Libertas – in hindsight
Read more about: Comment, Libertas 
In the course of my work today I was looking back over Libertas’s campaign, how the organisation emerged, it’s modus operandi etc etc and it struck me – it could be argued that even putting the words ‘Libertas’ and ‘organisation’ beside one another, was a bit of a stretch. There doesn’t seem to have been much organising… maybe that’s a testament to how well everything was spun…
For a pan-European organisation, which by definition should have had a set of defined policies covering affairs of the whole Union, there didn’t appear to be any internal cohesion. And the lack of internal communication was quite shocking. We all spotted that over the course of the campaign but looking back now, simply at the number of gaffes that were made, it’s crazy -
We had Raymond O’Malley, Libertas candidate in Ireland East, saying that the borders should be closed to Polish and other EU workers – presumably including his own colleagues in Libertas Poland. That didn’t go down great over there.
There were Polish members saying that Libertas was an “Irish, international group which is aiming at the creation of a European superstate”, even though Libertas.eu says quite the opposite -
“whereas other British parties form a tiny fraction of the European Parliament and thus carry little influence, Libertas will be standing in all 27 countries in the EU as the only real opposition to the anti-democratic European superstate.”
In the week before the election Caroline Simons office was said to have been responsible for accidentally sending a press release that, as admitted by Libertas, “contained untruths”. The untruths undermined the Simon Wiesenthal Centre who had drawn attention to the numerous accusations of homophobia and anti-Semitism against Libertas candidates like Ryszard Bender and Anna Sobecka in a press release of their own.
In the same week, there was the bizarre case of Caroline Simons being quoted as an eye-witness to a fire by her own press office even though she wasn’t even in the city.
Then there was the situation where Simons used the harp on her posters.
The claim about being the most visited political party website in the world.
I mean, for a party that only existed for something like 6 months, it’s fairly shocking. There are a few more that I didn’t have time to write up…
In hindsight, Libertas, like it’s election results – was a shambles. Judging by how much of a shambles Irish politics in general is, that’s saying something. It’s break-up looks like it’ll be embarrassing too. Jamie Smyth of the Irish Times predicted in a post on the State of the Union blog yesterday that we’ll see a “rather bitter unravelling” of the Libertas organisation.
Undoubtedly his article on the front page today is a sign of things to come.
It’s something of a pity because even as a generally pro-Europe voter I feel there was a space for a euroskeptic centre-right mainstream group in Irish politics. Ganley and his cohorts just messed it up by spinning everything, lacking any sort of transparency when it came to funding and having no policy past “wow, Europe, hold on there”. A group with a defined set of policies, more coherent candidates and a rounded worldview could have had a hugely positive impact on Irish politics. But alas, we remain.
After reading the front page of The Irish Times today Ganley-goders will be rubbing their hands.
they guys involved don’t care they just want freedom(tm) to reign ;P
Union, in my opinion would be not only an internal “cohesion” or “rules or policies” book communicating the definitions and or guidelines covering the affairs of the union, they may have avoided the misinterpretations on both sides.
Steve White, are you by any chance referring to the previous existence of most of the youthful Libertas staffers (and assorted hangers-on) as members of the equally farcical – and just as given to student-politics stunts – “Freedom Institute”?
EWI, when I heard about the recount in NorthWest because of the manner of the opening of the bins I was very much put in mind of SU type politics.
Why waste time and effort on the meteoric rise and fall of Libertas – now that the founder has given up on the aims he presented for the European Union?
That Libertas gained traction on the Lisbon referendum just showed how little conviction and organisation our governing classes brought to this important issue.
I don’t think 14% in the NW (67,000 votes) is a “shambles”. Other than that it was, however. I think though that the European dimension is dwelt on too much in the context of these elections. In reality, Irish people have always voted on national issues in the Euros, and left EU issues for referenda. The euro-election results understate the vote for the anti-Lisbon candidates in any case. 12% voted for SF yet they are unrepresented by an MEP in the 26 countries, whereas Labour, on 15%, has 3 MEPs – the same as FF on 25% of the 1st preference vote.
I would also add that nationally, Libertas won 5.4% of the 1st preference vote – more than double the vote of the Greens and higher than the PDs either in 1997 or 2002. I agree that a niche exists for a Eurocritical centre-right party, but withour Ganley’s resources behind it, it will be an uphill struggle against the Establishment parties. As a cenre-right voter, I would have welcomed the opportunity to vote for Libertas in a General Election, but as sthings stand, I will probably have to settle for FG – a party that has been moving to the Right on economic policy but which is equally committed to the European Federal Project I abhore so much.
In reality, Irish people have always voted on national issues in the Euros, and left EU issues for referenda.
Says you as a Libertas supporter (and employee?). I don’t think that you’ll find many people who’ll believe you though.
As for the rapidly disintegrating cult that is Libertas, I’m just enjoying the show, like everyone else…