I WANT ALL OF €325K ARAS SALARY
Duffy will not follow Michael D example of foregoing €75k of Presidential pay... and says he likes Donald Trump’s style
PRESIDENTIAL candidate Gavin Duffy will not be taking a pay cut if elected unless Ireland experiences an economic crash or he is directed to do so by the Government.
After the 2011 presidential election, President Higgins voluntarily reduced his official salary of €325,507 to €249,014. Despite the cut, he is one of the most highly paid heads of state in Europe.
Now Mr Duffy has said he will not do so if elected, and justified his decision on the basis of the
cost of a Presidential campaign as an independent candidate.
Meanwhile, Mr Duffy has outlined his vision for the Presidency, suggesting that he could take on the role of a Donald Trump-style negotiator and engage in flying diplomacy for any future taoiseach.
On the issue of spending during the marathon campaign later this year, it is expected that figures compiled by the Standards in Public Office Commission will soon reveal that the expense of a full-scale Presidential campaign is in the region of €1m and, subject to a candidate receiving sufficient votes, €750,000 of this can be recouped.
Speaking to the Irish Mail on Sunday Mr Duffy said: ‘I would take the full salary in order to recoup the expenditure required for a campaign. I wouldn’t be spending a million, but you would not be spending far short of it.’
Businessman Mr Duffy confirmed that he was ‘open to taking a cut in salary if the Government made the request’. The former Dragons’ Den mentor said this would also apply if Ireland were to suffer recessionary times again. Mr Duffy said his
‘I’d bring something different to the role’
understanding was that the President’s salary ‘after tax was about €150,000 a year, so over seven years you would recoup what you spent’.
The businessman justified his decision on the basis of the difference in fundraising restrictions between independent candidates and those nominated by parliamentary parties. ‘Under SIPO rules, donations are capped at €1,000 per individual for me,’ Mr Duffy said. ‘Michael D, if he runs for Labour, can raise €2,500 – and if he runs for FG and Labour he might even be entitled to €5,000.’
Mr Duffy committed to putting in place ‘an open and transparent structure detailing this process’ as the office of the President does not currently open its books on financial expenditure under the Freedom of Information Act.
Mr Duffy also outlined his vision for his presidency. In the week since he declared his candidacy, he has drawn comparisons to US President Donald Trump, who also appeared on an entrepreneurshipbased reality TV before embarking on a political career. But while Mr Duffy acknowledged Mr Trump’s skills as a deal-maker, he also stressed the qualities that distinguish him from the winner of the 2016 US presidential election.
Louth resident Mr Duffy noted that ‘one thing in favour of Trump is that he is a very experienced negotiator – maybe there is a benefit in that’.
He said his own skills meant he would make himself available ‘if a taoiseach might wish to deploy a President in such a role’. He said that ‘under the Taoiseach’s direction’ he would be willing to engage in areas such as Brexit or the undocumented Irish in the US. However, Mr Duffy was at pains to stress his difference to Trump. He described himself as ‘a great respecter of protocol and diplomacy. I am also a great respecter of women, a cham- pion of women in business.’ Mr Duffy said his main skill is the ability to ‘spot potential not just in corporate Ireland but in communities’, and he said: ‘I will bring to the Presidency something different. I am offering a choice.’ The first week of Mr Duffy’s campaign has been marked by scepticism.
This weekend Mr Duffy conceded, ‘I expect to start low in the polls’, but noted how wide margins have decreased in the past.
The candidate said his decision to run was made ‘once Sinn Féin entered the race and it was clear there would be a contest’.
Mr Duffy conceded that ‘a President has no power but he has great influence. He holds the torch for people. I am going to be out and engaging. It will be energetic.’
Mr Duffy also expressed the hope that his Presidency would reflect the qualities of his two favourite taoisigh of the four he worked for. ‘Albert [Reynolds] never went to sleep and Enda Kenny: I loved the energy.’
Mr Duffy dismissed the impact of any row over his involvement with the Ward Union hunt, noting that once he declared, ‘I entered the Coliseum, I was on the hurling pitch
‘I entered the Coliseum, I was on the hurling pitch’
or going into the cage in UFC.’
Mr Duffy pledged to change the Presidency, saying: ‘I intend to be open and transparent in this campaign and to be open and transparent in the Presidency too.
‘We will extend Freedom of Information [Act] into the expenses and operating costs and all aspects of the Presidency except for sensitive diplomatic correspondence.’
Mr Duffy praised the Presidency of Mr Higgins, who reduced his salary by 23.5% after taking office. Mr Duffy said: ‘What I most admire is his sensitive handling of the 2016 Easter Rising Commemorations.
‘I also have admired President Higgins for his consistent commitment to arts, culture and heritage; a policy I intend to continue.’