Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The programme for Government committed the Government to upholding Ireland's triple lock neutrality protection. However, as was confirmed this morning, the Tánaiste sought and received the approval of the Cabinet to bring forward legislation to scrap the triple lock by removing the requirement for the UN mandate. In giving the Tánaiste this green light, the Government has started the process of trying to dismantle Ireland's neutrality block by block. The Government has moved to change a very proud tradition of Irish troops as peacekeepers. Clearly, the Government is intent on selling out Ireland's neutrality to the escalating EU militarisation pursued by Ursula von der Leyen and others. I put it to the Taoiseach that the Government has absolutely no democratic mandate to sunder Ireland's position of neutrality. None of the Government parties went to the people on that basis.

I see the Fianna Fáil Members grinning but I do not think it is a grinning matter. The Green Party certainly did not go to the Irish people saying it would sunder Irish neutrality. Fine Gael has been always ambivalent, and all of us know that. If the Taoiseach is so sure that this is a great idea and in the nation's interest, I suggest that he go to the people by way of a referendum and seek a democratic sanction first for the action he is proposing.

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