Mr. Stephen Kelly:

Well, it is a very important point. Stating that Russia attacked our country is very serious. The most serious attack we have ever had was the Dublin-Monaghan bombings in 1974, and that was not perpetrated by Russia.

As regards sovereignty, we are a sovereign country. Article 25 of the UN Charter makes clear that member states have to agree to adhere to and implement decisions of the Security Council. Therefore, if the triple lock is an infringement of our sovereignty, so is Article 25 of the United Nations Charter.

As regards neutrality and the triple lock, they are not the same thing but they are related. The triple lock is a close cousin of neutrality rather than being exactly the same thing. Because we unfortunately do not have neutrality in the Constitution, the triple lock is one of the best things we have in the absence of that. It is really in the absence of clearer legal safeguards that we think the triple lock should be maintained. We did not advocate for Yes votes in the second Nice and Lisbon referendums because they did not go far enough, notwithstanding that they had the triple lock.

Regarding a referendum, is the Senator suggesting that we would have a referendum each time there is a decision to have a deployment as an alternative to the triple lock? It is-----