Dáil debates

Tuesday, 9 April 2019

An Bille um an Ochtú Leasú is Tríocha ar an mBunreacht (Neodracht) 2018 : An Dara Céim [Comhaltaí Príobháideacha] - Thirty-Eighth Amendment of the Constitution (Neutrality) Bill 2018: Second Stage [Private Members]

 

10:35 pm

Photo of Denise MitchellDenise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Ceart go leor. Irish neutrality has been an important principle since the founding of the State but, unfortunately, in the past few decades it has been eroded by successive Governments. The beginning of that can be traced back to 1997 when Fianna Fáil signed this State up to NATO's so-called Partnership for Peace and the deployment of Irish troops on NATO-led missions. Since then, various Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, Labour Party and Green Party Governments were happy to turn Shannon Airport into a staging post for the US military in its illegal war of aggression across the Middle East. Fine Gael Deputies have been very clear that they would be happy to abandon Ireland's position of military neutrality. I believe that is shameful.

The right of our State to determine our relationships with others and to decide our foreign relations policy is a cornerstone of independence. Recently, we have seen EU figures like Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron openly calling for an EU army. It is no surprise that it is the largest states that want to make this a reality.

I ask anyone of those who believe an EU army or a military alliance is a great idea to look at the chaos in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria and other countries where EU states and the US have engaged in reckless, ill-thought out and illegal conflicts and tell me they trust those countries to have the best interests of Irish men and Irish women at their heart. They should get real because a small nation like ours will not be calling the shots.

We had a situation where our Defence Forces were heroically saving refugees from the Mediterranean - an unending task - while over their heads flew French, British and US war planes bombing countries like Libya and Syria and creating more refugees. We are a small nation which suffered the horrors of invasion and repression. The idea that we would align with those who continue to dole out such horrific treatment to others is unthinkable. Not only would taking part in such conflicts be morally wrong but it would undermine us and our proud history as a nation which acts as a mediator, a peacekeeper and an honest broker.

It is my belief that the Irish public, and it is important that we remember the Irish people, want our neutrality enshrined in our Constitution.

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