Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)

From the outset of Putin's criminal invasion of Ukraine, we pointed out that US involvement there was not driven by any concern for self-determination and the interests of ordinary Ukrainian people but was instead driven by its own strategic interests. That has become undeniably clear under Trump. It is clear the US is only interested in Ukraine insofar as the people of Ukraine can be used to weaken Russia, and Ukraine can then be carved up for its own aims. The blackmail deal done by Trump is to steal minerals from the Ukrainian people while agreeing to Russia taking much of the land. The term "ReArm Europe" is a joke because military expenditure has gone up year on year for the past decade and is being used to suspend fiscal rules, not to build homes, to tackle healthcare crises across Europe or to help people crippled by the cost-of-living crisis but to give more money to the arms companies fuelled by debt and destruction. It is why people came together two weeks ago, at a powerful meeting, to defend neutrality and the triple lock. They will be on the streets on Saturday, 14 June at 2 p.m. Will the Taoiseach outline the timing of the Government's plans to dismantle the triple lock?

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