Nigel Elsewhere

Nigel at the politics.co.uk site. On the launch of Libertas and what distinguishes them from us in UKIP. And what doesn’t distinguish Libertas from the Tories.

Libertas launches in the UK this morning and it’s going to be interesting to find out whether people understand the basic point about Declan Ganley. He’s not against the European Union, far from it. He’s very much a supporter of the project, just wishing to change very slightly the direction it’s going in, that’s all.

There’s a rather bewildering assumption that because Declan campaigned so successfully for a No vote in the Irish referendum on the Lisbon Treaty that he’s therefore against further integration, ever closer union and the rest of the federalist claptrap. We in UKIP stood alongside him in that campaign and thoroughly admire what he achieved. However, we’re also very much aware that he’s in favour of much of what makes up the European Project. It’s really just the Lisbon Treaty he doesn’t like.