Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú) | Oireachtas source

The election of the President of the European Commission will take place shortly. Ursula von der Leyen is seeking a second term. Here in Ireland, she has received the backing of the Government of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party. What is happening in Fianna Fáil in this regard is incredible. To reference a game often played on social media, tell me you are a member of Fianna Fáil without telling me you are a member of Fianna Fáil. One of the ways this can be done in the political sense relates to support for Ursula von der Leyen. Fianna Fáil in government is supporting Ursula von der Leyen's campaign for the presidency and yet its MEPs oppose it. Fianna Fáil is seeking to occupy two separate political spaces and two polar opposite positions at the same time. It is speaking from both sides of its mouth on this issue and it is doing so without even blushing. Fianna Fáil's support for Ursula von der Leyen in government is not based on policy or ideology but on who gets the goodies and the nice jobs. This shows that Fianna Fáil is no longer a movement with an ideology. Instead, it is a vehicle for career progression. That is a very dangerous thing for a political party to be.

Do not get me wrong. There are good people in Fianna Fáil in relation to these issues but their voices are not strong enough in terms of the direction of Government policy on this. Interestingly, Cynthia Ní Mhurchú, a new MEP, has managed her first U-turn in the space of just a couple of weeks. On RTÉ's "Drivetime" recently, she was unable to confirm that she will adhere to her initial commitment to oppose Ursula von der Leyen for the position of president. This is incredible. Independents can always be trusted, or can they? Independent Ireland is Ireland's newest political party but it is learning fast from Fianna Fáil. Independent Ireland stood as an anti-establishment platform in the local and European elections but before the memories of the count stations subsided it joined the liberal Renew Europe group, which is home to Fianna Fáil, Eurofederalists and proponents of the EU defence union. That group also appears to be part of the stitch-up in the vote for Ursula von der Leyen as well.

It seems that Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, the Green Party and Independent Ireland have managed strategically to forget that Ursula von der Leyen significantly distorted the foreign policies of countries such as Ireland with regard to Israel's horrendous attacks on civilians in Gaza. Ursula von der Leyen strode the world stage, writing a blank cheque in relation to Israel's attack on the people of Gaza. The Government seemed to say that is in the past, but the bombs are falling on Gaza today. They are murdering children today. The legacy of Ursula von der Leyen's foreign policy is being experienced by innocent victims today. It is shocking that more than half of the representatives of this Chamber are going to support Ursula von der Leyen in the upcoming election. It is an incredible issue.

It seems that all four parties are also supportive of Ursula von der Leyen's plan for an EU defence union. There has been very little debate on the European defence union plan in this Chamber so far. What will the European defence union look like? Obviously, that depends on who you ask, but there are many proponents of Ursula von der Leyen and the European defence union who will say that such a defence union would have an EU defence council, a permanent command and control headquarters, new EU defence budgets, and a defence research programme paid for by member states, which would also be obliged to spend 2% of GDP on defence funding. EU member states will be obliged to spend 20% of this money on equipment identified by the EU armaments agency. I have no doubt that the ultimate objective of EU federalists is a permanent EU army established by the harmonisation and standardisation of European armed forces. The ultimate objective is that this new EU army will stride the global stage as a global actor, independent and separate from NATO. This is the stated policy of many people who are supportive of Ursula von der Leyen. It is an objective that is not hidden in terms of many supporters of Ursula von der Leyen. Indeed, she supports significant elements of this European defence union.

It is an incredible issue. It is the direction of travel of the EU at the moment. The groundwork is actually being undertaken here by the Government already. Over a year ago the Tánaiste, Deputy Micheál Martin, said he was open to EU treaty change on foot of proposals to overhaul the working of the Union. That policy shift came after the Conference on the Future of Europe, which recommended that national vetoes on almost all areas of EU decision making, including military and security matters, should be abolished. It is incredible that the current Tánaiste said he supports the atomisation of our vetoes in key elements of the delivery of the European Union. The other bulwark against this EU defence union is the triple lock. Of course all of the Government parties have flip-flopped on the issue of the triple lock in recent times. All of the Government supports that reversal now.

The biggest threat to the EU is more EU. Until the Government realises that, it will not be able to challenge and strengthen the EU in the future. There is a creep towards Brussels swallowing up even more democratic powers from sovereign nation states. That is being pushed back against by citizens across the EU. Citizens know that self-determination is better. Decisions made close to the people they affect are better decisions because people can influence those decisions and can hold decision makers to account. The current direction of travel deletes the influence of citizens over the policies of the Government. Unfortunately, I believe Fine Gael is wedded to that policy of a Brussels power creep happening in the future. I believe it is going to cause major damage to this country as well.

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