Ireland’s President has gone completely rogue 

As Ireland’s octogenarian President, Michael D Higgins, enters the last few months of his final term in office, a man who was always outspoken in his views seems to have dropped any presidential filter.

Higgins spent much of last year on what seemed like a one-man mission against Israel, making a series of wild and frequently incorrect statements about the Jewish state. First he claimed that the Israeli embassy in Dublin leaked a letter of congratulations he had written to the incoming Iranian leader (they didn’t). Then, at the height of the war in Gaza, he argued that Israel planned to annex parts of Egypt (they haven’t).

But any hope that he would choose to spend the last few months of his term enjoying the opulent surroundings of his residence, Aras an Uachtarain, and making the odd inspirational speech to youth groups have been well and truly dashed within the first few weeks of 2025.

Speaking at the Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition in Dublin’s RDS, an event designed to celebrate the innovations of Irish schoolchildren, Higgins decided to have a blast at the idea of increased Nato funding, as has been demanded by both Donald Trump and Nato chief, Mark Rutte.