Libertas candidate wants torture of suspects to be allowed in Europe

Libertas candidate in Holland supports a Dick Cheny's style torture regime in Europe.
Eline van den Broek, the Libertas candidate in European elections in the Netherlands, for the use of torture techniques in interrogations of terror suspects. That she writes on her own weblog.
views on torture defended.


Libertas are the scum of the earth. They must be run out of public life.

Neo cons on the block at Rivada. Ganley's directors a who's who of war mongers

The revamped Rivada board is a who's who of war mongers
check out their biographies below. http://www.rivada.com/7130879/aboutus-keypersonnel.htm#top

Declan Ganley , is a European entrepreneur and Chairman and CEO of Rivada Networks designing and deploying broadband public safety communications networks for government customers. Declan has founded wireless broadband and cable TV businesses in Western, Central and Eastern Europe, including Broadnet (sold to Comcast), building and operating broadband wireless networks in ten EU countries and Cabeltel, with an extensive cable multimedia network in Eastern Europe. From 1991 he built what became the largest private forestry company in the Former Soviet Union, which he sold in 1997.

Declan is Chairman of the Forum on Public Safety in Europe & North America, where senior leaders confer to provide policy and implementation recommendations to governments, legislators, public safety and defence entities in Europe and North America. He is an advisor on "technology and terrorism" to the Club De Madrid group of international heads of government and has served as a member of Futures Group of the Irish Government's Information Society Commission. During Ireland's Presidency of the EU in May 2004, Declan chaired the Forum to Debate the European Constitution which brought together academics from 16 European universities with legislators and policy-makers.

He was awarded the JCI Entrepreneur of the year title in 2001 & 2005. Declan is a recipient of the Louisiana Distinguished Service Medal for what was cited as his life saving actions; delivering communications capability for the US military post Hurricane Katrina. He serves on the boards of the Irish Chamber Orchestra and the University of Limerick Foundation and is a member of the Royal Institute of International Affairs.

He is the founder and president of the Libertas Institute, a pan-European think tank committed to provoking debate on the future of the European Union and campaigning for democratic and economic reform.

He is married to Delia and they have 4 young children, they have homes in Washington DC and Galway, Ireland.

Michael P. Jackson served as Deputy Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security from 2005 until 2007. In this role, Mr. Jackson served as Department of Homeland Securitys' chief operating officer, with responsibility for managing the day-to-day operations.

Mr. Jackson served as Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) from May 2001 to August 2003. As Deputy Secretary, Mr. Jackson was the Department’s chief operating officer, with responsibility for day-to-day operations of an organization that, following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, grew to a $68 billion annual budget supporting over 179,000 employees. His tenure was particularly focused on DOT’s response to the terrorist attacks, including standing up the new Transportation Security Administration and management of recovery efforts for the nation’s aviation industry.

He served as a member of the Board of Directors of Amtrak and was chairman of its Audit Committee.

In 2004, Mr. Jackson was appointed to serve on the President's Commission on Implementation of United States Space Exploration Policy, which provided management recommendations to the President on NASA and its future mission management. Mr. Jackson also held positions working for two earlier Presidents. In the Administration of President George H. W. Bush, he served at the White House as Special Assistant to the President for Cabinet Liaison and later as Chief of Staff to the Secretary of Transportation. He held several positions reporting to the Secretary of Education in the Administration of President Ronald Reagan.

Dennis McCarthy’s Marine Corps service began with combat duty in Vietnam, and included numerous command assignments, including command of the Third Marine Division – the only time a Reserve General Officer has commanded an active division. His military career culminated with command of the Marine Forces Reserve from June 2001 until June 2005 during its most extensive mobilization in history.

After leaving active military service, General McCarthy became Executive Director of the Reserve Officers Association of the United States, a congressionally chartered organization dedicated to the development and support of sound national security policy, with specific focus on the Reserve Components.

He also serves on several corporate boards, and is “Of counsel” to a Columbus, Ohio law firm. His military decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Navy Commendation Medal with Combat "V" and the Combat Action Ribbon.

