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FORMER SINN FÉIN TD Peadar Tóibín has signed up two members to his new party since resigning last week.
A Sinn Féin councillor in Kildare Ide Cussen resigned from the party earlier today.
Former Cork Sinn Féin councillor Ger Keohane has also signed up.
Cussen told TheJournal.ie this evening that she resigned this morning due to there being no freedom of conscience within the party in relation to the abortion issue, adding that she holds no ill-will towards the party, and adding that she was not bullied or isolated within Sinn Féin.
She was keen to state that she has lifelong friends in Sinn Féin and was never cautioned by the party.
While she said today is a sad day for her, she intends to “stand shoulder to shoulder” with Tóibín.
When announcing his resignation from Sinn Féin last week, Tóibín hinted he would be setting up of a new political party.
Prior to his resignation, Tóibín was suspended from the party for six months because he voted against the abortion legislation in the Dáil.
His new party has drafted a draft manifesto, which states that one of its core values is that it believes “all human life should be protected and that no mother or child should be left behind”.
It adds:
We seek to protect the most vulnerable in society at all stages of life. We believe that all of the necessary economic and social supports must be provided to mothers and families to ensure that they can raise their children in confidence.
The party is described as a “Euro-critical party” and one that opposes European federalism and a European army. It also state it will be a party that protect the freedom of conscience of elected representatives.
A number of open meetings are to be held around the country in the run up to Christmas with regards to developing the organisation.
The events will be held in Kildare, Dublin, Tralee, Cavan, Navan, Dundalk, Wexford, Mayo and Monaghan.
The party’s draft manifesto, which Tóibín said it is subject to change, with additions to be made over the next two months as the party “broadens it engagement with new members”, states that the organisation will be a 32 county grassroots, political party.
“We seek an Irish Republic, where the objectives of the 1916 Proclamation, to ‘Cherish all the Children of the Nation Equally’, are achieved,” it states.
The party will also seek to give a voice to the significant portion of the population that currently have no voice in Leinster House or Stormont, states the document, adding that significant political reform not just in the institutions but in the political parties also is needed.
Housing, healthcare and education are human rights are also key elements.
The manifesto states:
We demand an end to ineffectual establishment ministers who prioritise the needs of vested interests over the common good. We demand that promises made to people disabilities be finally matched with resources and funding. We seek an end to the shocking growth in waiting lists for mental health services.
Funding and tackling maladministration especially in Health care are both massively important, the latter still not getting the attention its needs.
Tóibín’s manifesto states that to achieve “economic justice fuelled by the spark of healthy functional enterprise”, there must be an economic incentive for those “who work hard, take risks, invest, and spend time in education”.
It states that workers are entitled to fair wages and terms and conditions that allow families to thrive, adding that spiralling costs, a threat to workers and employers must be met by facing down supply side vested interests.
“There must also be an end to the over concentration of wealth in the hands of the 1%. We seek tax justice as an engine for a fairer society,” states the document.
Tóibín states that his new party will work to end the system that sees ministers captured by a department bosses.
“We seek an end to the party group think that makes clones of elected reps. We demand an end to a political culture where ambitious TDs/MLAs prioritise keeping their seat safe over representing citizens. We will create an activist led movement that is not centrally controlled, from the top down and does not treat members as canvass fodder.”
Social responsibility and fiscal responsibility is also mentioned, as is the need for the pluralist society that welcomes people from all religious and none equally.
“We oppose the rudderless spatial development that is emptying rural Ireland and overheat Dublin. Demand must be met by infrastructure on the east coast but new infrastructure must be built to stimulate population growth on the west coast,” it adds.
Speaking to TheJournal.ie, Tóibín said he is “delighted” that two members have signed up to his new organisation. He said he is talks with 20 other representatives and is confident that a “good chunk will come on board”.
While the party has no name yet, Tóibín said his new party will be a “grassroots, activist organisation” which will make decisions collectively among its members.
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A one trick party trying desperately to be relevant.
Renua v2.0.
@Barry Somers: Renua were hard right this will be centrist if anything.SF are nowhere near as leftwing as they let on. Very few socialist SF supporters
If he plays his cards right challenges the establised parties on everything and says it as it is no PC bull he could do ok.
@Graham Light: so you want him to be a bigoted, pro life zealot thats also a racist?
@Barry Somers: what kind of insane comment did I just read
@Barry Somers: Hahaha Barry you absolute weapon.
@neilo: What a childish schoolyard comment. No depth, no debate and no counter argument just weak.
@Barry Somers: you are an amazing individual to be able to extrapolate so many findings and labels from an initial toe in the water statement. Your analysis says a lot more about your prejudices than Mr Tobin.
I have to say, I am delighted to see any new party on the horizon, will wait and see before passing judgement as they are only putting the bones of the party together and it will take time before we know their stance on any and all issues. What I do know is that none of the existing political groups are relevant to me or so many ordinary folk so good luck to the newbies , we must have hope for change.
