Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party) | Oireachtas source

There is no doubt that people the length and breadth of the country are greeting the start of this Dáil term with a certain amount of horror and fear about what the Government intends to unleash in the butchering of living conditions. It is also quite clear, given the Taoiseach's reply to Deputy Adams, that he has no intention of answering these questions in here and that it will probably be the people outside the gates who will have to force an answer from him.

Seeing as he is not interested in answering questions on domestic policy, we might focus his attention on some issues of foreign policy. I ask the Taoiseach if he is aware that yesterday the Peace and Neutrality Alliance launched its findings from a Red C opinion poll conducted over the weekend which revealed that almost 80% of Irish people are in favour of a policy of neutrality, that over 80% do not support a war on Syria without a UN mandate, and that 67% are opposed to the sending of arms or military supplies by Ireland or the EU to anti-government groups in Syria. These are very clear findings. A total of 61% of Irish people do not now think that Irish troops should be sent to Syria. At the same time, last week, Ireland was lambasted by the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights for colluding in the illegal CIA kidnapping and torture of terror suspects. He demanded that we investigate the use of Shannon Airport and demanded an end to our violation of human rights. He demanded that we atone for those activities. Yet, despite the views of the Irish people and despite the views of international human rights organisations, the Government continues to facilitate and actively assist the warmongering of the US military. I find it somewhat ironic that in the same week that Irish citizens protesting for peace were brought before the courts in Ennis, there was a spike in US military activity in Shannon as the pressure on Syria was ratcheted up. I ask the Taoiseach to comment on the irrefutable evidence produced at that time of armed soldiers on the ground beside those US aircraft. These were either Irish soldiers offering support services to the US, in which case it was a breach of neutrality, or they were US soldiers not only breaching neutrality but illegally engaging on Irish soil. They are only supposed to be here if unarmed. The Tánaiste is always fond of telling us that they are unarmed. I ask how he knows that, because it is never investigated.

What is the Taoiseach going to do about these unlawful acts? In keeping with the views of the majority of Irish people, can he now confirm that he will not send Irish troops to Syria? When will he behave like the leader of a sovereign nation with an independent foreign policy which is making its mark on the world stage, or is he happy to continue being the governor of the 51st state of the Union?

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