Professor John Maguire:

As I said earlier, I am neither a lawyer nor a parliamentarian. I cannot see that the UN is wrong in telling us that the UN Charter is an instrument of international law. If that instrument wants to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war and says there shall be no threat of force issued by any state without the authorisation of the Security Council, I am quite prepared to see any sense of Irish sovereignty not being subservient to that but being pooled in the one body that can save succeeding generations. I am proud of our identity and our independence but they are in no way endangered by joining the UN, as de Valera said when he spoke about it. A lawyer may tell the UN is not an instrument of international law but the UN says it is.