Identity Ireland

Identity Ireland (Irish: Aitheantas Éire[7]) is a minor political party in Ireland.[8] The party has no representation at local or national level. It was launched in Dublin on 22 July 2015. Its founders are Gary Allen, Peter O'Loughlin and Alan Tighe.[9] O'Loughlin, the party's national spokesperson,[10] contested the 2016 Irish general election and 2019 European Parliament election.

Identity Ireland

Aitheantas Éire
LeaderPeter O'Loughlin
Founded22 July 2015
IdeologyAnti-immigration[1][2]
Anti-Islam
Identitarianism
Irish nationalism
Right-wing populism
Euroscepticism
Political positionRight-wing[3] to far-right[4][5][6]
ColoursBlue
Address27 Pembroke Street Upper, Dublin 2
Website
identityireland.org

Policy

Identity Ireland states that it favours Irish sovereignty and a return to the Irish pound.[11] The party supports a controlled border policy in order to curtail the immigration that, it says, is putting strain on the Irish welfare system.[12] It also supports more careful vetting of incoming asylum seekers.[12] It supports the Irish branch of Pegida, and has joined the Fortress Europe coalition.[13] It advocates the introduction of a two strike law for serious offences, as well as the re-introduction of penal labour.[14] It supports keeping Ireland's neutrality.[15] It is in favour of Brexit.[16]

Elections

Before founding Identity Ireland, Peter O'Loughlin unsuccessfully contested the 2014 European Parliament election for the South constituency, with 1.0% of the first preference votes.[17] He also unsuccessfully contested the 2015 Carlow-Kilkenny by-election, receiving 1.4% (930) of the first preference votes.[18][19][20][21]

O'Loughlin also ran in the 2016 Irish general election in the Cork North-Central constituency as an independent, where he came last with only 0.36% (183) of first preference votes.[22][23][24] O'Loughlin later contested the 2019 European Parliament election in Ireland,[25] receiving 0.5% (3,682) of first preference votes in the Ireland South constituency.[26]

Another party member, Ted Neville, was unsuccessful as an independent candidate in four previous elections in the Cork South-Central constituency.[27] He has appeared on television to discuss immigration, both as a member of Identity Ireland and as a member of the Immigration Control Platform group.[28][29]

Status

As of 14 May 2018, Identity Ireland was recorded in the Oireachtas Register of Political Parties,[30][31] though as an organisation that had "not yet responded to commission's enquiries" by the Standards in Public Office Commission.[32]

In November 2017, the Standards in Public Office Commission stated that no statements of accounts had been received from Identity Ireland, in breach of the Electoral Act.[33]

Reception

Identity Ireland has been accused of being racist. Some of its press conferences and meetings, and its launch, have been disrupted by protesters.[34][35]

However, the party claims that after its launch, membership went up by 25%, and that before the launch it had 115 members.[11] Party leader Peter O'Loughlin was invited to speak at the first Pegida rally of 2016 in Dresden, Germany.[36] In January 2016, the party was criticized for suggesting a local Muslim community leader be thrown into the Irish Sea. A spokesperson for Identity Ireland subsequently stated that it did not intend to advocate violence, and that the phrase "f@ck him into the Irish sea" was intended as a euphemism.[37]

Election results

European Parliament
Election year # of total votes % of overall vote # of seats won
2019 3,685 0.2%
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See also

