By heck. It doesn't take much to set the MGM off. I am in favour of a democratic constitutional presidency. Who the incumbent might be would not be for me to decide, that would be the responsibility of the electorate.

The Irish have chosen their head of state by secret ballot since 1945. Given that they have usually chosen wisely, it is probably safe to assume that the British would do the same. There exists the possibility of course that they could elect a complete nutter by mistake - a retired theatre critic perhaps, or maybe a concertina player who can't sing. However, if we were to adopt the system of checks and balances which have been built into the Irish Constitution, to prevent such a thing from happening, this is one misfortune which is not likely to befall us.