Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Every time a decision is made that compromises our neutrality we are told it does not compromise our neutrality, and we are getting increasingly concerned about the Government's approach to neutrality being especially cavalier. When we raise concerns, as we did earlier, about the Irish Defence Forces being sent off to join the military offensive in Operation Sophia, we were told not to worry about it. When we raise again and again the use of Shannon Airport by US military troops we are told they are not involved in anything and they are just passing through on their holidays. When we raise concerns about this, we are told Sweden and Finland had it before and not to be worrying about it as they were previous chairs, and this is just about raising Ireland's profile, as if it was like Limerick bidding for the European City of Culture. It is not good enough, particularly given the imminent exit by Britain from the EU. As the Minister of State knows, France and Germany in particular have been the main drivers of a deeper European Defence Agency, with Britain preferring to line up with the Americans. In the absence of Britain, that drive towards militarism is likely to increase further and deepen, and Ireland will be fully absorbed into the EU military machine at that stage. The nomination explicitly ties us closer to the reality of EU militarisation, and membership of military alliances is not compatible with neutrality.

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