Paid for by NDN.
Conversation on the Future of Europe with Declan Ganley
Thursday, July 17
12:00 PM
Location:
NDN
729 15th Street, NW
1st Floor
Washington, D.C. 20005
Transcript:
Click here to read a transcript of Mr. Ganley's remarks.
Event Summary:
On Thursday, July 17 at noon, a special NDN luncheon on the future of Europe will take place with Declan Ganley, a leader of the Irish "No" campaign on the European Union's Lisbon Treaty. This is the latest in our series of events that seek to understand global challenges and how they pertain to us.
As space is limited for this event, it will be first come, first serve, so please RSVP now. Mr. Ganley will take questions after his remarks.
About Declan Ganley:
Declan Ganley is the founder and leader of the Libertas Institute and led Ireland’s “No” campaign on the European Union’s Lisbon Treaty.
The Libertas Institute’s mission is to provoke enlightened discussion on the European Union, its relevance to member states, and its role in World affairs. It is committed to making Brussels more democratic and accountable for the decisions it takes.
After seeing the final draft of the Lisbon Treaty in 2007, Libertas decided to oppose it on the position that it would weaken Ireland’s position in Europe, and do nothing to address democracy and unaccountability in Brussels. Prior to Ireland’s vote European newspapers wrote that if it failed there would “only be one name on the lips of defeated eurocrats: Declan Ganley.”
The Lisbon Treaty was largely a rehash of the failed EU Constitution that was roundly rejected in 2005. Ireland was the only country in the EU to allow its citizens to vote on the treaty. If it had passed it would have spelled the end of the nation-state in Europe and would have put major power in the hands of unelected bureaucrats.
Following Libertas’s vigorous campaign to vote “No”, 53 percent of Irish voters rejected the treaty. The Wall Street Journal praised the “No” vote for upholding democracy and “stopping a power play by the Continent’s political elites.”
Mr. Ganley is a successful and self-made telecommunications entrepreneur. He is married and has four children.
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