James Bannon (Fine Gael)

I join other Senator in welcoming the Minister of State to the House and thank him for spending so much of his time with us today.

In the world of the new millennium, the world of 2003, we in the global sense do not take war lightly. We do not go to war on a whim and we do not go to war by default, or do we? We must ask this question. The war against Iraq is based on a reckless disregard for the norms of the international process as accepted by the majority of nations around the world. Surely this does not concern us in Ireland, cocooned as we are in the knowledge and protection of our neutrality. Our neutral stance has been spoken about a great deal since the Second World War. Leaders in the past have been credited for the stance they took in this regard.

Why the protests outside Leinster House yesterday and why the chants of "Blood on your hands"? As I was approaching the front gate I had to divert to the back because of the seriousness of the protest. The message being delivered and repeated over and over again by anti-war protestors was very emotive, not just here but in different parts of the world, including America.

Allied with the anti-war protest, "Blood on your hands," was a strongly delivered anti-Government message. I am pleased my constituency colleague, Senator Leyden, is none the worse for the debacle yesterday. The perception is that the Government is responsible for supporting and assisting the United States in its war against Iraq without a UN resolution. Where is the tie-in with our neutrality if that is the case?