Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Our position on neutrality is long-held. It is cherished and valued by the Irish public. Neutrality has provided our State with credibility and impartiality to be a voice for peace and for de-escalation in cases of armed conflict. Any attempt to weaken our neutrality or drag Ireland towards a military alliance must be strongly opposed. I have not heard one convincing or valid argument for a change in the triple-lock system but I have heard bogus ones. For such a significant change to our neutrality policy, I would expect to be presented with substantial evidence that there is some sort of urgent problem - Russia's veto on the Security Council has been meekly suggested. However, as has already been said, in 2013, Deputy Micheál Martin stated that this argument was "An out-of-touch ideological obsession". He has done a somersault now that he is swanning around Europe. What changed the Tánaiste's mind since Fianna Fáil's manifesto in 2020 in which it said it would protect the triple lock on neutrality? Deputy Micheál Martin happened to be correct in 2013 and Fianna Fáil's position in 2020, on paper at least, was okay as well. Since then, he has done a somersault. Whenever this matter is raised by militarists and the elite in this State, I am always suspicious of the motivation of those who propose ending neutrality. We all know it will not be the sons and daughters of the elite sent out to the front line to fight in conflicts. It will always be the working class who are sent to the front lines.

Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, in pushing this, have lied to the public during debates. I recall them. I took part in the referendum campaigns relating to the Nice and Lisbon treaties. We were told not to worry about neutrality, that we were scaremongering and that the triple-lock system would protect us. That convinced a lot of people. If those opposite recall, the Government of the day had to make two runs to get those referendums through. Saying that we did not have to worry about neutrality is what convinced many Irish people to back the referendums. Now, it says they are being fooled. The Government is prepared to tell the Irish people tonight that it has fooled them. That is why we need an amendment to enshrine neutrality in our Constitution.

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