@Honeybee: I’m not sure how you say and “ordinary folk” don’t have a party to speak for them. All together we have at least 10 registered / political parties and with various independents alliance groupings it stretches to 12-14 parties. 10 of these are already represented in Dáil Éireann. Except for Fine Gael ( Renua have no TD) and handful of the Rural Independents , there are least 95 TDs which represent Left or Left of Centre Parties; as FF claim to be Left of Centre Party. So Peadar Tobin and his party are going to fight hard to heard in left wing of the Dáil Éireann. There will now be 8-9 parties , so FG HQ must be very happy …the left and particularly the hard left are fragmenting the Centre Left. The only political voice not represented is the Hard Right ..but it’s coming.
“Euro-Critical Party”
A desperate attempt to mop up the votes of the anti-choice, racist, xenophobic all round bigots that aren’t happy with their privilege.
@Ailbhe: What privilege may I ask?
@Ailbhe: well I find your views somewhat narrow minded and bigoted…
@Stephen Duffy: you find my opinion on his strategy to be narrow minded? Grand. On ya go.
@Ailbhe: you’re not worthy of a brain if you don’t believe genuine euroscepticism exists
@Hellenize Dublin: I think you’re wasting your time there.. typical of some that lecture on freedoms provided she believes the same otherwise tries to shut down discussion with insults and ignorance…
@Stephen Duffy: brilliant :-)
@Ailbhe: … People and politicians should be allowed to speak about ssues that concerned them in society without been called racists or other unpleasant names that the political correct keep using all time which more people are getting tired of in the whole of Ireland ..
@Bobby wilson: I didn’t call him racist. Try again.
@Hellenize Dublin: I didn’t say I didn’t believe genuine Eurosceptics don’t exist. I think he’s searching for votes and thinks he’s found a niche market.
@Ailbhe: do you all follow the same lexicon??
@Liam Mernagh: Who all?
@Ailbhe: stop talking schite will you.
@Ailbhe: careful now ailbhe you’ll have the irexit heads on a hrn here today. They lap this stuff up. There’s about four of them total and use different accounts.Some with football crests to make themselves appear normal
@Ailbhe: anti-choice to do what with what, please explain.
Hi Mars ; you tick a lot of the boxes of Ailbhe’s opening post :-) How is your ‘human rights’ work getting on? Could you tell the folks on here what ‘human rights’ work that you did throughout the years.You might start off with the victims of child sexual abuse/ and the women with FFA pregnancies ?
I believe they’ll start every meeting with a decade of the rosary
@Jon Mackey: And so what if that was the case? It’s fashionable to bash Christianity I get that, but your comment is nothing short of sectarianism.
@Alternative for Ireland: All religion should be bashed. It’s hocus pocus nonsense.
@Alternative for Ireland: Catholicism is only one of over 30,000 different sects of christianity. I imagine his comment was directed there. If so, Catholicism is doing a fine job of bashing itself.
@Jon Mackey: I find your comment on religious Catholic practices very offensive another cheap shot at he Catholic church and sectarian………North Belfast Catholic {Nationalist]
@Ian Breathnach: Go down to your local mosque and try that theory, and let us know how ya got on, but we will probably hear about it on the main evening news.
@Alternative for Ireland: too true
@Ian Breathnach: that’s your opinion and hopefully you’ll be allowed to give but maybe a little respect would be a positive to your cause
@Jon Mackey: at least he has the balls to stand for what he believes in, Mary Lou and the rest of them so called Repuplican are a disgrace to the party they claim to represent, the founders of their party fought to have the rights of all its children protected under its proclamation now we have these shower of traitors come along and piss on their graves . shame on you Mary Lou . we need more like Peadar Toibin and Carol Nolan. People not afraid to go against the populist vote, very few politicians these days willing to do this, the mob usually follows the pansies like Varadkar and his pal Harris who have about as much balls as Mary Lou,
So he’s jumped from SF to Renua_nua? Bit of a leap in fairness.
A politician who stands by his beliefs, there’s hope for us yet. Fair balls Peadar.
I for one admire his courage and I am and always was a Sinn Fein voter. Freedom of conscience in a vote that was unpolitical should have been a given. He represented SF very well in all their political issues but could not on the 8th amendment. IMO that should have been his prerogative.
Maybe he should call his new party .NA DAOINE MAITHE?
@colm mc sweeney: Peadar Tóibín was so in touch with his constituency that 72.9% voted against his view on the referendum
@colm mc sweeney: Peadar Tóibín was so in touch with his constituency that 72.9% voted against his view on the referendum
@Celtic_Horizon: Oh so because 73% of people say jump we should jump right? Look I am not here for an argument. All I am saying is that the 8th amendment should have been a vote of conscience and not a party policy. Fair play to Peadar as he showed he has a conscience be it right or wrong. Best of luck to him with his new party.
