Aontú has announced its local candidates for the Newry Mourne and Down District Council election on Thursday 2nd May 2019. It will be running three in three of the seven council District Electoral Areas (DEA’s).
And European Election candidates of this new all-island party founded at the start of this year will also be announced at its National Launch this Saturday at 1pm at the Ballyfermot Community Civic Centre, Dublin 10.
Local Newry Mourne and Down District candidates Macartan Digney (Downpatrick DEA), Tracy Harkin (Slieve Croob DEA), and Liam Mulhern (Rowallene DEA) will be travelling to the Dublin event with Aontú members from throughout their district.
Aontú is a pro-life party, anti-Brexit, and it believes in transparency and accountability in government. Its founder Peadar Tóibín TD maintains Aontú can be a home for nationalists and republicans.
The candidates in a joint statement said: ”We are excited to be part of this new, diverse growing movement in the North of Ireland and represent Newry, Mourne and Down District at the National launch. We are looking forward to the Council election on Thursday
“It will be wonderful to meet with the eighty other Aontú candidates from around the country. North, South East and West of the country, Aontú is giving people hope and confidence that positive political change can happen and we are delighted to be part of this.”
Speaking before the event, Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín said: “In three months we have held 40 public meetings throughout the country. No other political party has engaged at such a community level with the people of Ireland for many years.
“Well over 5,000 people attend those meetings. We have formed 65 Cumann throughout the country and have selected 60 men and women to run for us in the upcoming local elections so far. 20 of these candidates will run in the North of Ireland and 40 in the south. By any standards this is phenomenal grass roots development.
“Our party is unique in many ways. The largest portion of our membership is drawn from people who have not been involved in politics before. However, many of our elected representatives and the membership have left the establishment parties of Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin, the SDLP, Fine Gael, The Labour Party and The Greens.
“Many are sick and tired of the membership dis-empowerment of those parties and the disconnect that exists between these leaders and the workers on the ground. This diversity is one of the major strengths of Aontú.
“There exists extraordinary division in Irish society, division to which many within the political establishment have become immune. Crisis fatigue has set in amongst many in the media establishment. Under Mícheál Martin, Fianna Fáil has become politically neutered, signing free pass after free pass for Fine Gael ministers, who in any normal circumstance would already be victims of their own incompetence.
“Much of the left has become consumed by the leafy liberal culture wars and have taken their eyes off the bread and butter issues of the people. The political system is broken in Ireland and the people who are the collateral damage need a voice.
“Aontú will be that voice.”
