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FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE Peter Casey has announced his intention to stand as a general election candidate in Taoiseach Leo Varadkar’s constituency.
Casey, who has already filed papers to stand in Donegal, nominated himself to stand in Dublin West this morning.
The businessman finished second behind Michael D Higgins in the 2018 presidential race, when he drew controversy over his remarks about the Travelling Community.
He also unsuccessfully stood for European Parliament in the Midlands-North West constituency last year.
Announcing his candidacy, Casey said he was standing in the constituency to give people an opportunity to register “an obvious protest vote” against Varadkar.
“The Taoiseach’s string of failures is recorded for all to see,” he said.
“There’s the swing-gate and fobgate scandals, the National Children’s Hospital disgrace, the broadband spending debacle, the unprecedented crises in health and housing – list goes on and people have had enough…
“People are right to be angry and that’s why I’m giving them the opportunity to voice their anger directly by voting for me in Dublin West.”
Speaking at the registration office this morning, the 62-year-old said he believed Varadkar was not fit to be Taoiseach, but said he would not canvas there, adding that his primary goal would be to represent the people of Donegal.
Candidates for this year’s election have until midday to submit their paperwork to be nominated. They are permitted to stand in more than one constituency under election rules, but can only take one Dáil seat.
The Taoiseach is also expected to file his papers to stand in the Dublin West constituency this morning.
Varadkar and Casey will face competition for the constituency’s four seats from outgoing TDs Joan Burton of Labour, Fianna Fáil’s Jack Chambers, and Solidarity-People Before Profit’s Ruth Coppinger.
Others standing in the constituency include Fine Gael’s Emer Currie, Sinn Féin’s Paul Donnelly, the Green Party’s Roderic O’Gorman, Social Democrats’ Aengus Ó Maoláin, Aontú’s Edward Mac Manus and independent candidates Stephen O’Loughlin and Sean O’Leary.
With reporting from Press Association.
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Shut the door on the way out Lieo ..
@Willy Mc Entire: Leo gets my vote. Especially now.
@Willy Mc Entire:
Beat Leo?
A pair of plain socks should do it
@Rúraíocht: The country is in bits and you want to vote for Leo …clueless .
@Rúraíocht: For no other reason than Casey running in his area? People like you keep Ireland where it is.
Go for it peter bye bye Leo
I thought Leo was running in Carlow kilkenny he has so many posters up around the place
@eoin carroll: Same in midlands…Leo is EVERYWHERE!!!
@eoin carroll: nah, pretty sure he is running in Dundalk. He’s everywhere down here!
@Spartacus Ireland: Same in Mayo. Near knock there were 14 Leo’s and only 2 for the local TD. He loves himself.
@eoin carroll: I’m guessing that tacric was decided when Leo was 51% in the popularity stakes, not that he’s in the low 30′s, Im sure there are some very red faces… Couldn’t have happened to a more scurrilous lot…. FG & FF are all self interest, no public interest. Derail the gravy train….
I hope he get’s absolutely HAMMERED!
I hope everyone voting gives EVERYONE ELSE a vote except him so he doesn’t even get 4th, 5th or 6th preference votes.
His disgusting populist spiel should be sent packing!
@Tricia G: He is gross alright. That being said I loath Varadkar and would love to see him lose his seat.
@Tricia G: any one who would vote for Casey would never have voted for Veradker anyway. Pointless really. More populist grandstanding.
@Tricia G: Its not nice to says those things about Leo
@Tricia G: what’s your biggest problem with him
@Tricia G: However,he is a very clever guy. He definitely has a constituency in that constituency. Add to that the anti Leo vote, and he is very likely to get in. That’s his retirement sorted.
@Andrew Dillon: If anything it will probably take away from the Sinn Féin vote
@aidan mccormack: He says whatever “controversial” thing he believes will get him attention.
His stance will target some minority group. He’ll seek to stir up hatred about refugees and immigrants.
Sure it worked for him in the Presidential election, why would he abandoned the one thing he knows will get him attention.
Stir up animosity with people that think they’re suffering because of refugees and not people like Peter Casey who hasn’t paid Income Tax in Ireland for years (I assume that’ changed but I can’t find any confirmation).
He’s an attention seeking populist who uses dog whistles to stir up fear in the hope it will get him votes.
He’s a populist hack!
@Tricia G: eat youre porridge .at least he speaks the truth.
@Brian Carroll: your right. All it’ll do is split the opposition vote.
@Tricia G: when did he ever say anything about refugees and immigrants?
@Andrew Dillon: more likely to split the Sinn Fein working class vote than anything
@Tadhg O’shaughnessy: you can’t handle the truth
@Tadhg O’shaughnessy: well that’s exactly the thing about populism isn’t it… people like you will have nothing actually constructive to say except one line retorts like ‘at least he speaks the truth’. As said by a fictional character but rings so true … ‘some people just want to see the world burn’.
@Tricia G: he got alot of votes because people agreed with him
@Feardorcha Ó Maolomhnaigh:
“clever” lol, it’s one of the easiest ways to get attention by spouting hateful rhetoric. Nothing clever about it. It’s pretty common in young teenagers.
Great news, bye bye Lieo
He won’t get my vote especially after he kept the beaches open on Amity Island when he knew there was a shark in the water
@Gerard Flood: Thank you! That has been bugging me since the Presidential election. “where did i see him before?”
@Gerard Flood: Brilliant!
