Libertas use Wikipedia in attempt to smear an MEP on the radio in Ireland yesterday. An article in today's Evening Herald notes that Green party candidate Deirdre de Burca explained to Caroline Simons the Libertas anti abortion candidate that anyone can change a Wikipedia page but hey they know that this week they have been removing info from Declan Ganley's own Wikipedia page.
An IP address registered to a resident of Tuam Co. Galway has been editing the Wikipedia page on Declan Ganley this week removing words like Eurosceptic, and references to the Irish Times articles that cites Ganley's parties advocacy of strikebreaking in the Libertas memorandum of association.
other than Ganley's wiki article the only other pages on Wikipedia edited by that IP are
- 12:57, 12 October 2007 (hist) (diff) David McWilliams
- 12:41, 12 October 2007 (hist) (diff) Leviathan: Political Cabaret
- 12:08, 12 October 2007 (hist) (diff) Leviathan (disambiguation)
The same IP addresss has logged onto Libertas Nein Danke 180 times over the past three months.
In my statcounter I have it self-listed merely as Ganley but of course it is as likely to be Rivada staff and/or Libertas people as they all use the same phone line . I would not have revealed the fact that they log on so much but the fact that they use the same IP to edit Ganley's Wikipedia page make it a matter of public interest to reveal this fact.
here is a full list of edits from that IP
- 17:43, 22 April 2009 (hist) (diff) Declan Ganley (→Visit of President Klaus) (top)
- 17:41, 22 April 2009 (hist) (diff) Declan Ganley (→Visit of President Klaus, Libertas and Eurosceptics)
- 17:33, 22 April 2009 (hist) (diff) Declan Ganley (→Controversy over EU Registration of Libertas)
- 17:31, 22 April 2009 (hist) (diff) Declan Ganley (→The Libertas Party and 2009 European Elections)
- 17:09, 22 April 2009 (hist) (diff) Declan Ganley (→The Libertas Party and 2009 European Elections)
- 16:39, 22 April 2009 (hist) (diff) Declan Ganley (→The Libertas Party and 2009 European Elections)
- 16:35, 22 April 2009 (hist) (diff) Declan Ganley (→Libertas)
- 16:18, 22 April 2009 (hist) (diff) Declan Ganley (→Libertas)
- 08:44, 10 July 2008 (hist) (diff) Declan Ganley (→Intimidation of Opponents)
- 08:43, 10 July 2008 (hist) (diff) Declan Ganley (→Business and political career)
- 16:29, 16 June 2008 (hist) (diff) Declan Ganley (→Business career)
- 12:57, 12 October 2007 (hist) (diff) David McWilliams
- 12:41, 12 October 2007 (hist) (diff) Leviathan: Political Cabaret
- 12:08, 12 October 2007 (hist) (diff) Leviathan (disambiguation)
Airwire (91.189.71.198)Ireland Tuam, Galway, Ireland, 180 returning visits
Current revision as of 17:43, 22 April 2009 (edit) (undo)
91.189.71.198 (talk)
(→Visit of President Klaus)
91.189.71.198 - Geo Information IP Address 91.189.71.198 Host ptr-71-198.knr.ip.airwire.ie Location IE, Ireland
City Tuam, 10 - Organization Airwire ISP Airwire AS Number AS42227 Airwire Latitude 53°51'67" North Longitude 8°85'00" West Distance 2644.32 km (1643.10 miles)
Among the information removed was
==Visit of President Klaus, Libertas and Eurosceptics==
which became
==Visit of President Klaus==
". The terms "[[European political party]]" and "[[European political foundation]]" (more formally, a "[[political party at European level]]"[http://europa.eu/scadplus/leg/en/lvb/l33315.htm EUROPA: Summaries of legislation: The regulations governing political parties and rules regarding their funding at European level][http://ec.europa.eu/prelex/detail_dossier_real.cfm?CL=en&DosId=195908 The European Commission > PreLex > COM (2007) 364 : 2007/0130/COD] and "[[political foundation at European level]]"[http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2007:343:0005:01:EN:HTML Regulation (EC) No 1524/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2007].