Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We are all aware of the geopolitical difficulties and the fact that many people are game playing on an international basis but that does not change where the Irish people are on neutrality. They see the ending of the triple lock as a step in a direction that they would not like to go. We would like those opinions to be taken into account.

In a report on the Defence Forces serving with the UN laid before the Houses earlier this month, the Tánaiste references "one of the key outcomes" of the so-called consultative forum as "the need for a new process to replace" the triple lock. The report of the chair of that forum found: "There is at present no public appetite for a change to the current position in respect of neutrality." The Tánaiste can say that the proposed changes have little to do with neutrality but both the Seville Declaration and Irish guarantee in advance of the second Nice and Lisbon referendums were explicitly made in response to the fears of the Irish people regarding militarisation and its impact on Irish neutrality. He was a member of the Governments that made those solemn promises to the people. If he intends to breach them, will he at least seek a mandate to do so and agree to place his proposals before the Irish people via referendum?

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