According to today's Irish Mail on Sunday, Declan Ganley intends to run for the Dail (Irish parliament) for the Galway East constituency. Quoting a Libertas spokesperson, the paper reported that Mr. Ganley may either run as an independent or form a new political party that would be right wing and fill the vacuum left by the dissolution of the Progressive Democrats, a right wing breakaway from Fianna Fail who formed coalitions with Fianna Fail over the past 20 years.
The Progressive Democrats may take the credit or blame for the low levels of taxation during the Celtic Tiger years. This was one of their coalition demands. They also helped formulate much right wing change in criminal codes while Michael McDowell was both attorney general and later minister for justice. Their taxation demands for entry to government may be seen as having contributed to the run away credit boom, house price explosion and the lack of substantial reserves in Irish government coffers at the start of the global downturn.
What is clear from today's report is that Libertas as a political party is no more. Following their absolute defeat across Europe in the June European Parliament elections and the crushing blow delivered to Declan Ganley, Libertas and their brothers in arms , COIR/Youth Defence in Fridays Lisbon vote.
If Ganley intends to fill the Progressive Democrats vacuum he should bear in mind that, that party also was wiped out in the last general election in Ireland. Hence their recent dissolution.
He will however, be able to draw on the far right Christian fundamentalists that have backed and supported him in the past two years. However as Ireland begins its economic recovery with jobless figures dropping in September such an out-moded approach is certain to fail in the same spectacular way that Libertas and the PDs have failed .
This blogger will monitor developments with interest.
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