Tóibín to run for Europe
Aontú Leader and Meath West TD Peadar Tóibín has been selected by his party to contest the Midlands North West EU constituency in June.
Speaking following his selection at the weekend, Deputy Tóibín said:
“I am very grateful to my colleagues for their confidence in selecting me as their candidate in the Midlands North EU Constituency. I am delighted to join my colleague Patrick Murphy who is the Aontú candidate for Ireland South”.
“There is a growing chasm between the lives of the people of this region and an increasingly south Dublin Government. Much of this region is turning into a commuter belt of Dublin with people travelling from Ulster and Connacht every day to go to work. Parents are seeing less and less of their children as they are forced into a commuter hell. The cost-of-living crisis is particularly acute in this region. Many families are being forced further and further from their work due to the cost of rent and mortgages”.
“Family farms are disappearing. Two thirds of those who remain in farming cannot make a living from the farm alone anymore. Urban Green Ministers are blind to the damage that they are going to rural communities. They are hammering families with energy taxes without providing the necessary transport and heating alternatives. And as people leave the farms, local community services disappear too”.
“GPs are not taking patients. The A&Es that remain open are struggling with overcrowding. Ambulances queue for hours to deliver their patients to these stuffed A&Es and then take longer to reach emergencies. The lack of home care packages and step-down facilities mean more clinically discharged patients have to remain in hospital beds. While people pile up on trollies at the other side of these hospitals”.
Central to all these problems is the lack of accountability in the delivery of public services and national infrastructure. This has been the singularly biggest disaster of this government. Aontú wants to use these European elections as crusade to crowbar accountability back into governance in this country. Without accountability there is no change and citizens will be left on the hook for increasing waste”.
“The political establishment is also increasingly detached from the bread and butter needs of people. While sexual assault, rape and violent crime are on the increase, we have a Minister distracted by a Hate Speech Bill while allowing the number of Gardaí in the country collapse.
"While child care providers and nursing homes are closing and children are going missing from state care, the government pursue glossy marketing referendums that provide no additional rights to anyone and may undermine the rights of many in need. Aontú will use these European elections to force the government to actually start listening to people again”.
“Aontú is a party of self-determination. We area a Euro critical political party. We want to see a European Union that cooperates on trade and international challenges such as climate, but we oppose the drift towards a European Army and federalisation. We want to see more powers returned to national parliaments. We need MEPs that actually represent Irish people, rather than ignore them”.
“I remain committed to the people of Meath West. I am immensely proud of my county. Whatever the outcome of the European Parliament elections I will contest the next general election in Meath West. I hope, based on my record in Meath, that I can retain the confidence of the people of Meath West in that election. I am a conviction and a campaigning politician, therefore I cannot stand idly by and watch the damage that the government is doing to this country. Aontú will use the European elections as a platform to fight for practical common sense solutions to the increasing damage of this government”.