Peadar Tóibín, leader of the Aontú party, continues his election campaign despite challenging weather conditions. During a door-to-door canvass in Navan, he encountered Gerry McDonald, who praised his work but expressed disapproval of Fianna Fáil's current leadership. This encounter highlights the tension between Aontú and Fianna Fáil, as the latter's leader ruled out any potential coalition with Aontú.
Gerry McDonald called after Peadar Tóibín as he walked down the driveway of his Navan home, saying “Keep biting at their toes.” The Aontú leader would have been lucky to feel his own toes as he walked around the Meath housing estate in the freezing temperatures on Thursday evening. The weather took a turn last week, making canvasses far less appealing for those out knocking on doors in the November darkness.
Mr Tóibin conceded that he should have been wearing a hat, but admitted that “people don’t recognise you” if you do cover up. Mr McDonald did recognise him, however, thanking him for the work he had done in campaigning to keep the A&E service in Navan Hospital open. “I’ll give to you anyway, Peader,” he said. “I have no time for what is there at the moment. I think they’re weak, they’re terrible. “That sh**e with Micheál Martin today…” Just hours before the canvass, the Fianna Fáil leader had ruled out going into government with Aontú because Mr Tóibín did not have 'respect' for him He had called Fianna Fáil an “empty hollow husk” under Martin’s leadership. “The next time I see Micheál, I’m going to give him a hug,” Mr Tóibín told Mr McDonald. Aontú has said that it would be open to going into government with anyone but Fine Gael or the Greens after the election. This is not Mr Tóibín’s first election campaign trail. In many ways, however, it will be the most important. He was first elected as a Sinn Féin TD in 2011 but resigned in 2018 in opposition to the party’s stance on abortion. He set up Aontú in 2019 and was the only TD returned in the 2020 election. The party is now running a candidate in all 43 constituencies in the hopes of returning 10 TD
Aontú Peadar Tóibín Gerry Mcdonald Fianna Fáil Micheál Martin General Election
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