Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

Mr. Smyth is describing realpolitik, and that is fine as a description. However, is that type of pragmatic, political, somewhat à la carteview of neutrality which the political elites in this country have, particularly when it came to the Iraq war, in line with the sentiment of the people on these matters? I do not believe it is. The people are much more consistent and, frankly, more principled in their understanding of neutrality. In so far as they are, the people's view of neutrality accords better with a meaningful definition of neutrality as set out in, for example, the Hague Convention.