Independent MEP Marian Harkin has insisted that the European Parliament election debate is being deliberately diverted in an attempt by the Ganley Libertas campaign to avoid dealing with the real issues concerned. She has challenged Mr Ganley to public debate on real issues affecting the north and west constituency.
She said: “This week the positive answer I received in Parliament from the Czech presidency about the necessity for accurate description of food products and their origin is an example of the practical issues dealt with in the European Parliament. The recent decision taken by Galway County Council that planning permission was necessary in relation to a sludge plant in east Galway, despite its previous stance on the issue, followed from a meeting I organised for a community group in Brussels to obtain advice on the matter – another example of the solid work an MEP does. The European Parliament deals with factors which affect the economic and social concerns of people - it does not deal with or have competence on moral issues.”
Ms Harkin wished to set the record straight in relation to Mr Ganley’s assertion that she must take responsibility for her party’s “alleged” support for abortion and euthanasia. “The truth is that I am a member of the European Democratic Party (EDP ) which in turn is a member of the ALDE Group – Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Europe. Contrary to Mr Ganley’s assertion, neither my party nor my group has any policy on abortion or euthanasia – regarding these moral issues as the concern of the individual.
“Mr Ganley says he is happy to debate the issues with me and I challenge him to do so in Sligo where he and his people have maligned me. There we can also discuss his ludicrous accusations that I am anti-farmer and pro-Mandelson, and where we can explore who has worked diligently for farmers and the food industry, unlike Mr Ganley who has so far offered only simplistic answers and analysis,” Marian Harkin concluded.
