Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I have never been given to personal vitriol but I will repeat what I said: disgraceful, deluded, disingenuous. Sweet words of war have to be called out for what they are. A choreographed agenda to lose our neutrality has to be called out. In theory, the UN, while faulty and while it must be changed with our help and involvement, is the only safeguard we have. The Minister constantly calls out Russia. I am on record repeatedly as calling out the illegal invasion of Ukraine. The Minister has utterly failed to call out America, which has disgracefully used the veto over and over. He has utterly failed to call it out regarding the supply of arms to Israel and the slaughter on the streets of Palestine. How dare he stand here and ask us to remain patient or use pleasant parliamentary language. This is one of our last opportunities to call out what he is doing. What he is doing is not in our name.

In the Minister’s words, the role of the General Assembly has been utterly bypassed. It has a very strong role in offsetting the veto. The Minister failed to mention all the other states that use the veto or threaten to use it. Belatedly in the past while, he has raised America. I apologise for going over time but the Minister had extra time and has the power on his side and a narrative that we must challenge at every step and every minute of the way.

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