Tóibín hoping to see referendum momentum transfer to council seats

Buoyed up with the success of the ‘No’ votes in the recent referendums, Aontú party leader Peadar Tóibín, told his party's Ard Fheis at the weekend that they will be competing for council seats in dozens of local electoral areas in the forthcoming local elections.

“We recently just fought our first referendums a few weeks ago and we found out that we are pretty good at it.

“Aontú well and truly burst the establishment bubble during the referendums. In a David versus Goliath campaign, we took on every single political party in the Dáil and won.”

He said Aontú was the only party opposed assisted suicide and the only party seeking to protect the three day wait period for abortions

“Only Aontú sought a full public investigation with statutory powers into what happened to our older people in nursing homes during the Covid Crisis

Raising the issue of carers he said one in eight people in Ireland provide unpaid care.

“Yet so many families have to battle tooth and nail just get a few euro to support them each week.”

“We opposed the censorship contained in the Hate Speech Bill while most of the opposition supported the Government.

“Aontú was the only party to vote against the extra costs on families and farmers in the Climate Change Bill. Farming in Ireland is suffering a perfect storm.”

Deputy Tóibín said Ireland is developing into a lop-sided city state with workers commuting from Ulster, Connacht and Munster to Dublin.

“Aontú wants to see a new international city built in another location in Ireland. This city maybe an existing town or city on the south, west or north west coast of Ireland. We want to front load investment and infrastructure into that new city so that it grows to a critical mass and starts to draw down international investment in its own right.”

He said it was hard to overstate the anger amongst people at the cost-of-living crisis while the government is taking more tax on fuel than ever before.

“When the government were offering you tea and sympathy on the cost of living crisis, they were pilfering your pocket with the highest ever fuel taxes.”

On the housing crisis he said 14,000 people are in emergency accommodation. “Worst of all this government has left hundreds of people to die on the streets of our capital city in just the last few years. It was Aontú that brought to light the fact that 3,500 Local Authority homes that are empty.”

He said the government’s policy on immigration is in chaos. “Last year 5,000 people came through Dublin airport without a travel document or a passport and the Minister did nothing.

“We oppose the EU migration Pact. We call on the government to put this issue to the people by way of referendum.”

He expressed concern that dozens of children in state care are going missing every year, that Garda numbers are at their lowest in five years and the incredible increase in road deaths.

Pointing out that Aontú is the party listening to the people, he said that with 65 local and European candidates standing in these elections, they will be competing for dozens of seats.

There are seven Aontú candidates running for election in Meath, three of them in Navan.