Think Outside the Political Cartel, Vótáil Aontú - Tóibín
Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín TD has announced that Aontú will be contesting the general election with at least 20 candidates.
An Teachta Tóibín stated:
"It is clear that the election is being framed by some as an election between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. Are Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael really the best Ireland can do? Are we cursed to relive over & over the same government?
“Do we not have the smarts, energy & decency amongst us to build a fair, prosperous, regionally balanced & kind society? We are asking citizens to think outside of the political cartel that has run this country for generations.
“Fine Gael’s Ireland is a divided Ireland. It is divided north/south. It is divided between those who have access to housing and those who don’t, between those who have access to healthcare and those who don’t. It is divided between an overheating capital, a sprawling commuter belt and a rural Ireland that is emptying out of its young people. It is divided between the inner circle of vulture funds, insurance companies, beef factories and the ripped off renters, drivers and farmers.
“Aontú is committed to a prosperous fair society not just for people living on Fine Gael street. Aontú is only 1 year old. In that time we have tackled head-on the Fine Gael-Fianna Fáil effort to wash their hands of the difficulties facing people the length and breadth of Ireland. We have stood up for beef farmers in crisis at a time when Fine Gael on the one-hand said that they couldn't do anything for them and, on the other, supported the EU-Mercosur trade deal which will both damage the environment and worsen the outlook for farmers here.
"Fine Gael-Fianna Fáil believe that they should not be held accountable by the Irish people for their failures. From the billion euro-plus overspend on the National Children's Hospital and the disastrous planning of the state-wide rollout of broadband to the mounting difficulties facing patients in hospital or on waiting lists and the 10,000-plus who are homeless, Fine Gael and its facilitating partner, Fianna Fáil, have failed the people of Ireland. Aontú is a growing alternative party to the cartel-hold that the establishment has on the state.
"Fine Gael even considered it normal that for two years one of its TDs treated his work in the Dáil and constituency as secondary to his so-called 'main job' in Brussels. Fianna Fáil TDs have even voted in the place of other TDs. They have operated as if they bear no responsibility towards the Irish people.
"Since our foundation last January, Aontú has stood up for and represented people north, south, east and west. We are committed to our vision of a fair, prosperous and regionally balanced Ireland. We will stand 20 candidates in this election with a view to challenging the political cartel's hold on power. We are determined to cause upsets for the establishment parties in constituencies throughout the state."
