Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

On 3 June, the Tánaiste, Deputy Varadkar, said:

A decision to join a European Defence can only be made by the Irish people in a referendum. I believe Ireland should be at the table so that we can influence and shape it and find a place for Ireland in shared security.

On 8 June, the Taoiseach, Deputy Micheál Martin, said:

We need to reflect on military non-alignment in Ireland and our military neutrality. We are not politically neutral. We don't need a referendum to join NATO. That's a policy decision of government.

What does the third party leader in this Government have to say about all that? Does Deputy Eamon Ryan agree with the Tánaiste that we should be at the table so we can influence and shape a European defence? Does he agree with the Taoiseach that Ireland would not need a referendum to join NATO? We are continually told that we need a fact-based debate on these issues. It appears to be a fact now that the leader of the Green Party is avoiding participating in a debate on these issues. Has the cat got Deputy Eamon Ryan's tongue? Has the Deputy taken a vow of silence? I think we should be told.

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