“If we push honest views below ground, we simply push those views into the hands of real racists”.
That statement, referring to the hot-button issue of housing for asylum seekers, is typical of Meath West TD and Aontú party leader Peadar Tóibín, who likes to portray Aontú as neither left nor right but a party of “common sense”.
Will that approach win Aontú many votes?
It’s now exactly four years since the party’s foundation and, while it has had few electoral successes so far, polling suggests it enjoys similar support to some of the longer-established small parties.
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Deputy Tóibín talks to Hugh Linehan and Jack Horgan-Jones about what electoral success looks like for his party, the importance of “culture war” versus “bread-and-butter” issues and some reflections on his former party Sinn Fein.
This episode is the first in a series looking at small parties. We’ll be back on Friday with a round-up of the week’s political news.
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