Dirty tricks, smear and 'low politics', they're all par for the course for Libertas, according to this blog from EU Observer, which a friend just sent me. For the record, EU Observer is a news agency that was founded by Ganley's friend Bonde and bankrolled by his eurosceptic group in the EP for years, so there is no way this blog can be dismissed as some europhile rant.
Not to mention all out lies even outside of Ireland:
From their UK website:British MEPs vote themselves a 27% payrise - Libertas.eu
which is a complete lie.
the *pay rise* they are talking about is the standardizing of wages for the MEPs that was done back in 2005, before this MEPS got paid the same as their countries lower house representatives, resulting in mep's being unfairly under or over paid depedning on where they were from. In 2005 it was decided that the EU would standardise the pay so everyone is on equal footing.
But that was 2005, four years on and the sterling has gone to crap, so the wages agreed in 2005 (which were in euro) are now much higher because of the collapse of the sterling.
There was no vote for a pay rise, its a complete lie.
I thought Libertas are federalist Europhiles? I might have considered voting for them if they were anything else...
Its hard to tell what they are.
What they claim on their website sounds like a federalist europhile that openly wants to put the executive in the parliament (thus dimishing the power of individual member states etc) and openly state they want to go into every member state via the EU and change their national laws to suit their vision of a democratic Europe. (Their goal to have every member state have referendums on all future treaties is a bad precedent, because if Libertas enforce that via the EU then there is no need for future treaties as the law can be dictated directly from the EU, sort of negating itself really.)
Then they turn it over and attack the EU for interfering in national affairs and dictating law.
Really the best way to describe them is Oppurtunists, they have no real policy, just a series of goals that sound good to anyone who likes words like freedom and democracy mixed with a bit of Euro bashing for those of the more national persausion.
Depends which country you choose TA. They are all kinds of everything. A ten-penny bag. Mercenaries. De Villiers should tick the boxes for your approach to Europe but he may be a little unpalatable on some other policies.Originally Posted by toxic avenger
Great opening paragraph on that blog:
Sums up my feelings on Libertas.It is a curious flavour that Libertas leader Declan Ganley is bringing to the European stage. A level of politics that leaves a bad taste in the mouth - no matter where one stands on the question of the EU.
Of course while the EU Observer is generally eurosceptic, the blogger, Honor Mahony, has had work published in the Irish Times so is most probably part of the great journalist conspiracy (lead by Madame Editor) to bring about a Euro Dictatorship.
I think anyone who has been to a Libertas event is left with a chill down their spine. I have been to a few and have been left with a greater distaste from Libertas than of any other Irish party...even the inept and sheisterish FF.
Mahony is not a paid IT correspondent though as far as I know. If Madam is recruiting stringers to be part of her 'great conspiracy', she has clearly learnt a trick from the master of hiring mercenaries: Mr Ganley himself.
She definitely is not.. she's a freelancer.
Citation?
The BBC seems to be reporting something different, and relating it to the upcoming June elections.
Besides, what's wrong with Euro-"bashing"? Got to tell the truth about the EU while you still have the freedom to do it, after all. When are they going to have elected Commissioners and Councillors, and do away with "co-decision"...?
I haven't had the displeasure, zeleneye - would you elaborate a little?
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