Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE) | Oireachtas source

Exactly. We will not have a referendum - I thank the Minister for the confirmation - before the Government decides to send working-class young people from this country abroad to serve in a European military operation. Do we get a commitment from the Government before it abandons even the triple lock? This acts as a certain restriction on its ability to, again, send working-class people to fight elsewhere in the world and it is even in the programme for Government, but for which the Minister has floated the idea of the need to be rid of it. Will we have a referendum before that is ditched?

The truth is the Government and its outriders, such as commentators, are engaged in a propaganda war against what is left of neutrality - independence from military alliances. It is presented as if this is a new thing and a necessary, mature response to the horrendous, brutal, criminal invasion of Ukraine by Putin whereas the reality is this is not a new position. It is not a new position from us to say that Ireland should not participate in military alliances, and to propose a law, that we should not use Shannon Airport to transport more than 2.5 million US troops to the Middle East.

It is also not a new position from the political establishment to try to erode neutrality. In 2003, Fine Gael proposed in a policy document, Beyond Neutrality, to move towards supporting participation in a common EU defence policy, abandoning the so-called triple-lock mechanism and describing it as a political straitjacket. At the time, John Bruton said "You cannot create a political union and then say you are not prepared to defend it. That is logical. ...the Taoiseach should now start preparing Irish public opinion for ... [that]." The Tánaiste has regularly paraphrased this "Europe worth defending" line. Let us not kid ourselves that this latest push to fully undermine and get rid of this political straitjacket and to undermine neutrality is a mere pragmatic response to the war in Ukraine. Instead, it is shock doctrine in action to use a real crisis - a horrendous invasion and humanitarian catastrophe - to try to drive a pre-existing ideological agenda from Fianna Fáil and, in particular, Fine Gael. It has now just reached its most extreme point of the Government feeling confident to almost totally do away with neutrality and raise the idea of joining with NATO.

The important point is that NATO is being rebranded as some sort of peace force as if it was simply the neutral teacher on the playground stopping the bullies. Tell that to the ordinary people of Afghanistan whose country was invaded and occupied by NATO for years. Who gave NATO or the US the right to consider themselves the world police? The people of Iraq, more than 1 million of whom died at the hands of the US invasion, must be left wondering if their suffering at the hands of NATO members has been completely forgotten. When we say "neutrality", we do not mean neutral is not being on the side of the oppressed against the oppressor. We say we should take the side of the oppressed against the oppressor. What we mean, and what is outlined in our Bill, is that Ireland should stand up against invasion, war and imperialism. We should be a voice for justice and the rights of nations to self-determination, especially given our history of colonial oppression. To do that with any credibility, we must not join any of the imperialist clubs, such as the US-led NATO or the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation.

We propose that people be given a choice. The Government wants to do away fully with neutrality, and any semblance left of it, behind the backs of the people. It has cut away at it again and again, making a joke of it when it comes to the use of Shannon Airport, but we say have the debate. Let us have the debate publicly, allow people to decide, and give them a chance to vote to block the Government from joining NATO or any other imperialist alliance as well as blocking participation in a European process of militarisation.

I will make a point to the Green Party, although no Deputies from that party are present. The Green Party leader, Deputy Eamon Ryan, has voted to enshrine neutrality in the Constitution on three previous occasions in 2003, 2016 and 2018. The question of neutrality is very clearly in the Green Party manifesto. What will its members do? Will they stick to their principles, or supposed principles, stick to what was decided by their membership regarding what is in its election manifesto and stick to the promises made to the electorate or will they, as on so many other issues, fold under the pressure of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, the drums of militarisation and the complete abandonment of neutrality? I do not have time to give the many quotes from the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, on neutrality, which would be very appropriate and would indicate he should be on this side of the debate rather than backing up the militarisation agenda.

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