Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín has said his party would be willing to work with other political parties on a case-by-case basis.
As part of RTÉ's This Week programme's annual series of party leader interviews, Mr Tóibín was asked how he could form an alliance with other parties when he had previously derided the three biggest parties – Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Sinn Féin.
Mr Tóibín said that other political parties were now adopting Aontú policies, adding that his party has pushed accountability higher up the agenda.
Mr Tóibín said other parties needed to "put aside" narrow political differences with his party, when there were "major human issues" coming to Leinster House that everyone should get behind.
Asked whether Aontú could work with a left-leaning alliance of parties, Mr Tóibín said the political momentum was not with the left side of the political spectrum.
"We're very strong on workers' rights. We're very strong on making sure there’s collective bargaining, that when people work hard and they get a proper wage, that there's access to public housing and public health," Mr Tóibín said.
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"So, we would share a lot of that politics with many of those political parties. Absolutely, yes, we would be happy to work with those political parties on a case-by-case basis."
Asked about the EU-Mercosur deal, Mr Tóibín said Ireland is the "most exposed" country in the EU because of the significant role agriculture plays in the Irish economy.
He said his party would contact every MEP in the EU to try and persuade them to vote against the deal.
"In addition we will talk to other civil society organisations to see if a boycott against Mercosur beef and poultry can be organised," Mr Tóibín said.
He added it was not just farmers who are threatened by the deal, but that it represents a threat to the health of Irish people.
"It's not just farmers that are under threat with regards this particular deal - there are hormones and antibiotics that are illegal in this country, that have shown up in beef that has come in through the Mercosur, and that means there's actually a threat to the health of Irish people here," he said.
He added that Aontú would also put pressure on the Government in relation to the issue and said it was "deeply cynical" of the Taoiseach to "flip flop" on the issue in the days that preceded the vote.
When asked about racist and anti-Semitic messages previously posted in a private WhatsApp group that involved ógra Aontó members, Mr Tóibín said his party believes in the equality of everybody.
"This issue came to light as a result of our investigation," he said, and every person who was involved were removed from the party because there is no space in our organisation for that type of attitude.
