Former MEP Mick Wallace confirms he will run in general election
Mr Wallace confirmed his intentions on South East Radio on Friday. Picture: RollinNews.ie
Former Independent MEP Mick Wallace has confirmed that he will run in the general election.
Mr Wallace confirmed his intentions on South East Radio on Friday.
Mr Wallace previously served as a TD for the Wexford constituency, before leaving the Dáil for the European Parliament in 2019.
He entered the race just hours before nominations were due to close.
“I’ll be dead straight with you, I am going to stand,” Mr Wallace said, speaking on South East Radio.
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“All my life in politics, I tried to make a difference as well as I can. I feel a responsibility. I’ve always tried to make the world a better place to live in for as many people as I can, in whatever way I can.
“Lots of people disagree with how I do things, that’s fair enough too. I don’t expect everyone to agree with me but in my own way I fight mercilessly and relentlessly for making things better.”
He said that Ireland received its independence over 100 years ago, but the country has been ruled by Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Labour ever since.
Mr Wallace said that it would be very difficult for him to win a seat in the four-seater Wexford constituency, saying that existing candidates have bedded in.
“The other candidates are well ensconced on the ground and canvassing for a few years to win this seat and I’m arriving with a few days to go,” Mr Wallace said.
He hit out at opposition parties in the Dáil at present, saying that many have gone with the mainstream in recent years.
“Opposition is incredibly important and I don’t see much of it in the last few years,” he said.
After losing his seat in the European elections in June, Mr Wallace said it was too early to declare whether or not he would run in the general election.
The decision by Mr Wallce comes weeks after another former Independent MEP, Clare Daly, confirmed that she would be seeking a return to the Dáil.
Ms Daly is running in Dublin Central, one of the most competitive constituencies in the country with political heavyweights like Mary Lou McDonald and Paschal Donohoe, as well as Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch, who is running as an independent candidate.
Both Mr Wallace and Ms Daly faced intense scrutiny during their time at the European Parliament, with questions raised over their stance on the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
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