Johnny Mythen (Wexford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Irish neutrality is and will be undermined by the removal of the triple lock and the changing of legislation on the dispatch of Defence Forces personnel overseas. The Government's language and U-turn on military neutrality do not keep faith with the Seville Declaration, which states that for Ireland to participate in any military operations overseas it must have authorisation by the UN Security Council or General Assembly, the agreement of the Irish Government and the approval of Dáil Éireann. These three stipulations are the very foundation that gives Ireland and the Irish people their unique neutral identity, their credibility in the world and the belief that we shape things around diplomacy. Our neutrality fortifies our participation in peacekeeping missions. More importantly, it is woven into the fabric of our sovereignty as an independent nation.

We have listened to the Government's arguments about removing the triple lock. It cited the recent cyberattack by the Russian criminal gang on the HSE as one of the rational reasons to opt out of the triple lock, when, in fact, the HSE's IT system is antiquated, has not been upgraded and has been the subject of underinvestment for the past 20 years. The Government says the world is evolving in a different direction. This was always the way. There will always be tensions in different parts of the world. As a result, we must cherish and protect our neutrality and keep it intact. The voice of the people must always be present and not be drowned out by the thunder of militarisation, the lobbyists for lethal weapons and the lucrative arms industry.

Irish troops on peacekeeping missions are respected the world over. To allow our troops to be deployed as conflict participants will make both Ireland and themselves a target for the countries they will be sent to fight against. It will automatically tarnish our reputation as a well-respected peacekeeping force. In fact, it is the longest unbroken record of any nation in the world. It would have repercussions for all the members of our diaspora who are living in many countries abroad. It will have the potential to negatively affect any citizen travelling abroad on an Irish passport. We must ensure that any Irish Defence Forces or security personnel deployed on overseas missions have the full mandate from the United Nations.

We must trust and put our faith in the Irish people and give them the final say on neutrality by means of a referendum to enshrine the principle of Irish neutrality in our Constitution and never rely on any Government to make the decision in that regard. We must formally establish a citizens' assembly on the question of neutrality. Last but not least, we must pay a decent wage to the members of our Irish Defence Forces. It is a scandal to think that a substantial number of the members of our Defence Forces are on working family payments. A recent report from the Commission on the Future of the Defence Forces has declared that there is a need for €246 million of investment annually to bring them to a modern-day standard. No one has the right to diminish or deconstruct our neutrality, This can only be done with the full consent and will of the sovereign Irish people through a referendum. Please support this motion.

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