Peadar Tóibín on Aontú, Sinn Féin, immigration and ambition

<p>"If we push honest views below ground, we simply push those views into the hands of real racists". </p><br><p>That statement, referring to the hot-button issue of migration, is typical of Meath West TD and Aontú party leader Peadar Tóibín, who likes to portray Aontú&nbsp;as neither left nor right but a party of "common sense". </p><br><p>Will that approach win Aontú&nbsp;many votes? </p><br><p>It's now exactly four years since the party's foundation and, while it has had few electoral successes so far, polling suggests it enjoys similar support to some of the longer-established small parties. </p><br><p>Peadar Tóibín talks to Hugh Linehan and Jack Horgan-Jones about what electoral success looks like for his party, the importance of "culture war" versus "bread-and-butter" issues and some reflections on his former party Sinn Fein. </p><br><p>This episode is the first in a series looking at small parties. We'll be back on Friday with a round-up of the week's political news. </p><br><p>With any subscription you'll get unlimited access to the very best in unique quality journalism from The Irish Times. <a href="https://www.irishtimes.com/subscribe" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Subscribe today</a>.</p><br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>