Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Acting Chair for the opportunity to speak on this. I support this Bill and I want to thank People Before Profit for bringing this important issue to the House today.

The importance of Irish neutrality cannot be overstated. Our neutrality is more important than ever following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which, I fear, may threaten our country’s vital role in being militarily neutral on an international level.

Irish neutrality is under attack by many of the Members in this Chamber and I completely oppose the way many Deputies have come out in support of militarisation.

It is very important that neutrality is defended and nurtured. We are a small, neutral nation. Our strengths have always been in peacekeeping and speaking out against injustice, not in military might. This is something to be incredibly proud of. Neutrality gives us a standing. It gives us an important voice that other countries will listen to.

Our focus should be on looking after people at risk, taking in refugees, and ensuring they have safe travel and a secure place to go. We would bring far more to a crisis in focusing and providing this type of assistance than we could in any military assistance. The focus should always be assisting those affected and this focus is taken away when military gain becomes the main priority, which would be the case if we were to join NATO or any type of EU military intervention.

By maintaining our neutrality, it does not mean we condone the terrible conflicts occurring around the world. To be militarily and politically neutral are two very different things. We will always stand up for what is right and do all in our power to sanction the perpetrators and assist the victims.

There has been a concerted move to undermine our neutrality over the past number of years. The most glaring example of that, which I glad is mentioned in this Bill, is the use of Shannon by probably one of the biggest criminals in the world, the American army, in destroying Iraq and much of the Middle East. What is the difference between that and what the Russians are doing in Ukraine now? That is what I would like to know. I would like the Government to explain what the difference is because that is what we have to defend against. Whether it is America, Russia or any other country, or whether it is the EU, we have to stand against this as well because it is wrong no matter where it is and no matter who does it. That is what we have to stand up against at all times.

We need to stress the importance of our focus. Our focus should always be on the victims of oppression, and assisting them.

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