Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Irish passport is one to be proud of. It is a passport which is seen differently to others. Why is this? It is because of our neutrality and of our history. Just this morning I was listening to the radio and to Irish soldiers talking about the role and the massively important work they are doing. I reiterate that our thoughts are with them today as they face serious dangers from Israeli shelling. People across the world see Ireland as a country which has experienced colonialism and has seen conflict for centuries, and still suffers from the partition of our country. The Good Friday Agreement and the peace process are held up across the world. Our neutrality is cherished at home and is respected across the world. A clear majority of Irish voters consistently support the retention of Ireland's current model of neutrality. Asked if they support the current model of neutrality, 61% of voters said they favoured it. Our neutrality is one that we should and must protect. It is clear that many in Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are desperately trying to bring us closer to an EU-NATO military alliance. That would be a disaster for their small nation's reputation.

To be honest, I am quite shocked by the silence of the Green Party at the disclosure that the Irish Army is providing small arms training to the Ukrainian army. To say that this is not a breach of our neutrality shows that we cannot trust our neutrality in the hands of any Government parties. Ours is a country which suffered through colonialism and conflict to become one that is seen as a voice of the oppressed all over the world while operating within a European and western sphere. Ireland has a leading voice which helped bring an end to the apartheid regime in South Africa. We can do so in other regions such as being a voice against the ongoing apartheid occupation and genocide in Palestine.

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