Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

It damaged itself, but it was pushed for by its colleagues in government. LNG is a danger that should not in any way be allowed. It will comprise an act of great self-sabotage for everyone who wants to work in the environmental movement. Many people across a broad spectrum want to ensure we get on track for climate change. LNG is a huge hostage to fortune and needs to be absolutely knocked on the head. It is still drifting around in a strategic-infrastructure, half-way-in-there argument. It needs to be explicitly excluded.

Amendment No. 77, on which my colleague has spoken, is necessary because there has been dangerous ambiguity over Ireland’s neutrality. If I start talking about neutrality, it will take too long in the debate. There are many things I would say. However, the amendment makes the crucial, simple point that, for the avoidance of doubt, section 21(3)(b) shall not include any infrastructure related to the production, manufacture or sale of weapons, munitions or other military equipment.

Regarding national infrastructure priorities related to strategic development, we must be absolutely clear that there will be no military production in this area. We have noted the very disappointing situation concerning the ammunition support Act and the Government’s position on it, even though the cluster munitions Act explicitly prohibits the State from investing in munitions. We need to be crystal clear on this. I have gone on about how Ireland was able to negotiate a global ban on cluster munitions, so I am not going to go into detail. The power of a neutral country is not about not doing things but about being able to do things credibly because it applies the same principles to everyone. Rather than being part of military alliances and friends’ clubs, it actually applies international law to everybody. Ireland was able to do that really credibly. I was in Croke Park when the weapons were banned. How many lives and limbs have been saved by the global ban on cluster munitions? It was negotiated because Ireland did not have the intensively lobbying arms industry that many other countries had.

I worry that there are those who look at all the money being spent on arms globally right now who want a piece of that pie and they want Ireland to be in on it. The cost in terms of what we can credibly do internationally and the contribution we can or cannot make to peace internationally is potentially immense. That is my final amendment in respect of the section.