General Richard B. Myers became the fifteenth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Oct. 1, 2001. In this capacity, he served as the principal military advisor to the President, the Secretary of Defense, and the National Security Council. Prior to becoming Chairman, he served as Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for 19 months. As the Vice Chairman from March 2000 to September 2001, General Myers served as the Chairman of the Joint Requirements Oversight Council, Vice Chairman of the Defense Acquisition Board, and as a member of the National Security Council Deputies Committee and the Nuclear Weapons Council. In addition, he acted for the Chairman in all aspects of the Planning, Programming and Budgeting System including participation in the Defense Resources Board.

From August 1998 to February 2000, General Myers was Commander in Chief, North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Space Command; Commander, Air Force Space Command; and Department of Defense manager, space transportation system contingency support at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. Prior to assuming that position, he was Commander, Pacific Air Forces, Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, from July 1997 to July 1998.

From July 1996 to July 1997 he served as Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Pentagon; and from November 1993 to June 1996 General Myers was Commander of U.S. Forces Japan and 5th Air Force at Yokota Air Base, Japan.

Rear Admiral Robert F. Duncan serves as Senior Vice President, Business Development and Government Services, of Rivada Networks, having recently completed a distinguished career in the United States Coast Guard spanning over thirty four years. In his last assignment, Admiral Duncan served as Commander of the Eighth Coast Guard District, headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana. As District Commander, he was responsible for U.S. Coast Guard operations covering 26 states, the Gulf of Mexico and the extensive U.S. inland river system.

RADM Duncan has served on Coast Guard cutters and Navy combatants from the Bering Sea to the Persian Gulf. As a Flag Officer, he led the Commandant’s Task Force for Homeland Security, served as the Chief Counsel and Judge Advocate General of the Coast Guard, was appointed by Secretary Ridge to serve as the Federal Coordinator for the historic Iraqi voting in the southern region of the United States and led the Coast Guard’s rescue and recovery efforts in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

For his leadership of those historic disasters, he was commended by President Bush, and the United States Senate and was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, the Louisiana Legion of Merit, commended for his heroism by a Proclamation from the City of New Orleans and presented that city’s highest recognition; the Sieur de Bienville Founder’s Award. Additionally, Secretary Colin Powell presented Rear Admiral Duncan with the American Spirit Gold Medallion.

Admiral Duncan also serves as a Director on the Joint Executive Boards of the National Institute for Urban Search and Rescue ( NIUSR) and the National Consortium for Readiness in Emergencies ( N-CORE). An author, frequent panelist and speaker, Admiral Duncan continues to contribute to the national, and international, dialogue on Homeland Security, emergency operations, and crisis leadership.

Lord Guthrie was Chief of the Defence Staff in the United Kingdom between 1997 and 2001 and Chief of the General Staff of the British Army between 1994 and 1997. He is a member of the House of Lords. He was created a life peer after retiring as Chief of the Defence Staff.

He serves as a director of several other boards, including N M Rothschild & Sons. He is the president of several charities, including Action Medical Research, Army Benevolent Fund, Federation of London Youth Clubs and the Progressive Supranuclear Palsy Association

George Foresman was confirmed by the United States Senate in December 2005 as America’s first Under Secretary of Preparedness at the Department of Homeland Security. On March 31, 2007 he became the first Under Secretary for National Protection and Programs at DHS. In these roles, Foresman has led a comprehensive effort to harmonize the Nation’s preparedness towards integrated capabilities for prevention, protection, and response. He has also has worked closely with a wide array of state and local elected officials and leading business CEO’s to focus on risk management and reduction in securing our nation’s homeland.

Prior to his appointment to the Department of Homeland Security, Foresman had extensive experience in homeland security and emergency response and preparedness. He served as Assistant to the Governor for Commonwealth Preparedness and as Homeland Security Advisor, a cabinet level position in the Administration of Governor Mark Warner. He acted as chief liaison with the White House, the military, Congress, other local governments and the private sector in this capacity. Foresman also chaired the Secure Commonwealth Panel and led the Governor’s initiative responsible for strengthening Virginia’s security and preparedness for emergencies and disasters of all kinds, including terrorism.

