Bonde’s Briefing 07.04.2008
This week in Bonde’s briefing you can read about the EU Democrats’ congress in Denmark. The June Movement awarded the Frode Jakobsen prize to a man in charge of the Irish No campaign.
Award to Irish No campaigner
The Danish June Movement has awarded the Irish Declan Ganley with its Frode Jakobsen price for his campaign to enlighten the Irish citizens before their referendum on the Lisbon treaty, maybe 12 June.
Here is my presentation of him for our annual meeting:
The Frode Jakobsen Prize 2008
A couple of the days ago, I went to a premiere for the so far most expensive Danish movie: “The Flame and the Lemon” (Flammen og Citronen).
The movie is about two young men in the resistance who just like Frode Jakobsen fought against the Danish cooperation policy during the war.
They did not think we should cooperate with the Germans. They shot Danish quislings when they were a threat to the freedom fighters. Back then, the freedom fighters were called ‘terrorists’. Today, they are heroes and the movie gives them an impressive and well-deserved place in history.
The producer of the movie is Lars Bredo Rahbek who has also been a candidate for the JuneMovement. He is too close to us to be able to receive the Frode Jakobsen Prize, but we can send him a friendly thought from our meeting and congratulations on the movie.
Yet, we have found another worthy recipient outside the Danish borders.
Mr. Declan Ganley
Declan Ganley is a self made man. Travelling to Russia during the fall of the Soviet Empire, he saw for himself the great opportunities provided by human freedom, but he also saw the devastation caused by almost a century of unaccountable political power. As an Irishman committed to widening his nations horizons, he supported the European project through Maastricht, Amsterdam, and Nice. Then, in 2004, he read the proposed EU constitution, and realised that Europe was crafting the path to its own ruin.
Though a life-long supporter of Fianna Fáil, the Governing party of Ireland, Declan Ganley realised that he could not sit idly by and allow his countrymen to sleepwalk Europe down this path.
He founded a pan-European think tank, Libertas, which has grown in size and strength across the European Union. Democracy, Accountability, and Transparency are its cornerstones. In Ireland, Libertas is leading the opposition to the Lisbon treaty.
Ireland’s referendum will have an impact on the whole of Europe.
Outside of Ireland, the people of Europe have had their voices muffled. They have been silenced by an elite whose grand vision could not survive the voice of the electorate.
This summer, Ireland will speak for all of us.
The man who is leading the fight for the people of Europe is with us tonight, and it is fitting that we honour his courage.
Mr. Declan Ganley.
Here is Declan Ganleys prepared speech.declan.pdf Ganley can be contacted at +353 (0) 93 43 900.
Hanne Dahl and other candidates for the European elections The Danish June Movement had its annual meeting this weekend and elected Hanne Dahl, 37, as my successor for the European Parliament. She will take my place in the EP 9 May -< this year. Hanne Dahl will head our list in the next European elections in June 2009 representing a shift in sex and generation. She has been prepared for the job the last four years and already knows more about the European Union than most other Danish members of the EP. She can be contacted at her GSM: +45 22 88 15 38.
Other candidates - Keld Albrechtsen, 55 years, Brabrand, former member of the National Parliament for VS and EL, and member of the Danish National Parliament’s European Committee 1984-87 and 1994-2005. - Charlotte Wahlkusch, 27 years, Horsens, stud.scient.pol., former nominated as EP-candidate for the June Movement. - Bent Hindrup Andersen, 64 years, Endelave, former member of the Danish National Parliament, and former MEP for the June Movement. - Erik Bach, 48 years, Vejby, former candidate for the National Parliament for SF. More candidates can be added next year.
President of the EU Democrats Friday 4 April I was elected president of the trans-national party, the EU Democrats. I got 2 co-presidents, MEP Helene Goudin from the June List in Sweden, Member of the French National Assembly, Nicolas Dupont-Aignan Who recently gained 80 % of the votes in his constituency – the record for any lord mayor in France. The 3 of us is also the bureau of the EU Democrats. We also meet in an enlarged bureau where a vice president from all participating countries will be represented, e.g. from Bulgaria Nicolaj Bliznaov, from Estonia : Igor Grazin, from Malta : Sharon Ellul Bonici, from Ireland : Kathy Sinnott, Slovakia : Peter Kopecky, from Romania : Lavinia Sandru, from Slovenia : Gorazd Drevensek. We still need confirmations for Hungary, Latvia, Portugal, Finland and United Kingdo. Sweden, France and Denmark do not have Vice-President because they are already Pres or co-pres. The enlarged bureau meets 4 times a year, at the second day of the European summits. Our main task is the fight for referendums or/and rejections of the Lisbon treaty. I will also work for establishing more lists of critical and constructive candidates in more countries before the upcoming European elections in June 2009. People with ideas are welcome to write me a mail at: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) We have a website to be found at eudemocrats.org
Brussels agenda This week in Brussels is a mixed week, where we have committee meetings, group meetings and mini sessions. In next week we have group meetings to prepare the Strasbourg session for… Here are the agendas
