A president in the Westlife Wing will be no laughing matter

MEANWHILE, if the vote on same-sex marriage has failed to cause much of a stir out in the real world, then the referendum to lower the minimum age for presidential candidates is proving a complete wash-out.

With all due respect to Michael D Higgins, who at least seems to be making a reasonable success of it, the presidency is a ridiculous job. As I have remarked here on previ- ous occasions, anyone who publicly expresses an interest in running for the Áras should be automatically barred from ever holding the office.

But even if being president isn’t a suitable occupation for a grown adult in full possession of his or her senses, that doesn’t mean we should stick a 21-year-old in the job either. If we must have a highly paid dignitary to traverse the globe at our expense like some kind of glorified cross between a maître d’ and a door-to-door salesman, then it should at least be someone who’s old enough to be able to put their trousers on the right way round in the morning.

Nor should we forget that the likes of Ronan Keating and Brian McFadden have both previously pondered aloud about the prospect of gracing us with a seven-year term in the Phoenix Park. It doesn’t bear thinking about what might have happened if a 21 years age limit had applied when the pair of them were at the peak of their chart popularity.

This referendum is nothing more than a gimmick. It is as patronising as it is insulting and it is also a cheap stunt that is highly likely to blow up in Enda Kenny’s face.