I was never a SF voter, but I will vote for Peadar. I know many who will. We have never needed a good leader more.
Best of luck Peader,a man of principal. Very rare in this corruption infested country.
@Alan McDonagh: Ireland is not corruption infested and is between USA and Japan on the corruption index. People love to trot the old corruption line out but the reality is quite different. You should try Ghana or Ethiopia or Sudan (etc) if you value corruption so highly.
He’s not changed from the Pete Tobin I knew in Belfield who would peg pebbles at my head when he had a few jars on him, still a bell end.
@Matt F: Poor Matt. “Bullied” in college and still bitter over it !!!
@Matt F: I am sorry but that is extremely amusing he has my vote.
@MrMagoo: True, I suppose I should be elated. He’s a great chap
@Graham Light: May make you laugh more to know he did it while singing “Star Man” by Bowie. for some reason! Truly absurd when you think about it.
@Matt F: Stop stop …I am going to wet myself that is hilarious. This is your chance to go to the papers. David Bowie Star Man legend.
@Graham Light: Lured by sweet siren song to crash upon pebbles!
Whats the policy on mass immigration…The big elephant in the room that no established Irish political party has the balls to face head on….
@Alan Foley: So you would be all for all the Irish immigrants in other countries forced back here?…..whats that you say its different for us you say?, you people make me sick with your twisted logic.
@Peter Hughes: You talking to yourself Peter?
@Peter Hughes: Peter I am not 100% sure what medication your on but maybe ask the Doctor to double the dose.
@Alan Foley: from today’s reports from ESRI(who generally gets it wrong), you had better gear up for a new onslaught of immigrants who will build all our much wanted houses, that we’re not capable of building ourselves.
@Alan Foley: I think it’s in development. Just raise it with him, you concerns. He’s listening.
Delighted to see Peadar Tóibín starting a new party. I wish him the very best. If I was in his constituency I would definitely vote for him. I don’t feel represented by our local East Cork politicians anymore. Well done Peadar. You’re one of the few politicians with a back bone.
@Catherine Keniry: you can swap them with a couple of our womb watchers down in West Cork.
You’re allowed drop the faux-Gaeilgeoir BS now that you’ve left SF and go back to just being Peter Tobin again.
@MK76: lol, very good
Has Peader ever considered that we don’t share his views on how we structure society. He should join the DUP they are more in line with his views.
@Frankie Mangan: DUP is strictly protestant ,converts not welcome
Delighted to see Peadar Tóibín starting a new party. I wish him the very best. If I was in his constituency I would definitely vote for him. I don’t feel represented by our local East Cork politicians anymore. Well done Peadar. You’re one of the few politicians with a back bone.
A politician who is obsessed with women’s wombs
@Northside Longboat: he a politician that cares about the unborn in our country who is willing to stand up for is convictions and not to be bully by anyone in out society
@Northside Longboat: stupid
Such nonsensse, he’s probably not even a stone cutter
Delighted to see Peadar Tóibín starting a new party. I wish him the very best. If I was in his constituency I would definitely vote for him. I don’t feel represented by our local East Cork politicians anymore. Well done Peadar. You’re one of the few politicians with a back bone.
He’ll split the SF vote in meath and probably take a few FF votes with him. Perhaps this will leave room for another left wing TD for the area
@Ken Mitchell: it will he interesting to see. Because there are plenty that voted for him that also voted to repeal the 8th so he won’t get there votes going forward.
@Ken Mitchell: Jesus not another left wing party there is only so much a human can take.
@Karen NíDhochartaigh: that’s true but 35% voted against Repeal.. any TD getting any thing like that percentage will be in on the first count. Swings and roundabouts. You’re right; he’ll lose some support but also gain support from some that never voted for him.. He’s a politician of principle and I wish there were more like him..
@Karen NíDhochartaigh: Those who voted for him in the last election voted for him knowing his stance on abortion – it was after all an election issue. I’ve no doubt the same people will vote for him again and more given he is a man who sticks to his beliefs and principles …. something not normally seen in Irish politicians.
@Karen NíDhochartaigh: Not necessarily, he wasn’t a one trick candidate,
Did he believe in the right to life of Det. Jerry McCabe when he was happily a member of the party that celebrated the release of his murderers? Did he believe in the right to life of Jean McConville or Tom Oliver or Joe Lynskey?
@Daniel Patrick Carry:
You could ask Mary Lou and her party the same question but then again why would you , they voted like you to kill the unborn before ever getting the chance to draw their first breath, who are you to point the finger at anyone?