Admiral James M. Loy completed a 45-year career in public service in 2005, retiring as the first Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security, a position that he held from 2003 to 2005. In this capacity, he was involved in all aspects of consolidating 22 separate agencies into one unified cabinet department as well as managing the day-to-day activities of the agency.

Prior to the establishment of the Department of Homeland Security, Admiral Loy served in the Department of Transportation from 2002 to 2003 as Deputy Under Secretary for Security and Chief Operating Officer of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and later as Under Secretary for Security. In these roles, he served as the first administrator of the newly created TSA, which is responsible for protecting the U.S. transportation systems to ensure freedom of movement for people and commerce.

Admiral Loy retired from the U.S. Coast Guard in 2002, having served as its Commandant from May 1998. As head of the 90,000 person organization, he restored readiness through workforce development and modernized the Coast Guard’s fleet of ships and aircraft.

Prior to his service as Commandant, Admiral Loy served as the Coast Guard Chief of Staff from 1996 to 1998, during which time he redesigned the headquarters management structure and overhauled the Coast Guard planning and budgeting process to focus more sharply on performance and results. From 1994 to 1996, he was Commander of the Coast Guard’s Atlantic Area, supervising U.S. forces during the mass Haitian and Cuban migrations of 1994, and leading Coast Guard forces participating in Operation Restore Democracy.

Protest at Neo con Declan Ganley's visit to Sligo on Saturday 18 April.

Make your protest heard. Declan Ganley will be in Sligo today, Saturday 18 April.
Protest against Libertas warmonger and leader of Europe's new hard right in Sligo today. Say no to the new hard right , Say no to Ganley in Sligo Saturday 18 April.

Declan Ganley 'puppet of US military' - MEP Jim Higgins asserts

Jim Higgins the Fine Gael MEP in whose constituency Declan Ganley is running for the far right Libertas party has steped up the war of words accusing Ganley of being a puppet of the US miltary.

Ganley has previously threatened to sue Higgins but as usual failed to proceed with the action. This threatened action was over for over previous statements by Higgins.
http://www.westernpeople.ie/news/story/?trs=eycwmhojcw

Ganley 'puppet of US military' - MEP

Jim Higgins MEP, speaking at the Fine Gael North-West selection convention at the Sligo Park Hotel yesterday, questioned some of the affiliations Libertas has built up in its attempts to become a pan-European party.
Photograph: James Connolly
Harry McGee, Political Staff Irish Times

THE FINE Gael MEP Jim Higgins has accused Libertas founder Declan Ganley of being a “puppet of the US military”.

Mr Higgins, who was yesterday selected by his party to defend his European Parliament seat in the North-West constituency, also alleged that Mr Ganley had made “malicious claims” against him in relation to a €9.2 million swimming pool for parliamentarians and staff in Brussels.

A week after Mr Ganley used the launch of his campaign in the constituency to mount a political attack on Mr Higgins, the Mayo-based MEP’s speech at the selection convention in Sligo sharply criticised Libertas and its founder.

Mr Higgins said that Mr Ganley has constantly refused to tell the Standards in Public Office Commission about the nature and condition of his personal loan to Libertas and also about the involvement of staff from his company Rivada Networks in the referendum campaign on the Lisbon Treaty last year.

Last week Mr Ganley described Mr Higgins as “Swimmer Jim”. He claimed the MEP had voted for a swimming pool for MEPs and staff that would cost €9.2 million. Yesterday Mr Higgins said he never voted for such a project and neither did any of his colleagues.

Mr Ganley yesterday predicted that even if Libertas performed poorly in this June’s European elections, it would return more MEPs than the combined total of 12 MEPs elected from Ireland.

