Good Friday Agreement Anniversary Without Democratic Institutions Will Be A Hallow Affair- Tóibín

Aontú leader and Meath West TD Peadar Tóibín has urged the British and Irish Government to reconstitute the Executive with or without the DUP. In reference to the upcoming Good Friday Agreement anniversary An Teachta Tóibín stated:

“A Good Friday Agreement anniversary celebration without the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement would be a hallow affair. There is no functioning Stormont, no Executive, no North South Ministerial Council, no democratic accountability and no mechanism to fix the severe cost of living crisis or the decimation in the public services”.

“The absence of violence is of course extremely welcome. But is this the sum of our ambition, the bar for success in a so called western liberal democracy? We have had no functioning democracy for 40% of the last 25 years, this would not be tolerated in any other country. There would be protests on the street anywhere else in the western world”.

“1 in 7 people in the north is on a hospital waiting list. Enniskillen A&E is close to closing. Daisy Hill Hospital is losing services. Causeway coast is in danger of losing maternity services. GP services are teetering on the edge of closure. Antrim Area hospital closed doors to patients due to ‘unsafe’ conditions. Public Service staff are on strike right across the north. There are over 43,000 people on social housing waiting lists. Tens of thousands of food packages are being distributed through food banks. There is a £750m whole in the Education budget. And shockingly there is zero local political activity to fix these life and death issues”.

“While the Good Friday Agreement was a significant step forward, the guarantors of the Agreement, the British and Irish Government have failed miserably in guaranteeing its function. There is a serious cost to the people for this failure. Are we going to see pomp and pageantry of anniversary celebration together with a US Presidential cavalcade but still no functioning democracy. It will be a very hallow celebration if that is the case. We urge the two governments to proceed with the Protocol and to reform the legislation underpinning the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement so that no one party can crash the democratic system ever again. So the objective of the Good Friday Agreement will be realised in time for the 25th anniversary”.

The Irish political system is radically broken

In Ireland the vast majority of elected representatives put a finger in the air to check which way the political wind is blowing. They have one eye on their leaders – seeking brownie points – and another eye keeping their seat safe. If elected reps shut up and do as they’re told, they are promoted; if they stand up for what they believe in, they are demoted. No wonder we have the political class we have. No wonder one point one billion euro is being buried in a hole under the National Children’s Hospital and that Stormont is in stalemate.

Throughout Ireland, many people are now afraid to say what they feel, many are afraid to respectfully engage on a range of different topics. Many feel there is a new censorship and a new political correctness in Ireland, that opposition to the establishment is being deleted.

Respectful opposition is not the enemy. Respectful opposition is a critical element of a functional democracy. Aontú will have the backbone to stand up, without fear, for you.