Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil leis na Teachtaí go léir a ghlac páirt sa díospóireacht tábhachtach seo ar neodracht mhíleata na hÉireann. Is trua é nach bhfuil an Rialtas sásta tacú leis an mBille seo agus, dá réir sin, tacú le tuairim phobal na hÉireann, a thaispeánadh i bpobalbhreithne thar na blianta.

I thank everyone who participated in the debate. We had a useful discussion, despite some wild allegations being made across the floor on certain matters. The comments made by the Minister for Defence were disheartening and, in some cases, misleading. He tried to differentiate between military and political neutrality. A number of speakers followed him in focusing on that issue. It is worrying that successive Governments have tried to peddle this idea because it shows how far down the road the debate has moved. The Minister has implied that military neutrality and Ireland's policy of not sending troops to conflict zones mean that we are neutral, but we have allowed one of the country's airports to be used as a forward base for a foreign army. Is that the action of a neutral country?

The Minister stated: "The legislation proposed to the House is unnecessary and could potentially impact negatively on Ireland’s ability to contribute positively in the international community." I do not agree that my proposed constitutional amendment would in some bizarre 50 shades of grey scenario tie our hands in some way. It would, in fact, have the opposite effect. Other speakers suggested it was too rigid or doctrinaire or said they did not want this to be a matter for the courts. I am actually asking that it be decided by the people. I call for a positive approach to neutrality and a redoubling of our efforts to work with other countries in implementing global targets for land rights, climate change, citizen participation and economic equality. If we focus on dealing with these issues, the world will be a better and safer place.

The Minister has argued that the Bill is unnecessary because Article 29 of the Constitution already commits Ireland to upholding international justice. Unfortunately, successive Governments have violated this Article. International human rights organisations have repeatedly stated aircraft used Shannon Airport for rendition flights. We are back in the twilight zone of Ministers asking for proof, only for it to be dismissed when people come forward with it. Is that upholding international justice? The US-British invasion of Iraq was illegal, killed hundreds of thousands of people and created millions of refugees. More than 2 million US soldiers passed through one of the country's civilian airports on their way to wage this illegal law. How does this uphold Irish neutrality or international justice? How can the Minister say Ireland is not involved in foreign conflicts when he continues to facilitate these actions? He has argued that Article 29 ensures Ireland cannot join a military alliance and a policy of non-participation when it comes to NATO. We are part of the ironically titled Partnership for Peace which clearly states we are a partner of NATO. We are not a member, but we are a partner.

It does not surprise me that Fianna Fáil does not support my proposed amendment, given that it sanctioned our membership of the PfP and fully opened Shannon Airport to the US military. It is laughable that many speakers denied that EU militarisation is increasing. The Minister has suggested Irish people do not see a need for the Bill. He referred to the Constitutional Convention to support his assertion, but the parameters of the convention were set by the Government. More than 100,000 people marched on the streets of this city in opposition to the illegal invasion of Iraq. Where was the then leader of Fianna Fáil, former Deputy Bertie Ahern? He was knocking on doors in Drumcrondra, while hundreds of thousands of people were marching all over the world.

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