secured 105 votes – have we seen such a controversial candidate on this side of the pond.

I’ll be watching this race through my fingers.