What the Election Results Mean
31.05.2019
Twelve months after voters chose to repeal the 8thAmendment, the party that spearheaded the abortion campaign is licking its wounds. Fine Gael, now the party of liberal values, expected to be rewarded for having put abortion on demand into Irish law. But its hoped-for gains did not materialise. Fine Gael’s bad election was due in no small part to the many pro-life people who rightly felt betrayed by that party.
Family & Life’s ground team distributed leaflets in certain target constituencies, reminding voters of Fine Gael’s central role in introducing its barbaric abortion law while our social media team ran a widely-viewed video on the issue.
Fianna Fáil, despite giving “confidence and supply” to Fine Gael’s minority government, fared reasonably well in the local elections, emerging as the largest party with 279 seats. Some in FF may well be dreaming of having a majority in the Dáil. Not as long as their leader ignores party members and tries to be all things to all people.
Sinn Féin and Labour, the two radical parties who called for abortion and much else, were left red-faced. The first lost almost half the seats it won in 2014, and Labour’s hopes of rising from the ashes of 2016 were dashed. It won a few more seats than in its disastrous last local election, but its share of the vote was down even further.
The two explicitly pro-life parties, Aontú and Renua won four seats, a remarkable achievement considering that Aontú was only launched in January. In addition, a bunch of independent candidates who are pro-life were also elected, including Máirín McGrath, the daughter of our good friend Deputy Mattie McGrath. The most encouraging thing is the number of Aontú and Renua first-time candidates who, while not winning seats, polled very respectably and will, with a bit of hard work and creativity, become promising contenders for future local and national elections.
Family & Life. May 30.