Aontú

Aontú ("Unity") is an Irish republican and socially conservative political party that operates in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It has been led by Peadar Tóibín since its foundation in January 2019. A significant party policy is opposition to abortion. Tóibín has described the party as centre-left economically. Aontú has variously been described as centre-left and right-wing.

History
The party was founded by Peadar Tóibín, a TD who resigned from Sinn Féin on 15 November 2018 due to his anti-abortion views after opposing the party whip on the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018. Tóibín began canvassing elected representatives, securing support within a week from two local councillors in the Republic. Tóibín held meetings across the island addressing interested potential members. The first Northern Ireland local councillor declared on 7 January 2019. eight councillors had joined. A second councillor in Northern Ireland joined on 26 February 2019.

The name Aontú was announced at a meeting in Belfast on 28 January 2019. The Meath Chronicle said that the announcement of the name was precipitated by its unexpected publication on the UK Electoral Commission website. Tóibín said the party had sought registration in both jurisdictions, that "Aontú obviously means unity and our major objective is the unity of Irish people north and south". He recalled that Belfast was the birthplace of the United Irishmen of 1798. Aontú would "seek to build an all-Ireland economy to mitigate the worst effects of Brexit, economic justice for all and to protect the right to life." Tóibín said he was talking with Sinn Féin, SDLP, and independent representatives in Northern Ireland, and that "people from Sinn Féin, SDLP and Fianna Fáil backgrounds would feel comfortable" in the party.

Following its foundation in January of that year, Aontú contested the Northern Ireland local elections in May 2019. The party, which nominated 16 candidates, won one seat on Derry and Strabane Council, with its two outgoing councillors losing their seats. ; ; ; Several months after the election, a councillor for the SDLP in Mid Ulster joined Aontú. Later in May 2019, the party put forward 53 candidates in the 2019 local elections in the Republic Ireland, including its seven sitting councillors. Three were elected. Of the four Dáil by-elections held in November 2019, Aontú contested two. Finian Toomey came 7th in the 2019 Cork North-Central by-election with 1,008 votes (3.9%), and Jim Codd came 6th in the 2019 Wexford by-election with 2,102 votes (5.2%). Aontú contested seven seats in the 2019 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland. The party, which received 9,814 votes (1.2%), won none of these seats.

Aontú fielded 25 candidates in the 2020 Irish general election, including leader Peadar Tóibín (Meath West), deputy leader Anne McCloskey (Sligo-Leitrim) and a number of sitting local councillors. Tóibín was the only successful candidate. As Tóibín was not invited to participate in a televised debate alongside the leaders of other parties, the party threatened a High Court action against RTÉ. The party, however, did not proceed with the action noting that there "was not enough time to have the action heard" before the debate. In the 2020 Seanad election, Paul Lawless contested the Cultural and Educational Panel receiving 2.6% of votes.

In September 2020, Aontú's then deputy leader Anne McCloskey came under criticism for her comments about the effectiveness of masks during the COVID-19 pandemic, with party leader Peadar Tóibín defending her right to her view on the topic. McCloskey stepped down as a councillor in October 2020, and was replaced by party member Emmet Doyle. She was replaced as deputy leader by Denise Mullen. At the 2022 Ard Fheis, Mullen stepped down from the position of deputy leader and was replaced by Gemma Brolly, Aontú candidate for East Londonderry at the May 2022 Assembly election.

In November 2020, the Standards in Public Office Commission announced that Aontú were one of five political parties who failed to provide them with a set of audited accounts for 2019, in breach of statutory obligations. In response, Aontú released a statement claiming that they had submitted the account statements and apologising for the delay, citing the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mairéad Tóibín unsuccessfully contested the 2021 Dublin Bay South by-election, coming 9th with 740 first preference votes (2.8%).

Aontú fielded 12 candidates in the 2022 Northern Ireland Assembly election. None of its candidates were elected, with the party coming in eighth place with 12,777 first preference votes (1.5%). The party also contested the 2023 Northern Ireland local elections. None of Aontú's 19 candidates were elected, with their incumbent councillor in Derry City and Strabane District Council losing his seat.

In 2024, the party campaigned for No votes in the March 2024 Irish constitutional referendums; Both referendums were overwhelmingly defeated. Aontú later ran 66 candidates in the 2024 Irish local elections, securing 8 council seats. It also fielded candidates in three constituencies for the 2024 European Parliament elections: Peadar Tóibín in Midlands North West, Patrick Murphy in Ireland South and Aisling Considine in Dublin. None were elected. Sarah Beasley also ran, unsuccessfully, as the Aontú candidate in the 2024 Limerick mayoral election. In the 2024 Westminster election in Northern Ireland, Aontú stood in 10 of 18 constituencies, winning no seats from 7,466 votes (1.0% of the total).

Ideology and platform
Party founder and leader Peadar Tóibín has described Aontú as left of centre economically while "socially conservative". The party was described by the unionist Belfast News Letter as "Catholic conservative", and by The Times as "socially conservative", while Harry McGee described the party's ideology as "rural conservatism and traditionalism". It is anti-abortion, a stance which Tóibín has described as a "core value" of the party. Tóibín has expressed opposition to sexually explicit material being taught to children in schools. In 2023, Tóibín introduced a bill in the Dáil Éireann to prevent transgender female prisoners from being placed into women's prisons. Aontú opposed a 2024 proposed expansion of hate speech laws on the grounds that it amounted to censorship.

The Phoenix has described Tóibín and Aontú as possessing a "strong rightward stance" on immigration while Gerald Howlin of the Irish Examiner has described Tóibín's views on immigration as "nativist". Tóibín advocates for "sustainable levels" and "managed" immigration into Ireland and has called for "a nuanced debate that lies neither in walls nor in open borders". In 2021 deputy leader Denise Mullen called for greater action during the Afghan refugee crisis and for Ireland to be "a leader in accepting Afghan refugees". The party is Eurosceptic and opposed the EU Asylum and Migration Pact.

The party holds left-leaning views on economics and climate change. As of early 2020, the party's published policies included proposals for a united Ireland, a referendum on a "right to collective bargaining and trade union membership", an end to zero hours contracts, and increased state spending on public housing. Their site states Ireland should model itself on the "best practice in Scandinavian countries". In their 2021 budget submission, they called on changes to the state pension scheme, reducing Leap Card fares and increasing the Banking Levy.

While Aontú was founded in a split from Sinn Féin, Aontú members and elected representatives come from different political backgrounds: two councillors were former members of the Social Democratic and Labour Party, one councillor was a former member of Fianna Fáil, and two other councillors never held political office prior to joining Aontú. The party retains the ideology of Irish republicanism, and related policies; for example, Aontú maintains a policy of abstentionism, which means that while it runs candidates in Northern Ireland in British general elections, should an Aontú candidate be elected, they would not take up their seat in the British parliament.

The Irish Catholic editor Michael Kelly believed the party could "capitalise" on the "abandon[ment] [of] many of the values that were key to a largely Catholic electorate in the North" by "the traditional parties of nationalism".

Representatives
The party has one representative, TD Peadar Tóibín, at national level (in Dáil Éireann). As of June 2024, Aontú has eight sitting representatives at local level, all of whom are county councillors in the Republic of Ireland.

Party leader
The following are the terms of office as party leader.

Ógra Aontú
Aontú's youth branch, Ógra Aontú, was formed in May 2020. Membership of the branch is open to Aontú members aged between 16 and 30.