Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independents 4 Change) | Oireachtas source

It is becoming clear that Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and now the Green Party intend to end Irish neutrality and move towards NATO against the wishes of the Irish people. As of 17 April, 71% of the country supported neutrality. That is an overwhelming percentage of people. Ireland initially voted to reject both the Nice and Lisbon treaties. Both had to come back with clauses protecting Irish neutrality before they were passed. This agenda to erode our neutrality is happening drip by drip behind the scenes. If it were put to people, they would reject it.

Successive Governments have done this with Shannon Airport and the illegal invasion of Iraq. The Government has been attacking Ireland's triple lock, and attempted to do it through the absolute farce that was the consultative forum. This is just another attempt to sell off our neutrality in order that giant tech and military corporations can profit from death and destruction. The irony is that this push to end neutrality is supposedly being carried out in the name of protecting democracy. How is it protecting democracy if it is not put to a vote? The Government cannot claim to be protecting democracy without giving a democratic choice on the issue. It will not give us the choice of holding a referendum on neutrality because it knows it will lose.

After it was founded, the head lobbyists for the major arms company, the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company, now Airbus, bragged that the EDA was its baby,and that the agency was 95% identical to its proposals. The agency website states that a push from industry was instrumental in its creation. This is about money and increasing profits for big tech and the arms industry. It is about making money off war and bloodshed and the Government is trying to sell Irish neutrality down the road. Our best defence has always been our neutrality and our participation in international programmes for peace. That is what the Irish people has persistently supported. We do not want our tax money to go to death and destruction. I oppose Ireland's participation in EDA projects. I oppose this motion, and I support the Sinn Féin amendment for it to be debated at committee.

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