Kilbeggan farmer to run in European Elections

A Kilbeggan farmer is the sole Westmeath candidate running in next month’s European Elections.

Non-party candidate James Miller is one of 17 candidates running in the sprawling four seat Midlands North West Constituency, which takes in 13 counties (Westmeath, Cavan, Donegal, Galway (City and County), Kildare, Leitrim, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Roscommon and Sligo).

In a press release issued to the Westmeath Examiner outlining his election platform, Mr Miller stated the he wants to “support and protect the traditional Irish family and family values”, establish a “comprehensive network of Community/Public Banks in Ireland similar to Germany with 70% Community/Public Banks”, “increased support and funding for crisis pregnancy centres” and a “fundamental review of our bloated €17bn health system”.

Mr Miller also called on the government to halt the roll out of 5G mobile phone technology “until it is proven safe for our environment and our people” and believes that there needs to be an “informed nationwide debate” on a range of issues including “reclaiming our natural and national resources”, “the corporate capture of the state”, “our lost neutrality and sovereignty”, “PESCO and EU army”, “the role of the IFSC and taxing it”, “fair” taxes, vaccination policies and “full disclosure of all relevant information”, “commercial rates on businesses” and the fluoridation of our drinking water.

A candidate in the 2016 general election, Miller says that more needs to be done to “facilitate the return home of our generation lost to emigration in recent decades and also to facilitate first and second generation Irish to live in Ireland”.

He is one of 17 candidates, including sitting MEPs Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan (independent), Matt Carthy (SF) and Mairead McGuinness (FG) aiming to win one of the four seats.

The other candidates include Fianna Fáil duo and sitting TDs Brendan Smith from Cavan and Anne Rabbitte from Galway, the 2014 Rose of Tralee Maria Walsh (FG), former TD Dominic Hannigan (Labour), Green Party candidate Saoirse McHugh, Patrick Greene from Direct Democracy Ireland, People Before Profit’s Cyril Brennan, Michael O’Dowd (Renua) and independents Fidelma Healy-Eames, Dilip Mahapatra, Diarmaid Mulcahy, Olive O’Connor and presidential election candidate and former Dragons’ Den investor Peter Casey.

The European Elections are taking place on Friday May 24, the same day as the Local Elections.