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

The Government of Finland, along with the Government of Sweden, has just announced its intention to ditch its neutrality and apply to join NATO. The latter is a US-led military alliance that is responsible for decades of brutal occupation in Afghanistan and horrendous atrocities in the Middle East. During the war in Kosovo, it bombed hospitals, prisons, embassies and many people's homes. The political establishments in Sweden and Finland have used the horrendous Russian invasion of Ukraine to drive a pre-existing agenda of joining NATO. This is a classic example of what Naomi Klein called a shock doctrine, the purpose of which is to use a real crisis to drive a pre-existing agenda. The same shock doctrine is on display here and is reflected in the Taoiseach’s comments that neutrality is a policy issue that can change at any time.

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