Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

D’fhógair an Tánaiste inné go raibh sé i gceist aige deireadh a chur le ceann de na príomhchosaintí a bhaineann le neodracht na tíre seo, sé sin, go mbeadh tacaíocht ag na Fórsaí Cosanta ón UN do na misin a bhfuil siad gníomhach iontu. Déanfaidh sé seo damáiste do neodracht na tíre seo, nó neodracht na hÉireann, agus níl tacaíocht ann ó mhuintir na hÉireann fá choinne seo:

The current policy works and it has complete popular legitimacy. There is no reason whatsoever to change it. Such a change will impress no one in Europe and it will contribute nothing to international peace. Instead of sniping at our neutrality, the Government should acknowledge what we have achieved because of it and set out a policy to strengthen rather than to undermine it.

Those are the Tánaiste's words spoken in response to the then Fine Gael Minister's attempt to adopt a long-term ambition of Fine Gael to undermine Irish neutrality by removing the protection that underpins it, the triple lock. The Tánaiste rightly stated in response:

Fine Gael is arguing that Ireland is failing in its European responsibilities and is allowing Russia and China to have a veto over our peacekeeping activities. This is nothing more than an out-of-touch ideological obsession on the part of Fine Gael which ignores the facts of Ireland’s international standing.

It is clear now that the Tánaiste has now adopted Fine Gael's out-of-touch ideological obsession. He may argue that things have changed and indeed some things have changed. What has changed is the inability of our Defence Forces to carry out the role that gave Ireland the international standing that he once lauded as a result of the failures of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil in government.

Irish soldiers have been part of a UN peacekeeping mission in the Golan Heights, important work for our Defence Forces, and they have been rightly commended on their bravery and their commitment. Ireland is set to withdraw from that peacekeeping mission not at the behest of Russians or Chinese or any external government, but because of an Irish Government. Today there are just 7,600 members across all services of our Defence Forces, a complete scandal and well below the establishment figure of 9,600 or indeed the target of 11,500. Under the Tánaiste's watch more members of the Defence Forces are leaving each year than are being recruited.

Instead of addressing these problems the Tánaiste wants to abandon decades of Irish foreign policy of military neutrality by abolishing the triple lock, an intention he made clear to the Dáil last night. Not once did he specify the missions he wants Irish troops to participate in and from which they are currently precluded. Maybe he will outline some of those missions in his response. There was no consideration from him as to what this will mean for Ireland's international standing if we were to send troops abroad on military missions that do not have the legitimacy of a UN mandate.

The triple lock is a core protection of Irish neutrality. It is there to address the real and legitimate concerns of the Irish people regarding the drag into an EU military framework. It is not just me saying this; this was the great sell of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in advocating for the Lisbon and Nice treaties in separate referendums. Without this guarantee of the triple lock of Irish neutrality protection, it is highly likely that those referendums would not have passed. Therefore, if the Tánaiste is so convinced of undermining Irish neutrality and ending the triple lock, he should do the honourable thing, the democratic thing, and put this fundamental shift of foreign policy, which he announced yesterday and which removes assurances previously given, to the Irish people. He should put it directly to the electorate and let us see if he has a mandate to do what he announced yesterday.

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