Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Our neutrality is of huge value to this country. More of late I have seen Ministers questioning it and kicking it around as if it is a political football. It is not a political football. It is of utmost importance to this country. I will look at two reasons. Number one is that our Defence Forces are poorly funded. In recent times we have had helicopters flying and losing doors and Russian ships floating over our communication cables that lie under the seas off the south-west coast and we do nothing about it. Ireland is in a very difficult position if we are going to take on the world with our viewpoints and our senior ministerial viewpoints. We must work towards peace. There is a very upset world out there that is heading to a world war, as somebody said to me recently. Instead of us being at the forefront where we can be for peace in our country, we are now starting to take sides and starting to stoke up unrest in parts of the world where we should not be.

It is time to step back. The majority of the people of this country want us to stay neutral. This is the majority in the polls. I am quite proud to think we are living in a country that is neutral, but we need to work on this neutrality. We must work with the bad people out there as well as the good people to try to see if we can marry them together and create peace in this world, peace in Gaza and peace in Ukraine. We must not be seen to take sides and cause more conflict and anger. Deputy McGrath mentioned the good people who have fought in places such as Jadotville and who have not been recognised. They met with us recently. I also pay tribute to the peacekeeping forces n Lebanon who have been doing their utmost best, with lives lost because of that. It is an opportunity now, and the Minister of State needs one.

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