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Declan Ganley Getting It?
Read more about: Europe, Libertas 
The Irish Times reports an arguement in the west.
In a weekend speech in Galway announcing his candidacy, Mr Ganley referred to Mr Higgins as “Swimmer Jim” because of the MEP’s support for a €9.2 million plan for a swimming pool at the European Parliament.
“I have heard Jim Higgins preaching about the Government wasting money. Then I see Jim Higgins going to Brussels, when he thinks you aren’t looking, and voting for €9.2 million to be spent on a swimming pool for himself and his friends. Well Swimmer Jim will have to answer to the electorate for that,” Mr Ganley said.
Now in reply to this Jim Higgins said.
“If the best he can do in the course of the campaign is concentrate on trivia rather than serious political debate, I’m afraid his chances of connecting with the electorate are minimal.
Now what serious debate do people actually assign to Europe? The biggest problem with the Lisbon Treaty was that people did not understand the politics of the EU. So in that kind of vacuum the issues that are going to dominate are the ones that people can relate to. The idea that politicians are scamming themselves for a better life is something that concerns people. And probably will gain more traction among the voters then any policy.
It’s tabloid politics and it will get traction with the dimwitted rabbits in headlights that have a vote to cast in fear.
and you approve simon?
Green Ink can you name off the top of your head the political groupings in the EU parliament? I doubt most people are able to. The Irish political parties are each members of different groupings and if 5% of the population could name these groupings I would be surprised.
Basically people are going to vote in an election that they can’t even list the political parties they are voting for. Let alone any details of the inner workings of the EU or policy differences. So really you are calling an awful lot of people dimwitted rabbits.
People don’t follow EU politics. The debates are rarely if at all covered on the Six one News so the issues that people do get is the Idea the politicans are lining their own pockets. Look at the fuss Martin Cullan’s helicopter got and people can name his political party.
Ganley is a gobshite. He’s positioning himself as some sort of anti-establishment, super-sensible alternative to the bloated bureaucrats of Brussels when if he were to campaign on the policies he actually endorses, he’d have no chance.
As for the European Parliament, it’s a shame that people are ignorant of its workings, but is that ignorance anymore widespread than our ignorance of the Seanad? How often are the workings of the Seanad reported on the Six One News?
Ganley is about to receive an education. Just watch the horror stories about subbies and when the people make that connection. And when they make the connection that his politics is that of the Conservative party dressed up in green. We should see the last of him.
He is not exactly Dana, but that is the exact profile of voter he is after. Or in other words, the Mail reader of southern English counties transfered to Ireland.
VincentH,
And when they make the connection that his politics is that of the Conservative party dressed up in green. We should see the last of him.
having policies that are Tory in nature is regretably not sufficient to torpedo your ambitions. PDs anyone?
What will torpedo him is the launching of such a huge project and also starting it in a country where pump politics has such a hold and all this at the moment of the worst economic crisis on 70 years. The only thing that can make it harder on him would be if aliens were to invade.
Libertas will not get anyone elected and will be pilloried as a threat to Lisbon 2 by the big parties and media.
The media and main political parties were only two happy to have Libertas billed as the main force behind the Lisbon No campaign and now they will have to destroy them at this election. Come Lisbon 2 any attempts to portray the No campaign as led by anyone else other than SF will lack credibility. So having defeated one opponent the main parties will see an other come away stronger from a second Lisbon.
or so i suspect it might play out!
As for the European Parliament, it’s a shame that people are ignorant of its workings, but is that ignorance anymore widespread than our ignorance of the Seanad? How often are the workings of the Seanad reported on the Six One News?
A lot more then the EU parliament and there is a growing movement to get rid of the seanad as well.
In the absense of knowledge of the workings of the parliment let alone knowledge of how electing certain parties will change the lives of people. The trivialities win.
Hard to know what to make of Ganley. He is Margaret Thatcher/George Bush in drag.He employs US military and British SAS men.He lives like a lord at Moyne Park palatial mansion near Tuam, yet he tries to portray himself as the common man who cuts turf,but calls himself British and has the likes of Bruce Arnold shouting for him. He used to be a Galway tent man and in fact entertained many,including FF ministers in his own tent at Moyne Park. Now to quote LBJ he is outside the tent peeing in, rather than inside the tent peeing out. It will be a sad day for Ireland if he succeeds, our country is in such a bad mess now.
i know declan personinaly because i went to national school wtth his eldest daughter and i know declan is doing this for our own good and not for his own benefit. He’s not that type of person!!!!!
I would have to agree with the above remark regards Ganley – it is embarrassing watching him going around the markets in Galway (in jeans!) trying to relate himself to the common man! He is so ostentatious it is frightening – going around in a chauffeur driven car. He obviously has more money than sense. He hasn’t a clue what it is like for the ordinary people who have to work hard in the economy of today. He is also extremely condescending when talking about the Libertas campaign. He can’t look down his nose at people and speak to them as if they are stupid and expect their vote. I hope that he doesn’t get elected. We are only beginning to see the effects of the recession and need someone who actually knows what they are doing. If he is elected it is a sure sign that money can still buy power. The only gain in him getting MEP is self gain. We will rue the day if he gets elected.