Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Social Democrats and welcome the motion calling on the Government to hold a referendum on the triple lock. Ireland has a proud tradition of neutrality and peacekeeping missions. Because of our history of occupation and colonialism, the continued partition of our country and our long-standing policy of military neutrality, Ireland has built a strong reputation for standing up for oppressed people and our passport is seen as one of the most respected across the world. We have built that respect not by engaging in military wars alongside colonial powers in the EU and the United States but by standing by international law and international human rights. There is no doubt that eliminating the triple lock is part of the position of Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and others to incrementally drag us into some form of military alliance. The people have continuously rejected such an alliance in poll after poll. In fact, the most recent poll in the Irish Examiner showed that an overwhelming 75% of people support the triple lock and Ireland's neutrality. The proposal to end the triple lock breaches the commitments given during debates on the Nice and Lisbon treaties. The people of this State rejected those referendums because of the fear of being dragged into wars that are not ours, such as the war in Iraq, which, as we all know, was based on a lie that led to the deaths of over 1 million people and has led to absolute horrors in the Middle East that are still being felt today.

If Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael feel so strongly that this is the right thing to do, it should go back to the people. This was one of the major issues around the Nice and Lisbon treaties. The Government should go back to the people and give them a say in one of the most important decisions that could be made, that is, the potential decision to send our young people to war on behalf of the United States or the EU.

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