Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am not going to get into the neutrality debate because that is a matter for the Irish people. It is fair to say, however, that the context for such debate has completely changed. When it was a case of wars consisting of cavalry battles in Crimea and Ukraine in earlier times, we could stand back and be neutral about such battles on the field. The reality now, though, is that this war is having a global effect and impacting us all. I think it is fair to say that if neutrality means not taking a side, then the Irish people, overwhelmingly, have taken a side. Therefore, I do not think we are neutral in this context at all. Where our neutrality, as traditionally meant, comes in, is that, constitutionally, we cannot join a European defence pact. We cannot do that and we are not going to do that, unless the Irish people change their minds. NATO does not require a constitutional referendum but joining it has a similar status in the minds of the Irish people. This is a debate for another day-----