Presidential Election 2018 ?

I didn't change anything, I explained what a dictatorship is. You think it's about punishment, I said it's about control. If people are afraid to speak up, speak out, ask questions, challenge the established views out of fear, then they are being dictated to. It's why No voters were genuinely terrified to appear on camera, when a RTE camera crew went looking to find them in one Midlands town, during the 2015 referendum campaign. Not a single  one of them was brave enough to declare their intentions. It's why nobody here, and not many more abroad, dare say anything in public remotely critical about minorities, for fear of the response. It's why there is no pro-Trump outlet in the Irish media, even when he succeeds. Zero. It's why you could count the number of people on one hand, willing to back why Casey said what he said, in public. That's what fear does to people. It dictates how they behave, think, say, and do. 

The "election" was set up in such a way by the leading parties, for MDH to be re-elected. Most parties didn't bother fielding a candidate, and just put all their resources into advising people to re-elect him. While they're entitled to do that, it makes a farce of the thing. FF who used to win every Presidential election, have not officially put forward a candidate to stand in one, since McAleese over 20 years ago. A sign of the times we're in. 

You've missed the point again. 

A dictatorship is not about arrests and legal proceedings, although it's no surprise you see it that way, with your background. A dictatorship is the controlling of what people do, say and/or think through fear. The fear that if they say or do something the "vast swathes of people disagree with" there will be some form of negative reaction/retribution. Which there was in this case. 

He may not have been arrested, but everyone in the public eye, from rival candidates to politicians and ordinary people lined up to attack him, enough for him to consider what the travellers instructed him to do i.e. withdraw from the contest. The liberal diktat is that everybody must be respected, regardless of background, belief, or circumstances. Someone who doesn't do that must be criticised and condemned, and there were plenty ready and willing to do that to Casey. Tbh, I've heard far more offensive comments down the years from career politicians with serious power and responsibilities.

The election itself was a formality, so the so-called socialist can continue flying to Belfast under a "security" ruse, while enjoying the benefits of free market capitalism in €3k pn hotels, rather than shoehorn himself into embassy and ambassadors residencies, like a true socialist would.

Such are the perks of having to sign off a few bits of paper from Leinster House week in week out for 14 years. 

I at least hope there were different people when you went back @ 4pm

Well I didn't get asked for ID, They took my card and name and then crossed my name off the list they had.