November 02, 2009
By Irina Severin
Declan Ganley’s reappearance on the Irish political scene after a few months of silence was stage-managed strangely. He was shown at the beginning of a Deutsche Welle television interview in his office taking down a U.S. flag and stuffing it under his desk:
( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMRP_TqBzr0&feature=player_embedded)
Ganley has long been dogged by (and denied) accusations that his political movement is funded by nefarious interests in the United States.” The DW video was widely posted on blogs and viewed on YouTube, interpreted as convincing proof both of Ganley’s naivety and of secret U.S. backing for his drive to have Ireland reject the EU’s Lisbon treaty in a referendum on October 2.
But is Ganley naive?
Just days before Ireland’s second referendum on the Lisbon treaty, Ganley joined the “No to Lisbon” camp again — exactly as he did in 2008 when his late involvement shifted the balance in favor of a “no” vote. His success was based on massive funding, which enabled him to overwhelm other political parties or lobbying groups. Ganley’s secretiveness about the sources of his funding fed rumors of massive external involvement in the campaign. Ganley denies the rumors but has not detailed where the money came from.
But is Ganley naive?
Just days before Ireland’s second referendum on the Lisbon treaty, Ganley joined the “No to Lisbon” camp again — exactly as he did in 2008 when his late involvement shifted the balance in favor of a “no” vote. His success was based on massive funding, which enabled him to overwhelm other political parties or lobbying groups. Ganley’s secretiveness about the sources of his funding fed rumors of massive external involvement in the campaign. Ganley denies the rumors but has not detailed where the money came from.
