THERE'S a war going on in the South of Ireland. Not between counties or families but between political parties. It’s presidential campaigning time.

At this moment Fianna Fáil have all but nominated Jim Gavin, former manager of the Dublin football team that won six  All-Irelands in a row;  but FF’s Billy Kelleher MEP insists the fat lady has yet to sing.

Fine Gael thought they had a home-and-hosed winner in Mairead McGuinness, loved by  Irish people for her refusal to be bullied by the UK over Brexit. But then Mairead dropped out and the party began telling anyone who’d listen that Heather Humphreys was tailor-made for the job – which is code for ‘She’s a republican Protestant, isn’t that great?’

And then there’s Sinn Féin and the left. There had been much talk of that party joining with other smaller parties of the left to put forward a joint candidate. That would have  been a good idea for two reasons: their candidate might have secured the presidency, and they’d have had a test run for working together at the next general election. Nice plan. Unity 

But then Labour jumped the gun and  declared Catherine Connolly as their candidate. People Before Profit and the Social Democrats hastily said "Us too." And last week PBP’s Paul Murphy said that of course the Shinners could nominate "whoever they wanted" but he did hope they'd get behind Catherine Connolly and maintain a unity of the left. 

Except that what we’re seeing may well prove to be (once again) a splintering of the left. Labour comes shooting out of the traps supporting Connolly, and then any left party that doesn’t support their choice is fragmenting a left alliance. Gimme a break.

Sinn Féin now have to choose between being accused of fracturing a left alliance or going meekly along with Labour’s choice of  candidate. None of this is to say that Connolly doesn’t look like a smart, seasoned candidate. But let’s face it: Labour has just pulled a fast one. Sinn Féin will have to choose between supporting Labour’s choice or going it alone with their own candidate, and in doing so waving goodbye to left unity. 

There’s one other matter that none of the candidates, you may be certain, will address: the 'Áras' part of 'Áras an Uachtarain'.

I remember a priest being assigned to a small rural parish, and to his embarrassment finding himself living in a large, expensive house. “The people built it, so I haven’t much choice but to live in it,” he told me. 

That was in the day when the Catholic Church felt the need to be as big and grand as the other crowd. Derry’s bishop lived in his ‘palace’ and was chauffeur-driven in a grand big car. All this was seen as giving dignity and status to the Catholic clergy, especially in the North. 

Which brings us to the Áras. It contains 90 rooms and has 30 servants. Over the past fourteen years all that space and staff have provided bed and board to one small man and his slightly taller wife. Meanwhile, nearly 16,000 people in the South are homeless. When you say it out loud it’s breathtaking. 

The fact is, the President of Ireland doesn’t need such grandeur. Were s/he to live in more modest accommodation, s/he would be respected more, not less. Certainly when the late Pope Francis insisted on more modest accommodation and car, respect for him increased rather than diminished.

Show me a presidential candidate who promises to downscale the swank and I’ll show you a winner. In every sense.