James Reynolds (Irish politician)

Reynolds (left) with fellow National Party general election candidates Paul McWeeney and Paul Hanley in January 2020.

During the 1990s Reynolds was a prominent member of the hardline anti-abortion group Youth Defence. In a 1992 interview with Hot Press Reynolds spoke of abandoning democracy and argued for the inductment of internment and the reintroduction of the death penalty to Ireland.[27][28] The same article featured a conversation between Reynolds and another member of Youth Defence in which Reynolds "recalled Mussolini with fondness" but chided Francisco Franco for "allowing ‘commies and socialists’ into his government towards the end”.[27][28] During the same time period, Reynolds stated in an interview with Shannonside radio that if Nuala Fennell and Nora Owen of Fine Gael been active politically in Spain in the 1970s like they were in Ireland in the 1990s, "they would have been put up against a wall and shot".[27][28]

In a 2023 interview, he said he had been interested in politics "since a young age" and "was very taken with the Gaelic system of 'Tanistry' because of my lifelong belief in freedom, limited government and being totally opposed to tyranny. I was also an admirer of the Ancient Roman Republic and as a young man, I was always uncompromising in my opposition to Communism, Socialism and Liberalism".[29]

Reynolds contested the Longford County Council election in 2004 as an independent, leaving his post of Longford IFA chairman to do so.[30] He received 231 first preference votes and failed to be elected, being eliminated on the fourth count.[31] The same year Justin Barrett campaigned unsuccessfully for a seat in the European Parliament.

In 2009, Reynolds became chairman of the Longford branch of Libertas Ireland, a political party founded by Declan Ganley. Reynolds campaigned on behalf of Ganley's unsuccessful attempt to be elected an MEP.[14] In November 2009, Libertas Ireland was removed from the Register of Political Parties in Ireland.[32]

Reynolds' next foray into politics was as chair of the Eurosceptic Farmers For No campaign, established to oppose the 2009 Lisbon Treaty referendum.[33] The group was briefly revived to oppose the 2012 Compact Fiscal referendum, Reynolds claimed the treaty would put the Common Agricultural Policy budget "at severe risk".[34]

In November 2016 he helped to co-found the National Party and assumed the post of vice president of the new party.[35] Reynolds has spoken at a number of National Party events since the party's launch, including alongside Barrett who has described Reynolds as a "friend for many years".[36] At the party's first ardfheis, guest speaker John Wilson walked out in reaction to homophobic comments, including a claim by Reynolds that LGBT people were "mentally disordered".[37]

In June 2019, Reynolds accompanied anti-immigration and conspiracy-theorist campaigner Gemma O'Doherty for a livestream in Longford, during which a Polish woman living in the town confronted the pair outside St. Mel's Cathedral.[38] Reynolds subsequently spoke in O'Doherty's favour during protests held outside Google's Dublin headquarters following her suspension from YouTube.[39] Local independent County Councillor Turlough McGovern denied political association with Reynolds after the county council elections in 2019, when Reynolds was photographed celebrating with him. McGovern has since denied support of or by Reynolds and that any involvement from Reynolds was "in a personal capacity".[40]

Reynolds was an unsuccessful candidate in Longford-Westmeath in the 2020 general election, garnering a total of 983 first preference votes (1.74%).[8][41] He was eliminated on the sixth count. Speaking after the result, Reynolds said: "I accept my result with good grace and a healthy optimism with an eye towards the future. I believe the groundwork has been laid for future successes... I look forward to continuing my work in Longford and demonstrating my commitment to the people."[42]

Reynolds was reportedly involved in moving €400,000 worth of gold bars from the National Party's offices in July 2023.[43] A statment issued by the National Party on 31 July stated that Barrett had been dismissed as party leader in mid-July, and replaced by Reynolds, prior to the gold's removal. This was disputed by Barrett and the leadership subsequently contested.[44]