Top man Peter
Pity you’re not in my constituency
Get my vote in a heartbeat
Just to F up the others
Go for it Peter
In the words of Fr Jack, “that gobs***e again”.
@Lurfic: Actually looking at the article photo I thought it was a Fr. Ted article :-)…that picture reminded me of someone :-)
My 8 year-old niece can come up with a more comprehensive political and economic strategy than Peter Casey, at least he’ll give us a laugh though.
@BillyCroft: you could make that claim about Varadkar too.
All of the previous governments have failed. Would SF do any better?
No.
More than likely they would do worse.
Vote Casey 1.
The only real alternative to more of the same.
@tom pepper: you’re obviously a man who slept since the turn of the millennium. In fact you must have been in a coma for the past four years. But then again if not all I can say is keep on dreaming
@mot leave: I’m not dreaming,
but you sir are on cloud cookoo land if you think voting SF in to power will make any difference to this country. It would be more of the same. Just different sheep to follow.
In reality there there is no viable alternative with credible solutions to the running of this state.
@tom pepper: Sinn Fein have never been in power in the south how can you say they will be more of the same, just look at what Pearse Doherty has been able to achiev, I would love to seem have more power and see what good he can do.
@tom pepper: only a bigot with an underdeveloped brain would vote for him.
What political experience does Peter casey have? What are his values? What does he stand for?
Nothing but division and hate. Anyone who thinks our country would benefit in any way by attacking groups of people and stirring up controversy is, at best, ignorantly deluded, although I would be seriously questioning their motives, wondering if they’re just in it for social unrest and upheaval for the sake of it.
Prepare for mass triggering event
I think people should vote based on policy…if I was in that constituency Leo would be far down the pecking order long before Casey entered the race
We have a situation where the Irish are continually put last by their own government and sacrificed on the altar of political correctness. Open borders policies drive up demand in the housing market and make accomodation more expensive for everyone involved. It only benefits wealthy landlords and politicians, but most people are afraid to say it because they know they’ll be smeared and attacked by the elitist media if they do.
@Stef123: yet another knuckledragger.
@Fergus Lynch: you just made his point
@Stef123: stop trying to justify your bigotry, you’re only fooling yourself.
The vast majority of irish people are not xenophobic, despite what you see in this comment section.
O no, not this self-publcity egotist again. Does he not have a friend who could tell him.
@Bramley Hawthorne: you’re right, Leo is a real egotist.
Fair play Peter, pity you are not in my constituency .. hope you get enough votes to topple the arrogant little man that is Leo.
The country could do with successful business people serving its people, not unqualified, unexperienced, family-line recruits.
Everyone else but Leo.
I wonder is he standing for the Personal vanity project independent coalition, Irexit freedom UK boot lickers or Monster raving loony party. I hope he wastes a lot of his money on this so it will sting all the more.
1.8 million euro on spin
FF & FG two sides of the same coin
Don’t be fooled by vague promises. A vote For FF or FG is a vote to increase your pension to 68. Don’t let them get away with it
All this does is split the anti government vote even more. At least we’ll get to see how strong the anti traveller and racist vote is in Leo’s back garden
Expect the shrill of the dog whistle as he attempts to emulate the demagoguery of the US and UK.
Vote number 1 of your choice only. Stop the carry over of preferences.
Wish I was in this constituency to vote for the disruptor in chief Casey
“The Taoiseach is also expected to file his papers to stand in the Dublin West constituency this morning.”
He hasn’t done this already ???? His mugshot is on every lamp post in the country and he hasn’t even filed papers to stand in the election??!!
I predict a wipe out of fg and maybe ff to..
My vote is too precious to be wasted on this guy’s vanity project… No policies, no ideas, just nasty populism appealing to the lowest of the low.
All he’s going to do is take votes away from people who are standing against Varadkar
He must be looking for a gov contract
Dem election posters boil my P
All just want to keep their greedy heads in the Kildare St trough
Casey will put Leo out. To enjoy his pensions. Good news for D15. Many migrants and house breaks ins
Send in the clowns…
….They’re already here!
By voting casey you probably do Varadkar a favour in numbers
Peter Casey is a clown https://twitter.com/DollardJohn/status/1130814903743406081?s=19
@Ahjaysis: and Leo isn’t?
@The Blue Dot Observer: Can they not both be clowns??
COME ON CASEY, sock it to him, time for the Ordinary Man to have his say.
@Eugene Comaskey: run yourself if you think the mythical ordinary man is not represented.
@DJ François: No need, Casey will do me fine, he talks our language, talks straight Countryman’s language, a Man that knows what it takes.
@Eugene Comaskey: Casey says He will not even canvass in Dublin West, but watch how many votes he will receive . You will all be surprised.
A foul individual whose only policy platform is hatred and dissent. Hopefully he wont find too many like-minded people in that constituency.
Just remembered the lies P C stated in the Press about The Stardust families http://www.rte.ie/news/politics/2018/1028/1007202-politics/
Another gobsh++e enters race…
Pity he didn’t stand in mayo. Saoirse McHugh would put manners on him.
Peter really wants that pension.
Stunt, FG voters wont vote for Casey
Looser.. but that’s what hes looking for, to distort the electorate, bring out hate and division, then swan off feeling great. Somethings wrong!!
This fooking headbanger again!!!!
All Leo’s mistakes and its all because of immigrants and travellers. Casey is a plank.
This gobsh*te again… Can’t wait to not vote for him.
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