My shadowy comment related to their claims to be a think tank with widespread political and popular support.  Even after all my correspondence I still do not know how many signed up members they have 10, 100, 1000?  Who knows?  And it is unclear what "membership" constitutes and signs you up for if it is not explicitly linked to opposition t the Lisbon Treaty.

I had a letter published in the Irish Times today which sums up part of my problem:ireland.com - The Irish Times - Letters

Madam - Ita McCormack (February 14th) is under the quaint delusion that letters in The Irish Times are published on merit, regardless of the title or prestige of the signatory. From experience, I can share with her the real guidelines which must be followed:

1. Never criticise The Irish Times itself. 2. Do not depart too far from the "dominant narrative" as contained in Irish Times Editorials. 3. Never antagonise the Letters Page editor by demanding a right of reply when you are criticised by name on the Letters page. 4. Sarcastic or silly one-liners have priority. 5. If writing a longer letter on a more serious and necessarily complex subject, always lend your letter some spurious authority by signing it as President of the Lesser Spotted Bumpkins Society or some such worthy organisation, or by claiming to be a "think tank" such as "Libertas", which is anything but a think tank as a simple perusal of its website will confirm.

Failing the above, write instead on some serious online forum which is not limited to contacts of the small-minded coterie which now runs The Irish Times and seeks to pass itself off as a serious forum for open debate. Most of us have long realised that it is anything but and have moved on the bigger and better things elsewhere. - Yours, etc,

FRANK SCHNITTGER, Red Lane, Blessington, Co Wicklow.

The Irish Times edited out my reference to the European Tribune in the last paragraph.  Presumably they don't want to give any publicity to the competition!

"It's a mystery to me - the game commences, For the usual fee - plus expenses, Confidential information - it's in my diary..."