Alex White (Labour)

There is a risk that inserting the phrase, "To this end the State shall, in particular, maintain a policy of non-membership of military alliances", into the Constitution may have an opposite effect. It would come after the phrase "any such exercise shall be subject to the prior approval of both Houses of the Oireachtas". It could give rise to the question whether we already have such a policy of non-membership of military alliances. If we were to put it into the Constitution, we would have to explain to the people that there was a doubt whether the Constitution would allow this to happen by reason of some other constitutional provision or the treaty.

In fact, the safeguards in the treaty negotiated by the Government to copperfasten and protect our neutrality have been carefully calibrated to achieve precisely the outcome which, in good faith, Senator Pearse Doherty wishes to achieve. However, he lacks confidence that the Lisbon treaty will not take us somewhere else with this provision. I do not support his amendment because it could have the opposite effect and raise doubts where no doubts exists.