[http://euobserver.com/9/24148 EU in drive to make Brussels more political] euobserver.com 2007-05-29) have a specific meaning in an EU context and such parties and foundations are funded and regulated by the [[European Union]]. Qualification for EU funding requires the party to have achieved an electoral threshold in at least 25% (seven or more of the current 27) of the EU member states. Both companies are allowed to pay interest at a rate not exceeding 5 per cent on loans received from directors or other members of the companies. They are also empowered to "promote freedom of contact" and contribute funds to any body that resists interference in businesses by "any strike movement or organisation".a longstanding Danish Eurosceptic, and Poland’s [[Dariusz Sobkow]].> According to the ''Irish Times'', “Sobkow is about to join Libertas full time and is central to Ganley's plans to project the Eurosceptic message of Libertas into Polish affairs.” Philippe de Villiers is, according to the ''Irish Times'', the most Islamophobic French politician and has equated Islam with terrorism. At the meeting , Klaus stated his support for Ganley's Libertas party and a parallel between anti-European activists and the Soviet-era anti-communist dissidents.[http://www.ceskenoviny.cz/news/index_view.php?id=344075 Irish minister criticises Czech president's meeting with Ganley]>
You can see all the info edited by the Tuam Co. Galway user by clicking here
For those of you unaware of what is significant about Tuam, Co. Galway, the tiny village is home to Rivada Networks Ganley's US Defence Firm , Libertas who are all based at the home of Declan Ganley. http://www.tuam-guide.com/ganley-group.htm
The same IP visits this blog all the time
Airwire (the same Ip that edited wikipedia)
Tuam, Galway, Ireland, 180 returning visits
Listen to Pat Kenny with Anti Abortion Libertas candidate Simons and Deidre De Burca of Ireland's Green Party starts at 20 min in here
Libertas loonies? No, check Wikipedia
Evening HeraldFriday April 24 2009
LIBERTAS is embroiled in a political row after its Dublin candidate used internet site Wikipedia as a source on live radio.
Caroline Simons repeatedly used the site to back up controversial claims about a Green Party representative in the European Parliament.
In a debate with Green candidate Deirdre de Burca, the solicitor denied that Libertas was in bed with the "looney far right" and said: "I think it's hilarious to hear Deirdre talk about that when one of the most prominent Green people in the European Parliament is her own favourite Daniel Cohn-Bendit."
She went on to allege that Mr Cohn-Bendit was "a student rioter and all the rest" who talked "about very inappropriate behaviour with children when he was working in a kindergarten".
However, when Ms de Burca took issue with the statement, she was told by the Libertas candidate: "You can check Wikipedia and check his autobiography."
Pressured by radio host Pat Kenny, Simons repeated: "You can check Wikipedia."
But as Ms Simons attempted to defend her claims, the presenter said: "No Caroline, I'm sorry, let me explain, Wikipedia is something that can be amended by anybody, so I can never allow that to be used as a definitive source."
Speaking like a school teacher, Pat continued: "Often it's a useful starting point if you want to find out about people, but I would not use that as my Bible."
Eventually, Ms Simons replied: "Well, absolutely, absolutely."
Afterwards, Senator de Burca told the Herald that the Libertas candidate showed "a lack of political experience".
Ms Simons launched her first electoral campaign just this week and is hoping to win an MEP seat for the controversial party in Dublin.
She is a solicitor based in Ballsbridge and worked with Libertas during its campaign against the Lisbon Treaty.
But she faces her first personal political controversy as Ms de Burca is outraged by the comments about Mr Cohn-Bendit.
kdoyle@herald.ie
Posts
Didn't Ganley (regretfully, but of course) bring this very same allegation up in a recent debate with Cohn-Bendit?
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