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

This Bill is similar to the one I introduced during the Thirty-first Dáil in that it seeks to amend the Constitution to ensure that Ireland will not and could not aid foreign powers in any way in preparation for a war, save with the assent of the Dáil. The Bill also affirms that Ireland is a neutral State, and that the State would have a policy of non-membership of military alliances. That Bill was supported by members of the Independent Alliance, but when we voted on a similar neutrality Bill in 2016 they decided to vote against the Bill and in favour of a weak Government amendment. Tonight they have the chance to return to the previous position of support for neutrality and to back this Bill, rather than a continuation of the status quoand the undermining of Irish neutrality. I will not hold my breath in that respect.

The continued use of Shannon Airport by foreign militaries to facilitate their ongoing wars, coupled with the increased militarisation of the EU and this State's deeper integration in the EU's military system, especially through PESCO, ensure that this Bill is timely. Sinn Féin believes that if Ireland followed a policy of positive neutrality, our State could make a highly significant contribution towards the long-held global objective of international peace with justice. The aim of the Bill is to give power and choice to the Irish people to decide by referendum if they want to enshrine neutrality in Bunreacht na hÉireann. Who in this House could be afraid of that? I appeal to all parties and Teachtaí Dála to allow the Bill to pass Second Stage and to let us begin an honest and open debate about Ireland's policy of neutrality.

It is important to enshrine such a fundamental principle in Bunreacht na hÉireann because successive Governments have breached the Hague Convention and undermined Irish neutrality. The Government claims that there are already constitutional protections for neutrality, but the reality is that neutrality is not mentioned once in Bunreacht na hÉireann. This has allowed successive Governments to wear down neutrality piece by piece, against the wishes of the vast majority of Irish people. As neutrality is not specifically protected in the Constitution, previous Governments have signed Ireland up to NATO's Partnership for Peace and allowed and facilitated the civilian airport in Shannon to become a virtual forward base for the US military. The current Government also continues to support Ireland's involvement in the emerging EU military structures through PESCO. The next EU budget will for the first time have a fund for EU military spending, containing a massive €13 billion. A referendum to insert neutrality would bring greater clarity to the State's neutrality policy, which has become blurred, distorted and riddled with doublespeak as successive Governments say one thing but actually do the opposite. Given that the momentum behind the creation of an EU army has been accelerated by Donald Trump's election and Brexit, this Bill is timely. The EU is developing a military-industrial complex and is setting aside EU and national funds in order to do so. Across Europe, children are going to bed hungry while taxpayers' hard-earned money is going to be spent on military funding. Sinn Féin MEPs have consistently voted against these disastrous projects and attacks on Irish neutrality whereas other parties, including Fine Gael MEPs, have supported and cheered it on.

We do not need to look to Brussels to find the Government's undermining of neutrality, we just need to focus our attention on Shannon Airport. An estimated 3 million US troops have passed through Shannon Airport since 2002. Like many others in this House, we have consistently raised the issue of the failure and the need for the Garda authorities to investigate and search flights carrying military personnel through Shannon. These foreign military airplanes are guarded by Irish Army personnel and the Garda, but they have never been given an order or even asked to do even a cursory search of these craft for weapons. Groups like Shannonwatch have provided the Garda with all of this information but the evidence is ignored and, strangely, no investigation has taken place to our knowledge. Shannon is a civilian airport and not built for military traffic. Any accident or crash there could cause major civilian casualties.

Some Deputies will argue that neutrality is outdated. We do not agree. We live in a world where half of the population lives in poverty, with one person in every eight suffering from malnutrition, and where poverty kills approximately 19 people every minute of every day, yet trillions of euro are spent on military expenditure every year. To ensure that we live in a safer and more equal world, greater military expenditure is not the solution, nor is supporting the creation of an EU army or assisting NATO. We need to challenge the very structures that cause poverty, food insecurity, conflict and division. If Ireland allowed a policy of positive neutrality, the State could make a significant and powerful contribution towards the long-held global objective of an international peace with justice. Through a policy of positive neutrality, the State would not look to increase its military spending, take part in the arms trade or profit from war and people's misery. Instead, it could focus on enhancing the economic, social, political and cultural rights of people worldwide. If we redoubled our efforts to focus on working with countries on implementing global targets on issues such as land rights, climate change, citizen participation, economic equality and government accountability, surely our planet would become a better and safer place for us all. Irish neutrality is not a policy of opting out of international affairs. Rather, it is a genuine commitment to a different type of international politics that is focused on justice, development and human rights.

Sinn Féin supports the continued role of Irish troops in UN peacekeeping missions around the world and the brave work that they do. Blue helmet peacekeeping missions and Irish Aid continue to be two of the most positive pillars of the State's foreign affairs over the decades. Surely it is long past time that power was given to the Irish people to decide on Ireland's future and on whether neutrality should be at the core of that policy.

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