Professor Ben Tonra:

I have two points. First on the issue of bonds, it is very interesting that the Government has come out against the idea of these defence bonds. I think that is reflective of the strategies on the part of the Irish Government with respect to Germany and some of the other so-called fiscally conservative states. It takes - if members will forgive the Yiddish word - a bit of chutzpah for Ireland to say we are not even going to entertain the idea of having these defence bonds.

On the issue of anti-Americanism in neutrality, there is an element of it, and it is quite high profile, but I think it would be unfair to characterise that position with that term. Most people's ideas of Irish neutrality is that it is positive and good and that it is trying to make a genuine contribution to the world that is somehow different. My frustration is, and people may or may not believe me, that I am totally agnostic on neutrality as to which way Ireland goes on this. If a positive vision of neutrality was put forward, it would be saying not only are we going to talk the talk, we are going to walk the walk. For example, on development aid, rather than spend 2% of GDP on defence, Ireland is going to spend 2% of its GDP on development aid. That would be a neutrality that is meaningful, to say that we are not going to put resources into defence and the military industrial complex, but we are going to take the equivalent amount of resources and we are going to become a superpower of development aid, of human rights or of all of the issues that people associate with neutrality that have nothing to do with neutrality. I do not know whether that is realistic politically, but it would be a credible model for neutrality into which people could buy.