New pro-life party promises to be a ‘voice for minority’

A new 32-county, pro-life republican party will give a voice to the disillusioned and unrepresented citizens of Ireland, former Sinn Féin TD Peadar Tóibín has said.

The Meath West TD, who resigned from Sinn Féin last week following a six-month suspension for refusing to vote for the removal of the Eighth Amendment, said the new party will be a voice for the political minority in Ireland.

“We’re starting off a new political party in order give a voice to at least a third of the population of the Irish country that doesn’t have a voice either in Leinster House or Stormont at the moment,” he told The Irish Catholic.

He added that there’s a “real demand” and a “real anger” among disenfranchised voters who currently have no political representation, noting that the party will be of interest to republicans, those with a pro-life background as well as alienated Fianna Fáil supporters.

Appeal

“The people that we will be appealing to will be republicans, people who are in Sinn Féin or are formally Sinn Féin, but also surprising enough, the biggest amount of calls we’ve got so far are from disaffected ‘Fianna Fáilers’,” he said.

Declan McGuinness, the brother of Sinn Féin’s former deputy leader Martin McGuiness, has confirmed he is working with Mr Tóibín, and is believed to be willing to stand as an election candidate.

They plan to establish the party in time to contest next year’s local elections both north and south of the Irish border.

Mr Toíbin said that “hundreds and hundreds” of people have expressed their interest in the party, and that they’re talking with councillors, representatives and organisations across the country.

“We’re very happy with the level of support. What we need actually is help to process all of that now so we can actually get around the country over the next four weeks,” he said.