Speaking on RTÉ Radio’s This Week , he said that the party, which is fielding 100 candidates across 27 EU states, would win seats and that the number could be 35 or 15. He added that it would be very much determined on turnout.

“If we provoke a very high turnout, which is our objective, then Libertas can potentially win a very large number of seats.”

He accepted that his wealth had made possible his campaign against the Lisbon Treaty but said some of the figures being “bandied about” in relation to his personal spending were “ridiculous”.

He said Libertas would soon propose a system whereby donations would be capped at €1,000 per donor, and the source of all political donations would be identified.

Mr Higgins claimed Mr Ganley had refused to disclose information about last year’s campaign. He said the Libertas founder was a “lord of the manor who lectures from on high in relation to transparency. It begs the question, what is Mr Ganley hiding?”

Mr Higgins also questioned some of the political affiliations Mr Ganley and Libertas have built up in attempts to make Libertas a pan-European party. He also claimed that the businessman was doing the US military’s bidding.

The far right are fighting in France Le Pen says Ganley is "suspected to be an American official"

Jean-Marie Le Pen says Ganley is "suspected to be an American official"

If Libertas are not a far right party what are France's far right Front Nationale worried about?
Will ganley tell us that they are only far right in France. This little tussle will play get nasty as the campaigns get under way.

Last weekend the French far right party Front Nationale launched its drive for the European elections in June. Jean-Marie Le Pen the party's 82 year leader criticised other far right leaders including Phillipe de Villiers of the Mouvement Pour la France, who made an election pact with Declan Ganley and Libertas.
As predicted on this blog, the Front Nationale see Libertas as one of the threats to their far right voting base and is bringing Ganley's American connections to the fore. Indeed Le Pen labelling Declan Ganley as "a locomotive millionaire suspected to be an American official".

If Libertas is not a far right party why are the far right so interested in their voting potential?

The FN is not alone in the family of French nationalist eurosceptics. Nicolas Dupont-Aignan heads the movement Debout la République , while Philippe de Villiers and Frédéric Nihous are now allies under the banner of Libertas, the party which successfully led the campaign against the Lisbon Treaty in Ireland (EurActiv 11/03/09). Moreover, the Parti de la France , founded by Carl Lang, a former member of the FN, will present candidates in at least two districts.

In fact, some arguments put forward on Sunday by Le Pen are very similar to those presented by the Movement pour la France , a party headed by Philippe de Villiers. Both vehemently oppose Turkey's accession to the EU and have expressed fears that Europe is planning to slap a "dangerous product" label on Camembert cheese.

However, divisions among French nationalist parties are never far around the corner. The president of the FN openly criticised de Villiers for his alliance with Libertas, labelling its leader Declan Ganley as "a locomotive millionaire suspected to be an American official".

For full report Euractiv.com

Le Pen also stated that Ganley supported the entry of Turkey into Europe, where does that leave de Villiers famously opposes Turkey's entry? the far right leader also said denounced stated Ganley supporting the full military supremacy of NATO. Here





Ganley and French hard right at Libertas launch press conference

Ganley appoints CIA external advisor to his company board

Despite Declan Ganley's denials that he had no connections to the CIA his appointment of Richard Myers who was appointed to the CIA External Advisory Board, which is responsible for providing advice on management and related issues to the intelligence community is proof of the neo con circles that he works with.

AGENCY GETTING OUTSIDE ADVICE CIA Director Michael Hayden has established the agency's first "External Advisory Board." Corporate, academic and government leaders will be asked for advice on management and related issues. The names of three board members have been made public: • Richard Myers, 64. A retired Air Force general, he was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from October 2001 to September 2005. As he left office, he said the "consequences of defeat (in Iraq) are greater than World War II." He's now a board member at Northrop Grumman, a major defense contractor. • Carly Fiorina, 52. A longtime corporate executive, she was dismissed as chairman of the board and chief executive of computer maker Hewlett-Packard in February 2005 after a merger with Compaq foundered. She received $21 million in severance pay. She is a board member at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the World Economic Forum. • John Hamre, 56. He was deputy secretary of Defense in the Clinton administration and is now president and CEO of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a bipartisan think tank in Washington whose board members include former secretary of State Henry Kissinger. Source: USA TODAY research

USA Today

Myers like Ganley also played a role in the Hurrivane Katrina.

General Richard Myers, Ret.
Fifteenth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

In his term as the fifteenth chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Myers led the United States military through four years of tumultuous change on the international and domestic stage. From our engagement in Iraq and Afghanistan to the military’s heroic role following Hurricane Katrina, Myers was the principal military advisor to the president, the defense secretary, and the National Security Council in his role as Joint Chiefs chairman. In his presentation, Myers offers analysis on military, security, and preparedness matters at home and abroad. In 2007, Myers became one of three selected for the first CIA External Advisory Board, which is responsible for providing advice on management and related issues to the intelligence community.

A native of Kansas, Myers is a 1965 graduate of Kansas State University and received a master’s degree in business administration from Auburn University. Entering the Air Force following his graduation from Kansas State, Myers’s military education included the Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama; the US Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania; and the Program for Senior Executives in National and International Security at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Myers has served the US Air Force throughout the world in many capacities. He was a fighter pilot during the Vietnam War, and his career includes operational command and leadership positions in a variety of Air Force and joint assignments. General Myers is a command pilot with more than 4,100 flying hours.

In 1998, he became commander-in-chief, North American Aerospace Defense Command and US Space Command; commander, Air Force Space Command; and Department of Defense manager, space transportation system contingency support at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. In this role, General Myers was responsible for defending America through space and intercontinental ballistic missile operations.

As the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs from March 2000 to September 2001, General Myers served as the chairman of the Joint Requirements Oversight Council, vice chairman of the Defense Acquisition Board, and as a member of the National Security Council Deputies Committee and the Nuclear Weapons Council. In addition, he acted for the chairman in all aspects of the planning, programming, and budgeting system, including participation in the Defense Resources Board.

General Myers is the author of the forthcoming book, Eyes on the Horizon, which focuses on the foreign policy challenges facing the United States.

Declan Ganley's Iraqi Shenanigans

Ganley appoints Bush's top general in launch of War on Terror to Rivada Networks

(L-R)Joint Chiefs Chairman Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, President George W. Bush , and US Ambassador to Iraq Paul Bremer,

"The outcome and consequences of defeat [in Iraq] are greater than World War II."-- Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Declan Ganley has appointed George Bush former top military man former Chief of Staff Richard Myers to a position at his military contarcter Rivada Networks. The move comes as Ganley steps down from Rivada.
Meyers is a gung ho war monger. In 2005 he stated that reports by human rights group Amnesty International were irresponsible after Irene Khan, said in the organistaions's annual report: ''The detention facility at Guantanamo Bay has become the gulag of our times, entrenching the practice of arbitrary and indefinite detention in violation of international law."

Bush cried, ''Absurd." Cheney said, ''I was offended." Myers said, ''absolutely irresponsible."

Even after he left his post, Myers defended Rumsfeld's conduct of the ill-conceived and ill pursued war Iraq. His war resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of civilians in Iraq.

Cynthia McKinney confronts Richard Myers on 9/11 issues: 2.3 trillion dollars missing at the Pentagon, the Dyncorp Sex Rings and 9/11 Wargames!

12-12-08:Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and other senior U.S. officials share much of the blame for detainee abuse at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

This appointment will be of interest to any readers of |Blood Money by T. Chrisauin miller which outlines some of Ganley's Iraqi activities.

While Ganley claimed he was not a neo con in repeated interviews the appointment of this architect of the war on terror to his company adds more weight to his being a far right neo con war monger.
The danger that a character like Ganley poses to our freedoms and democracy may now become clear. His neo con ambitions and attempt to buy civil power is unprecedented in history.

The Daily Show mocks Richard Myers , Rumsfeld and |Bush over their war in Iraq "The Sunshine Boys" June 2005

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Headlines - The Sunshine Boys

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things With Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Joke of the Day

The Daily Show June 2, 2005
Headlines - The Sunshine Boys

It's not that the Bush Administration lives in a world that doesn't really exist; they just don't know what the word progress means.
Tags: Headlines , war , Iraq , Guantanamo Bay , George W. Bush , Bush administration , Dick Cheney , Donald Rumsfeld , Larry King , Amnesty International , Richard Myers

Meet Richard Myers
RICHARD B. MYERS, Ret. U.S. Air Force General, served as Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff from 2001 to 2005. He was the principal military adviser to President George W. Bush, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and the National Security Council. Gen. Myers previously served as Vice Chairman, which included acting as Chairman of the Joint Requirements Oversight Council, Vice Chairman of the Defense Acquisition Board, and member of the National Security Council Deputies Committee and the Nuclear Weapons Council. He also serves on the boards of Aon Corp., Deere & Company, and Northrop Grumman. Gen. Myers is the Foundation Professor of Military History at Kansas State University and holds the Colin Powell Chair for Leadership, Ethics and Character at the National Defense University. He is a member of the Central Intelligence Agency's External Advisory Board, the Defense Policy Board and the Department of State's Transformation Diplomacy Advisory Board. Gen. Myers has been a UTC director since September 2006.

Libertas EU funding in doubt as Estonian says he never signed up for Ganley's program

Libertas' application for EU funding is in disarray only 24 hours after the EU committee responsible approved 200,000 euro for the group..
Richard Corbett MEP calls for investigation as Libertas application is now open to question with one alleged signatory denies he supported the application.
The Estonian MP Igor Gräzin, " issued an affidavit on 3 February stating: “I have never signed any papers asking for a recognition of Libertas as a political party in the EU and all corresponding claims are utterly untrue.” So whose signature was on the application?

What is Ganley up too?
The committee refused 's apllication for 100,000 euro for a think tank as it had the same name as the political party and its appointed members were all Irish. No doubt his usual Irish Libertas hacks like Caroline Simon the leading anti abortionist and legal officer of C.O.I.R. , and former Rivada employee David Cochrane.

Libertas bid for funding comes a cropper

By Simon Taylor and Judith Crosbie

03.02.2009 / 12:25 CET

Libertas funding deal at risk after Estonian MP denies backing the formation of a pan-European party.

The European Parliament is re-considering a decision to give €200,000 in EU funds to Libertas, a new political party opposed to the EU's Treaty of Lisbon, after a member of the Estonian parliament denied that he had signed the documents used to establish the party as a pan-European organisation.

Estonian MP Igor Gräzin, a member of the Estonian Reform Party, issued an affidavit on 3 February stating: “I have never signed any papers asking for a recognition of Libertas as a political party in the EU and all corresponding claims are utterly untrue.”

Gräzin was one of eight politicians who signed the documents seeking to establish Libertas as a pan-European political party. EU rules require that, to be eligible for EU funding, a party's founding documents must have signatories from at least seven EU member states, a quarter of the total number of states.

Libertas was set up by Declan Ganley, who led the successful campaign for a ‘No' vote in the Irish referendum against the Treaty of Lisbon in June 2008.

Gräzin said that “none of Libertas's agenda” matched his position in the Estonian parliament or the Estonian Reform Party.

Gräzin was the only member of the Estonian parliament to vote against the constitutional treaty, the failed precursor of the Treaty of Lisbon, when it went before the parliament for ratification in 2006.

Gräzin's declaration came just the day after the European Parliament's budgetary bureau, made up of its president and fourteen vice-presidents, decided to award just over €200,000 to Libertas.

A prominent political opponent, the UK Liberal Democrat MEP Andrew Duff, commented that “Mr Ganley seems to have fallen at the first hurdle. Apparently his claim to have recruited enough supporters was untrue. What Europe really needs is a bit more Veritas and a lot less Libertas.”