Let’s face it, SF voters are a “custom job” at the best of times and I’m not sure how many will vote for people who’ve broken ranks….and I really really can’t see too many non SF voters deciding to take a chance on a few ex-shinners…
@John Ryan: he’ll top the pole in west Meath highly though of from people who would normally wouldn’t give sf a vote give him one. He’s been fighting from the front for years to save navan hospital sf have scored a own goal they will never get a td in west Meath as long as Tobin is there
@John Ryan: I’ve never voted SF but am intrigued by this new party.
Re-Renua?
Just what Ireland needs, another populist party with magic beans economics and this time with added rosary beads
@Stephen Kearon: you don’t need a rosary beads to be pro life just a heart which two thirds of Irish voters seem to be without. Well done Peadar.
will anyone vote for this kn*b
@Leitrim303: enough for him to get elected and some and at the same time keeping sf from getting one
@Leitrim303: He’s a TD, so clearly people are voting for him. Do try and keep up.
protecting all human life? that’s speciesist or racist or something. discrimination against Martians
Eire nua = federalism. Eire nua was a long held policy of provisional sinn fein till they dropped it for leinster house. Is Mr Tobin a tad confused?
Note to Peader, the enjoy your trip into irrelevance. Renua – 2. 0
A Republican party that is apparently not organising in the 6 counties?? A Republican party that aims to protect all human life? Even brits? Peadar, welcome to Fianna Fail. Your career is about to hit the buffers, unfortunately
Impossible to start a new party all state funding several million each for some of them goes to the established parties….
Ré nua nua
Good luck to Peadar for standing by his principles very courageous and will get plenty of support in cork
The PD’s of SF/IRA
Peadar will be fine sure their isn’t a brain between them all in the Dail
@trebloc01: …..”there” isnt a brain, you mean?
If you ask Peadar about Brexit and Northern Ireland, he’ll say the majority there voted to stay and the peoples’ interests are not being considered by the DUP. (And I would agree with him).
I don’t understand how he can then turn around and say he won’t support the termination of pregnancy bill, when the majority voted to repeal the 8th ammendment in order to legislate for this difficult scenario.
He hasn’t a clue what democracy is. And hasn’t a clue in general.
Is a Eurocritic a class of Euroskeptic?
I am not so young (70 yrs and rising ) republican who in my life time I have seen it all since 1956 where as a child I carried food parcels for republican prisoners to Crumlin Road jail in Belfast,Just as my mother did in the 1920′s/30′s including Dev
over those years i was witness to the 2 splits within the movement firstly in 1964 as goulding and control who tried to bring it into a communist party , then in 1969/70 when we the provisional movement took it back, then in 1985 Adams and Co once again took it over with his so called peace process and split the movement into bits off this and bits of that, except in my opinion he succeeded in creating a populist party just like any other party in the dail , but the biggest problem was/is this idea of being unless you agree with us then your out as they did to my oldest brother JOHN who resigned from the position of MLA in 2004 when he disagreed with their decisions of non support for dissidents in Magaberry jail AND THEIR SUPPORT FOR THE RUC/PSNI PLUS THE SURRENDER OF ALL WEAPONS ALSO THERE WERE MANY OTHER QUESTIONS ABOUT SECURITY AND WHO IT WAS THAT UNDERMINED THE ARMY (IRA)
As a result of the censorship within sinn fein and the denial of freedom of choice in matters of conscience stance that they would go into government with either FF/FG as a minor party really says it all , they would do anything for power
So for me they are just a replacement for the Labour party and would sell their mother for the highest price.
I have been watching these ongoing’s for the past 10 years where their positions change as to what way the political wind is blowing and they blew with it , no stand on republican principle or the Constitution off caring for all our children equally .
so based on all of the above I will be supporting Peader
As for all the insulting remarks on this matter from so called republicans in sinn fein you all need to take a long hard look at yourselves and learn about what it really means to be a real republican and read the proclamation
GOOD LUCK
PEADAR
He should have joined Renua. They’re really flying .
“…..it will be a party that protect the freedom of conscience of elected representatives…..”
The whole idea of “representative” democracy is that the representative carries out the wishes of their electorate. If he is elected under that banner then by all means carry on as he says.
Last time though, he was elected by SF voters, and this was NOT his mandate.
Peadar also used to say that he supported the armed struggle….. so at what age do ALL lives become less important?
Peadar, have you contacted George Hook ?
I believe he is now available for a new challenge
Free everything for everyone yay!
More of the same just change the name
Bit confused here ,the new party will be a grassroots led party. Am I mistaken in thinking that the majority of the grassroots in Sinn Fein voted for repeal at Ard Fheis and he was not happy and left because he didn’t get his way. What happens if the grassroots in the new party decide on any issue and peadar is in disagreement with them does he walk again.
Should call it NUTS Nothing useful to say
Hmm i wonder for arguements sake if a member of his party would have the freedom to vote for OR against a review of the Abortion laws in 3 years time .
have your say