So are Libertas now dead?

squonk

From what I gather, Declan Ganley has retired from political life and will not be contesting the next Lisbon Treaty campaign. They have only one MEP now also. Is the party a spent force or can it continue in some shape or form?

Personally I think they were a one trick pony and that it was always going to be a problem getting a pan european party off the ground. I also don't think they helped themselves by not being entirely forthcoming about the source of their funds. I think people wised up in the end. I can't help feeling that Declan Ganley may be back?

Sam Vimes

squonk wrote: »

Personally I think they were a one trick pony and that it was always going to be a problem getting a pan european party off the ground. I also don't think they helped themselves by not being entirely forthcoming about the source of their funds. I think people wised up in the end. I can't help feeling that Declan Ganley may be back?

Telling a pack of lies didn't help either. The thing that annoys me more than anything else from their whole lisbon campaign is they had thousands of posters saying "Keep our commissioner. Vote No!" and now someone on boards has in their sig "Vote No to Lisbon - Lisbon will force us to keep on a bloated ineffectual commission. A step back from Nice. "

So those who want to keep the commission as it is and those who want to shrink it are both being instructed to vote no.

*head explode*

ionix5891

hell be back

The_Minister

I don't think he'll return tbh.

He swore not too if he didn't get MEP, and I think he wasted enough time and money on the campaign.

ShooterSF

Sam Vimes wrote: »

Telling a pack of lies didn't help either. The thing that annoys me more than anything else from their whole lisbon campaign is they had thousands of posters saying "Keep our commissioner. Vote No!" and now someone on boards has in their sig "Vote No to Lisbon - Lisbon will force us to keep on a bloated ineffectual commission. A step back from Nice. "

So those who want to keep the commission as it is and those who want to shrink it are both being instructed to vote no.

*head explode*

Yay! That was my sig. Glad it left an impression The FSM would be proud

The_Minister

Speaking of sigs - Irish Pirate Party? wtf?

Liberals for the win. Best thinktank by far.

punchdrunk

ah well,nevermind! :pac:

Nodin

The_Minister wrote: »

I don't think he'll return tbh.

.

The Ganser - evil genius, pawn in a plot or weirdo......I could have sworn he said something about part of his raison d'etre having been to get the EU 'back to its christian roots' this morning....

RandomName2

I think it's a bit of a shame that Ganley's gone - hope he'd mix up Irish-European politics a bit instead of the same old EPP, SPE, UED (now ALDE) divide. At least Higgins got in, I suppose.

Always knew that Ganley would go the way of McDowell and Brown, due to a lack of charisma and big ego. The only difference I suppose was that minority parties like the PDs and CnP had the backing of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael respectively. Libertas had no political allies in Ireland (as the other anti-Lisbon groups were left wing)

Those *mildly* hysterical predictions about Libertas taking over the EU in order to extend the power of the Pentagon were amusing... but presumably dead now.

Hmmm... will People Before Profit emerge as the next dymanic, but doomed force? In Dun Laoighre perhaps....

P. Breathnach

The_Minister wrote: »

Speaking of sigs - Irish Pirate Party? wtf?

Gráinne Mhaol ní Mháille for leader!

ShooterSF

The_Minister wrote: »

Speaking of sigs - Irish Pirate Party? wtf?

Liberals for the win. Best thinktank by far.

Haven't read anything of theirs. Any links? I tend not to agree with most of the policies of any party. The Pirate Party's ones are simple and I agree with them.

So are Libertas now dead?

Hopefully they are. I just don't trust them, or their agenda.

Sam Vimes

ShooterSF wrote: »

Yay! That was my sig. Glad it left an impression The FSM would be proud

Was it meant to be serious? I heard something about concessions about the commissioners being made after we rejected it but did they decide to get rid of the part about reducing the commission altogether?

ShooterSF

Sam Vimes wrote: »

Was it meant to be serious? I heard something about concessions about the commissioners being made after we rejected it but did they decide to get rid of the part about reducing the commission altogether?

I discussed this cuppla days ago with Buckfast too. From what I've read they have agreed to allow each country to "have" at least one commissioner each. I'm not certain of the specifics. It was one thing I actually agreed with the Yes side by the end of the first debate on Lisbon 1. So now I get the benefit of both
However it was wrote tongue in cheek as the roles had now reversed and I got a kick out of the idea that the yes side will now be fighting to keep "our" commissioner and the no side will in essence be looking to continue from Nice with a more streamlined commission.
(I'm almost thinking of putting it back for it's entertainment value but I think I'll wait till October-ish )

JonathanAnon

I think it is certainly not the last time we have seen him. And certainly not the last time he has lied to the Irish people.

Sam Vimes

ShooterSF wrote: »

I discussed this cuppla days ago with Buckfast too. From what I've read they have agreed to allow each country to "have" at least one commissioner each. I'm not certain of the specifics. It was one thing I actually agreed with the Yes side by the end of the first debate on Lisbon 1. So now I get the benefit of both
However it was wrote tongue in cheek as the roles had now reversed and I got a kick out of the idea that the yes side will now be fighting to keep "our" commissioner and the no side will in essence be looking to continue from Nice with a more streamlined commission.
(I'm almost thinking of putting it back for it's entertainment value but I think I'll wait till October-ish )

As long as you weren't seriously saying people should vote the treaty down for something that they fought tooth and nail to get put into it I can go back to being able to sleep at night

riptide

I'm not entirely sure he lied to the Irish people. Sure a small token of hysteria might have been used.

PrivateEye

Joe Higgins' reaction to the performance of Ganley (and indeed the Libertas organisation as a whole)

There is also a clearing of the undergrowth following the elections. In removing himself from the political scene, the founder of Libertas, Declan Ganley, ensures that the forthcoming debate on the rerunning of the Lisbon Treaty can concentrate on the substance of that Treaty as it affects crucial areas of the lives of ordinary people, including public services, EU militarisation plans and workers’ rights. The more time spent on highlighting these issues and the less on blatant red herrings, the more seriously voters will take the arguments of those opposed to Lisbon.


Mr Ganley showed extreme political naiveté and utter ignorance of the Irish political system when he declared that the Euro Election would be a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. And in gathering up a bedraggled collection of right wing organisations throughout the EU, supposedly as an alternative to the EU establishment, he merely gave that establishment the opportunity to caricature all those who reject Lisbon including those who highlight its neoliberal core which is inimical to the interests of European workers. No wonder the capitalist media elevated him massively over the Left opposition.

Taxipete29

Thought this was quite an interesting development.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2009/0612/1224248690587.html

The Dutch arm of Libetas claim they are owed €350k by Ganley for campaign costs.

The spiel about the commisioner was absolute lies. Nice already laid the groundwork for downsizing the Commission so this could have taken place without Lisbon.