'Accountability matters' for Aontú General Election candidate in Laois

Aontú has entered the race to when a Dáil seat in the Laois constituency that has been blown wide open by the the controversy that has engulfed Sinn Féin and its former TD Brian Stanley.

The party which is lead by Peadar Tóibín, has recruited a secondary school teacher and current school trade union representative to contest the General Election in the new three-seat Laois constituency.

Educated at St Leo’s College in Carlow, she studied science in Dublin City University where she obtained her Bachelors and Masters degrees. She is now a school steward for the ASTI trade union. Prior to teaching, she worked with Bórd na Móna and Unilever as a business executive. She also worked as a Business Development Manager in Eclipse Scientific in Portlaoise.

The party says Mary Hand, from Graiguecullen, has been politically active locally for a number of years. Aontú say she was part of the pilot working group set up which established the first Access Programme for students from disadvantaged areas, a model now replicated nationally. The party say she was the co-founder of the Barrowvale Resident's Association .

The party said Ms Hand, who works in Heywood Community School in Ballinakill, comes from a long-established family in Graiguecullen. 

The party says she is a proud member of Aontú, describing the party as acting like the sole opposition.

“Aontú has achieved remarkable results in the five years since its inception. It is a party unafraid to stand up for what it believes in and for justice for the sick, the poor and voiceless. I am proud to stand for a party that stands up for the weakest in society and does so without fear or favour.

"We were the only party that campaigned for a no no vote in the Family and Care Referenda, seeing the huge difficulties and issues it would pose down the road and we were proven to be right to be so wary and now know that Revenue Officials had warned of the potential huge tax implications of a Yes vote on the Family referendum. Thankfully, the public rejected both overwhelmingly.

“Accountability matters to me and Aontú stands for accountability," she said.

She outlined some of her local priorities

"I want to see immediate action towards the completion of the Sapling school buildings in Graiguecullen. It was originally due to be completed in January 2025, but there have been ongoing delays in its construction, remaining as a concrete shell until now, with no re-start date for the work to recommence.

"As a teacher myself I recognise the huge impact this delay is having on students and their parents as well as its staff. As it is the schools is currently housed in a community centre and prefabs in Killeshin village. This is truly unacceptable. The specialised classrooms and grounds of the school will be of huge benefit to its pupils, and I am absolutely determined to see its completion, including with the assistance of the Department of Education if needed,” she said.

She was also critical of Government spending.

“We know that millions and millions are being squandered by this government, but people could really relate to the exorbitantly priced bike shed for example and genuinely felt it was a wanton waste of money. It’s on everyone’s lips. I have admired Aontú for so long as it is a party of people who have principles and who are unafraid to stand up and speak out, like a real opposition should.

“At a time when our country is awash with money, we have the spectre of 14,760 people homeless, including 4,500 children. These are just the official figures of course; there is much hidden homelessness, people sleeping in cars, on friends and family sofas and in spare rooms. It’s desperate.

“People’s aspirations and dreams to own their own homes in Co. Laois have been trampled on by this government which is presiding over the worst housing crisis in history. The myth of an affordable home has been the lie that they have built their disastrous housing policy on, whilst thousands of Irish people remain homeless. In 2023, the average cost of a home under the Affordable Housing Fund was €266,869 – anything but affordable.”

“If we are to address our catastrophic housing shortage and restore the hopes of young people and families up and down this country, we need to revolutionise our house building apparatus, take the power to build social homes from concept to completion back into the hands of the public service, and provide new financing streams that will sidestep the current model put in place by this Government that benefits corporations and vulture funds,” she said.

Farming is also on her agenda.

“Aontú is the only party that recognises and values that no farmers mean no food. Our food producers in Co. Laois are constantly being forced to jump through hoops foisted on them by regulation both from Dublin and from Brussels, whilst upholding world class standards. We opposed the Mercosur trade deal which would force Irish producers to compete with lower standard imports, and we oppose the EU Nature Restoration deal which would mean an area the size of County Laois being re-wetted and therefore unavailable for farming.

“Aontú is constantly holding this Government’s feet to the fire on this and other issues. 

“Remember we had a Banking Crash that caused untold misery and heartache for people and then, as of now, the opposition was mute and didn’t do its job as it should.

“I firmly think that electorate have had enough of weak leadership and want fair, just and balanced leaders who genuinely care about the people and who won’t lead them into dangerous ‘cul de sacs’.

“It saddens me to say so but there are conviction politicians and there are career politicians. I think it’s obvious which camp some of our politicians belong to,” she said.

It will be first outing by Aontú in the General Election in Laois. The party contested the local elections in the Portlaoise area with Martha Ryan. She secured 142 first preference votes in her bid to win a seat on Laois County Council.

Her party leader is a TD for Meath who left Sinn Féin in the wake of the abortion referendum and his opposition to the legalisation. He campaigned for Laois votes when unsuccessfully contested the European Elections this year.