Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Ukrainian ambassador and her team. I note that it is an all-female delegation. I welcome that. I also want to use that fact to point out that in every war, it is women, children and civilians who suffer most. At the bottom of that list, are the warmongers and those who cry loudest for war. I am shocked to hear some voices in this Dáil talk about the outbreak of a third world war or words to that effect. We should be raging against any possibility of war. We should be using our voice as a neutral country, which is a powerful voice that has long been recognised and given respect because we have carried out our role as an independent, neutral country with integrity and as part of UN missions. I have listened to the debate in my office and in here. I am truly horrified as a woman, mother and female Deputy at the casual acceptance of war. I do not want to waste my time giving my opinion of Putin. I am on the record about it. He is a dictator with no respect for democracy. NATO's role in all of this has already been outlined by some colleagues on the left, but certainly not on the right. NATO has played a despicable role in moving forward to the border and engaging in warmongering. Ireland has been hypocritical on many levels.

I will address a positive matter. The Minister, Deputy Coveney, called for us to focus on dialogue and diplomacy. I hope he does that and I will fully support him. I do not want war. The casual manner in which history is being described here is totally inaccurate. War does not solve anything. Perhaps women might begin to say, out loud, "Not in our name," and "Peace in our name." Women and children suffer the most. There was rightly outrage about the Russian military being in our waters. It was not matched by outrage about NATO exercises in our waters, to which we turned a blind eye. We turned a blind eye to the blatant breach of international law by Israel against Palestine and to Yemen and Saudi Arabia's role there, which Ireland colluded with. I will take no lectures from any male Deputy in this Chamber about standing up and seeing the reality. I know the reality. I have read everything I can get and looked at every possible document about war. It solves nothing. I stand firmly with Ukraine. What it is facing is unimaginable. Even more unimaginable is a third world war, with NATO having a role. We now need a critical compass when we have lost our moral compass.

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