GE24, the Candidates: Anthony Casey, Irish Freedom Party
His belief that there's rampant corruption in Irish politics, that many of Ireland's currently elected TDs are 'taking their orders from Brussels' and that the country's tourism industry is being 'destroyed to non-existence' are among the reasons Anthony Casey is campaigning for a Dáil seat in Kildare South, writes Brian Byrne. He says he was approached by a number of nationalist parties to run, but he joined with the Irish Freedom Party because they aligned with his thinking.
From Maganey near Athy, and the father of a young family, former civil servant Casey also believes mainstream news media in Ireland are deliberately ignoring nationalist independent groups like the IFP. He claims that national broadcaster RTE has conducted a campaign of 'slander' against the party, which has its origins in a far-right movement promoting Ireland's exit from the European Union and has at various times been accused of homophobia, racism and connections with European neo-Nazi movements. None of which, he says, is true.
Anthony Casey was previously a Registrar in the Family Courts Service for Carlow-Kilkenny, but says "they pulled my power" and prevented him from sitting in the court following an interview he conducted on his A.Casey Podcast series a year ago with Dr Vincent Carroll, a Covid-19 vaccine sceptic. He says he since resigned from the Courts Service because civil servants in Ireland are not permitted to seek nomination or election to the Houses of the Oireachtas. He is now functioning as a carer for a family member with a debilitating illness.
Casey represented the IFP in the Athy LEA for the local elections last June. He received a total of 339 votes, and remarks that he only had four days to canvass. "I started late, and only took part in the election to get my name out there for the General Election." To date he has knocked on 'about 3,000 doors' for this latest campaign and "I've received almost 100pc positive reaction." He admits that there's a very low recognition factor for the IFP at those same doors, which he puts down to mainstream media 'like the Irish Times' not giving coverage 'to any of us ... trying to be an opposition'. "But once I get to speak to people and they hear that I write policy for the Irish Freedom Party — a nurses policy, a teachers policy, a home-makers policy — they are very receptive to me. I feel that there's a lot of anger there, that the working class has been left out a bit."
On tourism, the candidate suggests there are no B&Bs left operating in Carlow, and that "Fáilte Ireland isn't advertising any more." Which might be news to the 35-plus local accommodation providers that come up on a simple Google search, and to those in Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland paying the substantial costs for national and international advertising campaigns which are expected to help bring €6.5 billion of incoming tourism value in 2025. But there's no gainsaying that hospitality at local levels is currently going through challenges.
Anthony Casey's view on immigration is that it has 'gone out of control' and is a situation that needs to be corrected. He agrees that the country should help refugees, but feels that "Ireland has taken in more than any other country" and has done its bit. On emigration — "It's at a record high" — he wants to see development of policies that deal with reasons why so many people feel they have to leave. "I'm going to houses where there are 30-year-olds living with parents, and the parents are saying they're going to go away because there's nothing for them here." He does acknowledge that many emigrate because they want to, but cites a nurses gathering "a few weeks ago" in Sydney where they were demanding 'give us a reason to come home'.
(EDITOR: Just for accuracy, that particular event was in 2019, and was in support of healthcare workers back in Ireland going on strike for better pay. And official statistics show that almost 60pc of Irish nursing and midwifery graduates of the Class of 2011 who emigrated, returned to work in Ireland over the following decade.)
Casey is also concerned about crime levels, and though official figures show a steady reduction in reported crime from a high point in 2008, he feels from his experience in the Courts Service that the rate "is at its highest for 20 years." He is also a supporter of the IFP's founding policy on Ireland leaving the EU, but says 'not right now' and that it should be "only after negotiation and on the right conditions." This is against the background of 84pc of Irish people currently supporting membership. "I know people are very apprehensive about this, but they should be allowed a referendum every few years, to give their choice about leaving."
With just three seats available for election in Kildare South, — the incumbent Ceann Comhairle Sean O Fearghaill is automatically returned — the prospect of a candidate from a party with just one local councillor elected in their name snatching a Dáil seat here from the main national parties, and an outgoing Independent TD, is pretty small. But Anthony Casey seems nothing if not optimistic.
"It all depends on the number of doors I can get to," he says. He'll keep on knocking until polling day.
EDITOR NOTE: All the Kildare South candidates have been invited to interview by the Diary, and in the run-up to polling day we will profile those who accept.
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