Two Aontú candidates have been announced for the upcoming local elections at a public meeting in Galway by party leader Peadar Tóibín TD.
Padraig Lenihan, a retired army captain lecturing history in University Galway, will contest the election in the Galway City Central Ward, while 25-year-old Luke Silke, a published author who is currently working as Parliamentary Assistant to Deputy Tóibín, will contest the election in the Tuam LEA.
Mr Silke told those present at the meeting that there was a lot of anger in rural areas.
“Particularly in rural Ireland, a lot of people are unhappy with the current government. They feel neglected by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael and they feel attacked by the Greens,” he said.
“The rising costs of farm fertiliser, the cost of fuel, the attempts to stop us burning turf, coupled with the disaster in housing and health is causing awful hardships down here.
“I would say that a third of my voter base is now in Australia, and they’re not coming back. Every house down our way has a family member who in recent years turned left in Claregalway. It’s utterly heartbreaking.”
Silke said that farmers are being completely neglected, and that late night tears and arguments between couples about mounting debt are now the norm for many farming families around Galway.
“We have ten people a day leaving UHG and Portiuncula hospitals without being seen, because they get up and walk out of the A&E due to lengthy wait,” he said.
“On housing, I don’t think I know of anyone my age who hasn’t concluded at this stage that they will never own their own house. I want to see a return to the old system where the council build a house for you on your own land and then rent it back to you.”
Silke concluded by saying: “I’m young, I’m new to politics, but I intend to bring a level of common sense and cop on to the table. We need to elect politicians who aren’t afraid of concrete.”
