It has become painfully clear that the Irish conservative and nationalist movement is trapped in a self-defeating cycle of fragmentation and self-destruction.
Parties like Aontú and Independent Ireland, among others, though ostensibly separate, are attracting and appealing to more or less the same audience: they vote the same way on virtually every issue, share the same beliefs, and appeal to the same kind of voters. There is absolutely no rational reason for both parties to exist. The only explanation is ego—an egoism that is singlehandedly making the entire conservative wing of Irish politics irrelevant.
Between them, Aontú and Independent Ireland likely lost at least five seats, possibly more at the 2024 General Election. due to vote-splitting, divided resources, conflicting publicity, and bitter infighting. The damage has been obvious in every recent election. Despite a clear potential base consisting of the 15–20% of the electorate who are disillusioned with the mainstream liberal consensus, the Irish right continues to punch far below its weight.
As the Gript Media post by Laura Perrins (see Gript, X/Twitter) recently observed, this total disorganisation and incompetence on the Irish right has become endemic, and was nowhere more apparent than the failure of Maria Steen to receive a presidential nomination in recent weeks. I could not agree more with Mrs Perrins’ analysis of the need for a vastly different approach by Irish conservatives in politics. I have long believed that the only hope for Irish conservatism and nationalism lies in the creation of a single, strong, unified political party.
Aontú and Independent Ireland Must Unite
The first step must be an immediate unification of Aontú and Independent Ireland. The ideological differences between them are negligible—what divides them are personalities and pride. Were they to merge under one banner, I am convinced such a party could achieve 15% in the polls almost overnight, with the potential to surge rapidly, as can be seen with the stunning rise of Reform UK across the Irish sea.
A shortage of conservative voters is not the problem; the structure is. There exists a large and consistent culturally conservative constituency that rejects the liberal NGO consensus and yearns for national renewal, economic fairness, and moral sanity. Such voters comprised almost 20% of the vote at the 2024 general elections. Yet these voters have been scattered across micro-parties and independents, left with no coherent national voice.
The Futility of Reforming Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael
Some argue that the alternative is to “drag” Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael to the right. But this is a fantasy. These parties are no longer ideological entities; they are clientelist patronage networks—machines of local influence rather than vehicles of conviction. They operate in a strictly top-down fashion. Irish political parties are profoundly undemocratic, with headquarters effectively selecting candidates and silencing grassroots input.
Unlike the United States, Ireland has no primary system that allows insurgent movements to challenge establishment control. When the Tea Party or Trump movement arose, it did so through direct voter influence within the party. In Ireland, any such faction would be swiftly purged.
The last remnants of ideological conservatism within Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael were eliminated years ago, during the abortion referendum and its aftermath. Since then, not a word of dissent has been heard from their backbenches. The Irish political elite is now entirely co-opted—homogenised, managerial, and loyal only to the system that sustains it.
The Need for a Unified Grassroots Movement
If Ireland is to see genuine political renewal, it must come from outside the existing establishment—from a unified grassroots insurgency modelled on movements in the UK, France, and Germany. Just as the mainstream right-wing parties in those countries—The Conservatives, Les Républicains, and the CDU—refused to reform despite massive electoral shifts, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael will never change their stripes.
Unity, therefore, is not optional—it is the prerequisite for survival. The votes are already there. What is missing is organisation, discipline, and coherence. One party, with a charismatic leadership and a clearly defined, unapologetic but highly disciplined populist message, could finally give voice to the hundreds of thousands of Irish voters who have been disenfranchised by Ireland’s liberal consensus.
The endless multiplication of “independents” and micro-parties may feel like a form of rebellion, but in reality, it serves only the establishment. Division dilutes influence, confuses voters, and prevents momentum. The first step to success—before policy, before campaigning, before reform—is unity.
Enough of the independent nonsense. The time has come for Irish conservatives and nationalists to speak with one voice. Only then can real political change begin.
Share this: