Libertas scores own goal in Poland
The Polish media have got wind of Libertas’ plan to stem the tide of Eastern Europeans coming to Ireland to work. The daily newspaper Rzeczpospolita carries a front page story on Libertas’ Caroline Simons’ suggestion that a new “blue card” (visa) system should be introduced to “reduce the burden to Ireland of caring for inhabitants of other member states”.
Gazeta Wyborcza’s EU correspondent also notes on her blog that Ganley appears to have given up his “rather liberal (free-market I mean) economic outlook”. The policy won’t go down well in Poland where Libertas Poland is campaigning to remove the last remaining restrictions on freedom of movement of workers in Germany and Austria. The restrictions on working abroad (seven years is the maximum allowed under EU rules) introduced by many old member states when the ten new states joined the Union in 2004 has been a constant irritant for relations between old and new Europe.
The get tough on immigration policy peddled by Simons and her Libertas colleague Raymond O Malley bears all the hallmarks of Libertas spin doctor Lynton Crosbie, who helped John Howard win four Australian elections by raising fears about asylum seekers.
Judging by the Irish Times poll last week, which showed Simons on 1 per cent, O’Malley on 3 per cent and Ganley on 9 per cent, Libertas have decided they must plumb the depths of populism to stand any chance of making an impact. But the contradictions in their platform are beginning to stack up.
Ganley says he is pro-European yet he cuddles up to the continent’s most prominent eurosceptics. He says he supports the EU’s internal market but then his Irish candidates say they want to stop freedom of movement. He calls on MEPs to publish their expenses yet drags his feet over saying how Libertas is funded.
This all begs the question: can we believe anything he says?
PS Thanks to Mark for tipping me off that Libertas candidate Vladimir Zelezny will continue to stand in the European elections in the Czech Republic despite his conviction for tax evasion last week. He did tender his resignation but it was not accepted by the Libertas council, according to the Czech media.
3:51 pm
EU citizens resident here are entitled to vote in European elections aren’t they? I can just imagine other parties are rubbing their hands in glee with the prospect of being able to tell those voters of the plans of Libertas on this matter. Talk about a get out the vote issue.
Comment by Dan Sullivan