Ganley and Fine Gael MEP in election row

[Verhofstadt]

The curtains in her office.

Will she be joining the Libertas protest be outside the Berlaymount tomorrow in Brussels?

I might pop along to say hi.

[CookieMonster]

Will she be joining the Libertas protest be outside the Berlaymount tomorrow in Brussels?

I might pop along to say hi.

You'd have to ask her that.

[Verhofstadt]

From EU Reporter:
Libertas: a tangled affair

"Also at that dinner were former MEP Jens-Peter Bonde, a Dane who was Nigel Farage's fellow Ind Dem co-president until earlier this year, and the Irish MEP who temporarily succeeded him in that role, Kathy Sinnott.

Both have been heavily involved latterly - Bonde as president - with a pan-European party called the EUDemocrats, which shares Libertas' basic ideal of EU reform from within. A number of EUD officials are employed by the Ind Dem Group, in an alleged breach of financial rules which has caused the European Parliament to open an investigation into the arrangements.

EUD officials have been much in evidence on Ganley's forays into the European Parliament and Bonde is now working in open alliance with the Libertas leader, with the two of them issuing joint statements and Bonde pledging to help Ganley's electoral efforts. Kathy Sinnott likewise is thought to have made a deal, whereby Libertas will not run a candidate against her in the Ireland South Euro-constituency.

With Kathy Sinnott therefore set to run in de facto alliance with Libertas, de Villiers probably running under the official Libertas banner and Bonde, one of Brussels' wiliest and most experienced operators, pulling many of the strings behind the scenes, these are all people whom Farage has branded as sharing with him "absolutely no common ground on Europe.""

Can we now assume that a vote for Kathy Sinnott is a vote for Libertas in Munster?

[toxic avenger]

From EU Reporter:
Libertas: a tangled affair

"Also at that dinner were former MEP Jens-Peter Bonde, a Dane who was Nigel Farage's fellow Ind Dem co-president until earlier this year, and the Irish MEP who temporarily succeeded him in that role, Kathy Sinnott.

Both have been heavily involved latterly - Bonde as president - with a pan-European party called the EUDemocrats, which shares Libertas' basic ideal of EU reform from within. A number of EUD officials are employed by the Ind Dem Group, in an alleged breach of financial rules which has caused the European Parliament to open an investigation into the arrangements.

EUD officials have been much in evidence on Ganley's forays into the European Parliament and Bonde is now working in open alliance with the Libertas leader, with the two of them issuing joint statements and Bonde pledging to help Ganley's electoral efforts. Kathy Sinnott likewise is thought to have made a deal, whereby Libertas will not run a candidate against her in the Ireland South Euro-constituency.

With Kathy Sinnott therefore set to run in de facto alliance with Libertas, de Villiers probably running under the official Libertas banner and Bonde, one of Brussels' wiliest and most experienced operators, pulling many of the strings behind the scenes, these are all people whom Farage has branded as sharing with him "absolutely no common ground on Europe.""

Can we now assume that a vote for Kathy Sinnott is a vote for Libertas in Munster?

No, unless she alters the platform she stood on in the last election, in which case I'd have to reconsider my vote. Sinnott has always espoused socially and economically relatively left-wing policies while being strictly opposed to abortion and euthanasia, hence my vote for her. Libertas would tend towards the opposite end of the political spectrum on economic matters. I don't see how a vote for her would be a vote for Libertas at all...

[CookieMonster]

I don't see how a vote for her would be a vote for Libertas at all...

You wouldn't thought, would you. With you not having your anti-Libertas agenda going on... you worm.

[Verhofstadt]

No, unless she alters the platform she stood on in the last election, in which case I'd have to reconsider my vote. Sinnott has always espoused socially and economically relatively left-wing policies while being strictly opposed to abortion and euthanasia, hence my vote for her. Libertas would tend towards the opposite end of the political spectrum on economic matters. I don't see how a vote for her would be a vote for Libertas at all...

I'm confused.

If they differ so greatly why is she a signatory of their funding request to the EU, attending Ganley's Shelbourne dinner and why aren't Libertas standing against her?

Is it because the religious based policies are far more important to her than the economic ones?

[zeleneye]

Is it because the religious based policies are far more important to her than the economic ones?

Well I think they are both fairly religious, certainly if Mr Ganley's recruits across Europe are any kind of reflection on his personal priorities. Most of his candidates have very deeply-held religious beliefs. Not having any programme or manifesto, we cannot yer judge how important these will be to the Libertas campaign.

Sinnott doesn't have any economic policy positions though. Although it is hard to decipher any coherent policies beyond being anti-abortion, promotion of disability rights and some kind of ill-defined antipathy towards Europe.

[setanta]

Although it is hard to decipher any coherent policies beyond being anti-abortion, promotion of disability rights and some kind of ill-defined antipathy towards Europe.

She'll fit right in with Ganners then. That is about the most succinct description of what we know about Liebertas' political progaramme as I have read (except the bit about the disabled).

[CookieMonster]

She'll fit right in with Ganners then. That is about the most succinct description of what we know about Liebertas' political progaramme as I have read (except the bit about the disabled).

Except the bit about antipathy to Europe too.

[blondie]

Dear God in heaven. Your paranoia is unbelievable. Are you so gullible you believe that Ganley didn't deliberately provoke the row??? Do you have the first idea how politicians (and Ganley is a politician) work? If they want to get coverage for something they provoke a row and bingo, they get coverage through the row. Your paranoia about the Times is comic. They did what any journalist anywhere would do - they covered a row. However in the weird world of Ganleyites (and don't give us that crap about how you are not a Ganley supporter. You are almost as fanatical in defending him from the every imagined slight as CM and D Cochrane) merely doing standard media reportage is a hatchet job.

Completely agree Tommy, as a journalist you look for the angle in any news story. Ganley launching his campaign is not that big a news story as everyone knew he was going to run. The biggest surprise in his speech (which was emailed out, including the references to Jim Higgins as 'Swimmer Jim') was the fact that he is clearly aiming to unseat Higgins and not Marian Harkin, who would appear to be the more obvious target, as an Independent candidate with fewer resources.

Political coverage by its nature concentrates on controversy, and I would imagine any users of politics.ie should understand that this controversy is what keeps a lot of people interested.