Mayo Local Elections: Paul Lawless says 'farmers don't receive their fair share'

Paul Lawless feels momentum on his side. During the recent referenda in March this year his party Aontú from the start campaigned for a “No-No” vote and got it right as the only party represented in the current Dail. And Lawless confirms that this resonated with people in his constituency in Claremorris.

The Knock resident has two reference points having already campaigned in the 2019 local elections and the 2020 general election: “People are starting to see us, I'm getting more positive feedback, compared to five years ago. The difference is incredible. I certainly feel the wind because the other parties are not listening to people. We saw how out of touch the parties were with the referenda. You could feel it in the last few days before.”

He feels Aontú are striking a cord. Lawless says he has put an a massive amount of work into working the constituency the last few years, saying his first time running in 2019 was more about introducing himself.

“We do need to deal with the system of immigration. The government branded people with concerns all sorts of names. We need to develop a roadmap out of this situation. Unless we do that there will be bypass centres. We need a stricter migration system, one that actually enforces the laws that we have. We need to reduce the processing times. When those applicants do get their decisions, and NGOs (Non Governmental Organisations) fight to overthrow those decisions. 85 percent of deportation orders are never actioned. The Government doesn't even know whether they have left the country.”

Lawless vows that as a councillor he would represent his constituents, open and transparent. He would tell them what's happening in their community.

He feels strongly about farmers, who he deems are not the scapegoat: “We need a strong voice for them. Aontú introduced a floor under the priece of beef for supermarkets. Farmers dont receive their fair share of the profits. If elected I will highlight that to ensure farmers get a fair for the produce.”

Lawless says he is running on a policy platform of farming issues, highlighting the deficiency of Garda resources as well. He claims that Mayo only received one Garda recruit in 2023. It is a big issue here.

Lawless states that crime is on the increase, and he believes there is a correlation between the decrease of Guards and an increase of crime.

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