References
  1. "Dublin hotel cancels launch of new extreme right-wing party which had been planned for tomorrow". TheJournal.ie. 16 November 2016. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
  2. Moloney, Mark (7 March 2016). "Far Right tries to capitalise on immigration fears". An Phoblacht. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
  3. Ryan, Philip (22 July 2015). "Launch of controversial right wing political party descends into chaos in Dublin". Irish Independent. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  4. Murphy, Glen (12 July 2016). "Do You Know Your Far-Right Parties?". Hot Press. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
  5. "Dublin hotel cancels launch of new extreme right-wing party which had been planned for tomorrow". TheJournal.ie. 16 November 2016. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  6. "Why the far right brurns bright elsewhere, fizzles in Ireland". Dublin Inquirer. 29 November 2016. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  7. http://m.sipo.gov.ie/ga/Tuarascálacha/Síntiúis-arna-nochtadh/le-páiritithe-polaitíochta/2016-Ráitis-Síntiús/Aguisín-1-Páirtithe-Polaitíochta-Cláraithe.html
  8. "Register of Political Parties" (PDF). data.oireachtas.ie. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 May 2018.
  9. identity ireland is launched in Dublin, July 2015. 28 July 2015 – via YouTube.
  10. Identity Ireland. 24 October 2015 – via YouTube.
  11. "Identity Ireland sees 25% increase in membership since yesterday". newstalk.com.
  12. Catherine Healy. "These men tried to launch a new party … but anti-racism protesters gate-crashed their event". TheJournal.ie.
  13. Roche, Barry (30 January 2016). "Anti-Islamic group Pegida Ireland to be launched at Dublin rally". The Irish Times. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
  14. "Law and Order". Identity Ireland. Archived from the original on 20 May 2015. Prisoners work while incarcerated
  15. "Identity Ireland's Photos - Identity Ireland | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2016-02-01.
  16. "Identity Ireland". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2016-06-15.
  17. "European Election:23 May 2014 South European Parliament". electionsIreland.org.
  18. "The New Vision of Peter O'Loughlin and Identity Ireland,". kilkennyjournal.ie. Archived from the original on 2017-01-13. Retrieved 2016-12-19.
  19. "By-Election: Carlow–Kilkenny". RTÉ. 23 May 2015.
  20. Moloney, Mark (1 June 2015). "Sinn Féin big winners in Carlow/Kilkenny by-election". An Phoblacht.
  21. Ó Cionnaith, Fiachra (23 May 2015). "FF look set for by-election win after Aylward pulls ahead to 28%". Irish Examiner.
  22. ""RTÉ General Election 2016 - Peter O'Loughlin"". RTÉ. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
  23. "ElectionsIreland.org: 32nd Dáil - Cork North Central First Preference Votes". www.electionsireland.org. ElectionsIreland.org. Retrieved 2016-06-17.
  24. "Cork North-Central". RTÉ. Archived from the original on 28 May 2016.
  25. "Total of 59 candidates declare for European Parliament elections". irishtimes.com. Irish Times. 15 April 2019. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
  26. "Elections 2019 Constituency: Ireland South". elections.independent.ie. Independent News & Media. Archived from the original on 28 May 2019.
  27. "ElectionsIreland.org: Ted Neville". ElectionsIreland.org.
  28. Ted Neville of Identity Ireland discusses immigration on the Late Review. TV3 (Ireland). 30 July 2015 – via YouTube.
  29. "Ted Neville - Immigration Control Platform -Cork South Central". ImmigrationControl.org. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  30. "Register of Political Parties" (PDF). Office of the Registrar of Political Parties. Oireachtas.ie. 14 May 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 May 2018.
  31. "Dublin hotel cancels launch of new extreme right-wing party which had been planned for tomorrow". The Journal. 16 November 2016. Retrieved 19 December 2016. It has now emerged that Identity Ireland registered as an official political party in Ireland last week, 11 November
  32. "Register of Third Parties". Standards in Public Office Commission. Archived from the original on 17 January 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  33. Burke, Ceimin (29 November 2017). "Nearly half of Ireland's political parties failed to submit accounts to watchdog". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
  34. Duffy, Rónán (15 March 2015). "Gardaí probe assault at meeting of party that wants "proper border control"". TheJournal.ie.
  35. Ryan, Philip (22 June 2015). "Launch of controversial right wing political party descends into chaos in Dublin". Irish Independent.
  36. "Head of controversial Irish group addresses far-right rally in Germany". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 2016-01-10.
  37. Leogue, Joe (20 January 2016). "Political group Identity Ireland clarifies comments about senior Islamic figure". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 2016-12-24.
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