The Parliament's bureau on 2 February allocated funds to ten parties other than Libertas for their campaigns for elections this June to the European Parliament.

The largest chunk of funding – €3.4 million – was allocated to the conservative European People's Party.

One group that has an explicitly Eurosceptic platform, the Independence/Democracy Group, received funding.

Another political group that, like Libertas, challenges the way the EU is run, Adie, received EU money until last year.

Libertas also applied for €111,000 to fund a think-tank affiliated to the party. The bureau turned down that request as the members of the think-tank's board come from just one member state (Ireland) and as it had the same name as the political party.

Here

More

EU funding for Libertas group thrown into doubt

The confirmation of the Eurosceptic group Libertas as a pan-European political party, entitling it to EU funding, has been cast into doubt, this website can reveal.

It follows Monday night’s decision by parliament’s bureau, the assembly’s key decision-making body, to endorse its status as a fully-fledged European party and allocate it €200,000 in EU funding.

However, it has now emerged that one of the eight people who Libertas claimed had signed its application to parliament appears to have withdrawn his ‘signature.’

UK ALDE deputy Andrew Duff today said he had received an email from Estonian MP Igor Grazin, a member of the liberal Reform Party in Estonia, which seems to distance himself from Libertas, the anti-Lisbon treaty group set up by Irish businessman Declan Ganley.

The email said to have been sent by Grazin reads, “I have never signed any papers asking for recognition of Libertas as a political party in the EU and all corresponding claims are utterly untrue.”

Duff says he received the correspondence after the decision by the bureau, comprising parliament’s president Hans-Gert Pöttering, its 14 vice presidents and six quaestors.

Grazin was not immediately available for comment but, if correct, the development is significant and would, says Duff, leave the bureau having to reconsider its decision.

According to EU legislation, a pan-European political party must be formally endorsed by elected representatives from at least seven member states.

Libertas said its application for recognition as a political party had been signed by “eight European democrats”. Apart from Grazin, they included two elected representatives from France and one each from the UK, Poland, Finland, Greece and Bulgaria.

“If, as appears the case, Grazin has withdrawn his support, the bureau decision will have to be changed because Libertas will have signatures from only six EU countries and not seven,” said Duff.

“I am satisfied that the email sent by the Estonian MP is genuine, not least because people I know have spoken to him. The fact of the matter is that his signature is needed in order to validate the application.”

He added, “This is a significant development because it is a constitutional issue. I have to say that it also proves the fragility of Mr Ganley’s enterprise.”

Libertas spokesperson Anita Kelly strongly refuted any suggestion that parliament’s bureau has been misled in any way.

She said, “I know nothing about this alleged email sent by Mr Grazin to Mr Duff.”

“The fact of the matter is that he did sign the submission which went to the bureau.

“The application was carefully scrutinised by parliament’s legal service and if it contained insufficient signatures it is hardly likely the bureau would have accepted the application because it would have been rendered invalid.”

When asked about the implications if Grazin's signature was not in the application, a well-placed parliament source said, “At a minimum the matter will have to be investigated.

“Grazin has, after all, sent an affidavit to the parliament so there are now two conflicting sources of information - the other being the application submitted by Ganley.

“Should it prove that Grazin is not one of the signatories, then Libertas will be one country short of the criterion to qualify for recognition and funding.”

Further reaction came from UK Socialist deputy Gary Titley who described Libertas as "phoney," adding, "EU funds should only go to political parties whose elected representatives were elected in their name. As far as I am aware, this is not the case with Libertas."

His party colleague, Richard Corbett said, "As far as I am concerned Libertas has not yet proved its existence. I would like the bureau to investigate further, in particular the affiliates and members Libertas claims to have." here

More on Ture Finns

Ganley Iraq shenanigans from The Phoenix April 18 2008

Politics.ie is an Irish political bulletin board run by Libertas employee and former employee of Declan Ganley's Rivada, David Cochrane. Rivada is a US Defence Dept. contractor.