Mr. Declan Power:

No, I disagree. As a proud Irish republican, I am sure the Deputy would agree with the idea that Ireland should have been able to participate in a mission we decided was of crucial importance to the stability of Macedonia and that to be elbowed out of that by China's actions is repugnant to us, as an independent nation.

I will quickly answer the Deputy's other question on whether I think neutrality is a good idea. We have to stop deceiving ourselves to an extent in this country. I believe in our independence in course of action. I believe that if we were to have the kind of neutrality that some people think we should have, we would have to leave the European Union. I do not want to see us get sucked in to being, to use the term again, the "cat's paw" of bigger nations. We have demonstrated our ability, going back to and including the Second World War, to forge our own, honourable course of action and to assist where we see it being pertinent, but not to be bullied into any actions. Whether the triple lock exists or not does not change that. Again, I will steal a line from Senator Craughwell: it is a red herring as regards to Ireland's stance on military neutrality. Clearly, we are not neutral on the wars in Gaza or Ukraine. Speaking as an Irish citizen, I do not think we should be, but what we do is decide our own course of action in how we provide support.