Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to discuss this issue. Ireland can play a significant role in laying the groundwork for international pressure to be put upon the Israeli Government to ends its actions in Gaza, but that role is not being played to its full potential. We take great pride in how we use our stance as a neutral, but not isolationist, country to be a champion for human rights and how we can, when the will is there, advocate measures that may have the effect of moving other states, through various means such as sanctions, to put pressure on aggressors to amend their ways. There have been shortcomings. Recent examples include the Government's unwillingness to refer Israel to the ICC or to approve a sanctions aimed at penalising those who break international law or wilfully ignore institutions such as the UN, whose findings assert that Israeli settlements are illegal under international law. When we hear certain calls for Ireland's neutrality to be either ended or diluted, we must remember that we have the capacity to influence the actions of others. Whether we do so is up to us as a sovereign nation. I state all this to give context to this discussion.

Ahead of the consultative forum, concern was expressed, and my party colleagues and I were among those who voiced this concern, that the forum was more an attempt to reshape public opinion than it was a genuine attempt at public debate and engagement. As Deputy O'Callaghan said, we need discussion about these issues but when panels are stacked with people of one viewpoint, concerns come into play.

These concerns arose because of the lack of balance when it came to the representation of speakers who had a track record of promoting Irish military neutrality. This is also the case with the omission of members of the Opposition from having a formal role in the process.  Nor was there any formal participation from the Defence Forces representative organisations.

The issues under discussion needed to be discussed and that need has been present for many years.  If this had been addressed, the recruitment and retention crisis in our Defence Forces may have been averted, while the cyberattacks on the HSE and our reliance on others to monitor or territorial seas and airspace could also have been addressed before the need became as critical as it now is.

I will address the matter of neutrality and what the conclusions tell us. The report notes that the issue of neutrality and Ireland’s global reputation was a contested matter among those present. It summarised as follows:

It would seem, therefore, that Ireland’s policy of neutrality is neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition for Ireland’s global standing as a force for good in international affairs. The most that could be said is that it probably helps. 

While that is what the chair of the forum may rightly have ascertained from the forum, that conclusion is likely to have been shaped by the imbalance of representative voices. I further note that this is apparent on the matter of a constitutional amendment on neutrality, with reference made in the report to suggestions in favour of such an amendment being made “especially by those opposed to the Forum”. This is again indicative of the lack of balance in the formal representation at the forum – not the chair.

It goes without saying that I am of the view that a citizens' assembly should be established with the purpose of agreeing the wording of a constitutional amendment. Public engagement in general is needed on this matter if, as the report states, there was no agreed definition of the term "neutrality" as it means different things to different people.

I will also refer to the issue of expenditure on the Defence Forces, addressing emerging threats such as cybercrime and monitoring our maritime area and airspace. It is clear that the deficiencies present in these areas must be addressed with urgency.  Our Defence Forces have been let down, as is obvious in the recruitment and retention crisis they are experiencing. Our lack of preparedness to monitor our territory is a failure that has already dearly cost the HSE and the people who use it. That there was no formal participation from Defence Forces representative organisations at the forum is a further example of how the sector is traditionally sidelined.

While I remain critical of aspects of how the forum was comprised, it was nonetheless informative but by no means the basis upon which our neutrality should hang. In that regard, the deliberations surrounding foreign and defence policy must also be all-Ireland in nature and involve the viewpoints of the people of this island.  Involving a select group only can contribute but will not suffice.

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