Overwhelming reaction to launch of new all-Ireland pro-life party

Pro-life TD Peadar Tóibín has said he is overwhelmed by the huge turnout at his public meetings to launch a new all-Ireland political party. He said that many people are sick and tired of the stifling consensus in Irish politics.

Mr Tóibín has been holding packed meetings on both sides of the border and told The Irish Catholic that his new party will speak for “disenfranchised” voters let down by politicians in both jurisdictions.

“People are saying that they have no one to vote for, that they’re being disenfranchised by the groupthink in society at the moment, especially among the political parties,” he told this newspaper.

He insisted that while it would not be a single-issue movement, the party would speak up for the unborn and continue to speak out against abortion.

Mr Tóibín said he expected the new republican party to attract voters and supporters from all parties. Currently eight elected representatives have aligned themselves with the new movement which is expected to be formally launched early in 2019.

Referring specifically to the issue of abortion, Mr Tóibín said that his party would speak for the “significant proportion of the population” unhappy with the legislation. “If you look at the 723,000 people who voted ‘No’, and the 20% of people who voted ‘Yes’ who don’t agree with this legislation, currently on that issue they have no one to vote for.”

The largest group of people interested according to Mr Tóibín are from Fianna Fáil, who “feel trapped by the political paralysis of leader Mícheal Martin” who “is reneging on a lot of their core values”.

With a wave of flip-flopping on the issue of abortion from notable cabinet ministers and parties, the idea that this new republican party will do the same is a “non-starter” according to Mr Tóibín.

Regarding pro-life politics in the North, he said Sinn Féin leaders Michelle O’Neill and Mary Lou McDonald holding a sign reading ‘The North is Next’ when the abortion referendum results were announced at Dublin Castle was seen “as a threat”.

Mr Tóibín said: “Many people would see that as a threat and would instinctively feel that they need to express their nationalist feelings and their republican feelings, but also their human rights desire to see everyone being treated equally and everyone having the right to life.”

He said “obviously Sinn Féin don’t have space for people like me, they’ve moved significantly away from their core values”.

“The right to life would be one of those values, there’s a feeling amongst some people, they joined Sinn Féin 30-40 years ago because Catholics were being treated as second class citizens in the North of Ireland and there would be a feeling that Catholics are being treated like second class citizens by this new Ireland.

“There’s nearly a feeling that there’s maybe a new sectarianism,” he added.