Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

In fairness, the Minister of State and his Department have a fluid interpretation of neutrality. It seems to be the case that whatever NATO wants it gets. It is a little bit Irish, in terms of what other people would understand the definition of neutrality to be. Is the Minister of State concerned, for example, about the fact that a NATO warship docked to refuel in Cork harbour at the weekend? It was manned by Dutch soldiers who were armed with high velocity rifles. Is it acceptable practice for NATO warships to be refuelled in Ireland while engaged in operational work? Is this what we talk about when we refer to enhanced practical co-operation?

My problem is that the Government never seems to refuse any type of military activity. It seems to be the case that NATO is gearing up its aggression against Russia, for example. Do we want some form of conflict? Will Ireland be going along with the EU's new global security strategy? Does the Minister of State agree with the statement on the strategy that soft power is no longer enough? Is this the direction in which we are going? Are we sleepwalking, despite our protestations, into a situation of becoming a minor power in the evolution of NATO across the EU?

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