Aontú has blamed the Government for the housing crisis and linked it to what party leader Peadar Tóibín claims is “disastrous” immigration policy.
The Meath West TD made the remarks as part of a wide-ranging address to Aontú’s ardfheis in Portlaoise.
Tóibín said Aontú is a pluralist party and that as a country “we should do our best to help those who are fleeing war and violence.”
But he accused the Coalition of “disastrous” immigration policy claiming it “refused to work with communities” and that it cannot tell if people are leaving the country after a deportation order.
Tóibín said: “This Government is to blame for the housing crisis” as he argued that it was “increasing the population of this country by just under 100,000 people every year” without providing the necessary infrastructure and comparing the scale of increase to the population of Galway city.
Central Statistics Office figures suggest that in the 12 months to the end of April 2025, the Irish population increased by 78,300.
During that period there were 125,300 immigrants. Just under half were returning Irish citizens and people from the European Union and United Kingdom.
Some 63,600 immigrants were citizens of other countries including people fleeing the war in Ukraine and asylum seekers from elsewhere.
Tóibín said that Aontú would implement a “stricter immigration system” if it were in government.
It would “help those who need help” but would “process those who don’t in a speedy fashion” and “return them home”.
He said Aontú would “deliver an Irish sea border to control the movement of people from Britain to Ireland.”
Tóibín used the speech to suggest that Ireland is “in touching distance of unity” and to argue against the scrapping of the Triple Lock mechanism on deploying Irish troops overseas.
He also said Aontú is the only party in the Dáil that opposes “gender ideology” and “can say that a woman is a female adult and that a man can’t get pregnant”.
Tóibín said Aontú would abolish the M50 toll while he accused the Government of “carbon tax gouging” as fuel prices rise.
Petrol and diesel prices have increased sharply since the US and Israel began a campaign of strikes on Iran last weekend and there has been a particularly large rise in the cost of home heating oil.
In addition, a planned increase in carbon tax on home heating oil is due to kick-in at the start of May.
Earlier, Tóibín told reporters his party is “furious with the Government” over the cost of energy.
Tóibín said it would be “wrong” to raise carbon tax given there are 300,000 families in energy arrears.
He called for a reduction of the tax “in this price surge period” and a permanent stop on increases.
Earlier in the week, Tánaiste and Minister for Finance Simon Harris defended carbon taxes. He said the proceeds are used for retrofitting homes to improve energy efficiency and social welfare protections for people at risk of fuel poverty. He highlighted existing supports and said the Government continues to “keep all measures to support people under review”.
Tóibín said the theme of Aontú’s ardfheis was the social contract, whereby if people work hard they should be able to own a home or at least pay rent. He said his party believes that contract has been “absolutely broken” by the Government.
He said Aontú has “positive solutions” for the housing crisis including streamlining processes like planning permission, procurement and judicial reviews and reducing the rate of VAT, value added tax on the construction of homes.
Aontú has two TDs and one Senator and is running candidates Orla Nugent and Ian Noel Smyth in the upcoming Galway West and Dublin Central byelections respectively.
Tóibin said the ardfheis comes at a time of “serious growth” for the party and suggested it could, based on current polling levels, return at least 12 TDs in the next general election.
He denied that Aontú would be a permanent part of the Opposition, saying the issues and crises in Ireland “are far too serious for any political parties to stand on the sidelines”.
He said Aontú has “the most common sense practical solutions to many of the problems that the country has had and we do aim to go into Government”.
On potential future coalition partners, Tóibin said he is “no fan of Fianna Fáil” but was open to going into government with the party.
He argued that the larger party does not have an “ideological core” and that because of this “it is easier to direct Fianna Fáil in terms of which way you want to go as a country”.
He ruled out going into government with Fine Gael, claiming it has “created great damage on a range of different issues in this country over the last number of years”.
Tóibín was asked by reporters about the resignation from the party of Aisling Considine, a candidate in the 2024 European election.
In a post on X last month about Aontú, she claimed that “rather than being the grassroots-led movement it presents itself as, I found decision-making to be concentrated within a small, left-leaning, group at the top”.
Tóibín said the ardfheis would show that “every single cumann [party branch] can actually put forward any motion that they want and every single member can actually vote on the motions in any way they like and then each motion that is successful becomes party policy”.
He added that this was “democracy happening in real time”.