Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE) | Oireachtas source

The Government has been engaged in a war on what is left of neutrality since Putin's invasion of Ukraine. It has slightly changed tack in the course of that. It started out with a full-frontal attack, saying we need to have a discussion about neutrality, that it was a policy matter and it could be changed at any time. It met the reality of public opinion, which did not shift despite a significant offensive in the media. Instead, the Government has repackaged it, with neutrality to be left without any content whatsoever and with the triple lock to be removed. Deputy Micheál Martin was correct in 2013 when he said that the triple lock is at the core of our neutrality. He was also correct when he described the attempt to undermine it as "an out-of-touch ideological obsession on the part of Fine Gael". Unfortunately, he has now adopted that obsession.

If the triple lock was gone tomorrow, what military missions does the Taoiseach want to send troops on that he cannot currently send them on? The Tánaiste, Deputy Micheál Martin, said he wants to do it all within the UN Charter. That means it would be authorised by the UN Security Council. What missions can the Government not currently send troops on that it wants to send troops on? In my opinion - and I will listen to the answer - it will be EU-led missions without UN Security Council approval, that is, outside of international law, and US or NATO-led missions, that is, the likes of the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan.

See this speech in context