Lawless hopes to be in contention in very tight race
Cllr Paul Lawless was barracked by some of his fellow councillors at the monthly meeting of the local authority.
The recent TG4/Ipsos opinion poll on the upcoming general election in the Mayo constituency put Aontú candidate Cllr Paul Lawless in contention for one of the five seats.
According to the survey, which involved interviews with 500 people across the county, Cllr Lawless has 7% of the vote, putting him in joint seventh position among the 16 candidates.
Speaking after the poll was published, Cllr Lawless said he is "the only realistic choice to prevent all five seats in Mayo from being controlled by the same big three parties".
"My candidacy offers voters the chance to send someone to Dáil Éireann who will challenge the status quo and hold these parties accountable.
"Every other contender either belongs to one of the big three or, like Independent Patsy O’Brien, is closely tied to Fine Gael’s agenda. "Cllr O’Brien may run as an Independent, but he is running as Independent not for ideological reasons but because he was removed from the party."
Cllr Lawless said he has "built a reputation as a fighter for ordinary people".
"I have consistently stood against public waste, called for solutions to the health, housing, and cost-of-living crisis, and championed common-sense reforms to tackle the government’s out-of-hand immigration policy.
"Where solutions have not been found via lobbying government I have gone about finding solutions. The best example is forming the Priority Health Bus, formerly known as the Cataract Bus, where I successfully took between 500-600 people off long-term waiting lists by getting them treatment in Northern Ireland in a matter of weeks and sometimes days."
Cllr Lawless said the opinion poll shows that "Mayo voters have a choice" next Friday.
“Do we let the big three parties continue business as usual, or do we elect someone who will demand accountability and put the needs of Mayo’s people first? If you want a representative who will stand up to the waste, mismanagement, and arrogance of government, vote for me. Together, we can keep the other parties in check and bring real change to Mayo.”
With the margin for the final seat incredibly tight, every vote for Paul Lawless counts. A vote for Aontú is a vote to ensure Mayo has a strong voice in the next Dáil that won't be deterred by group think.
