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

It has not been two months since the Tánaiste, then Taoiseach, suggested a citizens' assembly to deal with the question of neutrality. Why did the Tánaiste abandon the idea of a citizens' assembly? Was it the notion of the citizens that was offensive to him, given citizens' very positive view of neutrality?

If the Government wanted to have at last the pretence of not having a predetermined outcome and having a genuine consultation, why on earth did it select as a chairperson a Dame of the British Empire who is on record repeatedly as supporting the aims of US militarism? She has supported in writing the US invasion of Afghanistan, has written that the United States had very good reasons to object to the Governments of Chile, Cuba and Nicaragua and wrote to support coups and attempted coups pursued by US imperialism in Latin America in the 1970s and 1980s. How on earth is that in any way compatible with the idea of a genuinely open, non-prescriptive discussion process?

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