Peter Casey, an entrepreneur and former presidential contender, has declared his decision to run in the forthcoming European Parliament elections in June. Representing himself as an independent, Mr Casey aims to secure one of five seats allocated to the Midlands-North West Constituency.
Despite his unsuccessful attempts to secure a position in the recent 2018 presidential election, where he was runner-up, and the 2019 European elections, Mr Casey remains hopeful. The Midlands-North West Constituency will have an additional seat open for election this year, following the Electoral Commission’s recommendation to allocate an extra seat to the counties of Laois and Offaly, previously constituents of the Southern constituency.
Mr Casey has also previously attempted to secure a seat in the 2020 general elections, representing two separate constituencies – Donegal and Dublin West – but was not victorious. His candidature was contentious due to divisive statements he made about the Travelling community and immigrants.
In his announcement, Mr Casey expressed deep concern about the current “completely open-border policy” of both the Government and the opposition party, Sinn Féin. He described the vote by Irish MEPs in favour of the EU migration pact as a “grave error”.
Given the opportunity to be elected, he pledged a strong commitment to instituting incentives that would draw young expatriates back to Ireland. He attributed their departure to the belief that they may not be able to afford homes or secure employment. As a businessman, he also promised to reiterate the importance of large multinational employers in Ireland in terms of job creation and revenue.
Mr Casey made it clear that his agenda, if elected, would be to boost employment and discourage job losses in rural Ireland. He also made reference to the need for increased law enforcement in these areas.
On the subject of climate change, he criticized the Green Party and the carbon tax. While he acknowledged the necessity of addressing the issue, he argued that a carbon tax is not the solution, especially in rural Ireland where residents are reliant on cars due to limited public transportation options.