Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I wish Jeremy well as he moves on. Onwards and upwards. George has a tough act to follow. We will be watching and we will appraise him at the end of the year and let him know how he is doing.

Last week, my colleague Senator Ahearn spoke about debates and discussions on whether Ireland is neutral or what its position is. We have an obligation in this House and the other House to speak factually about what exactly Ireland is. Ireland is not neutral and never was. Ireland's triple lock has absolutely nothing to do with neutrality and we need to get away from this nonsense. People are screaming for plebiscites, referendums and all sorts of things. We cannot have a plebiscite at this time because there is so much misinformation out there. I invite people in this House and the other House to inform themselves such that when they speak on neutrality and Ireland's position in the world, which is militarily non-aligned, they can explain it. We are very fortunate that the Government has recently strengthened the relationship with our nearest neighbour, because we need our nearest neighbour. We are totally defenceless at this point in time as we try to rebuild our Defence Forces. Will those shouting about neutrality and all this nonsense scupper that? They say nobody would dare want to attack Ireland and ask why they would. Look at the HSE debacle and tell me nobody wants to attack Ireland. Look at the 56,000 attacks on Irish websites after Ireland declared its recognition of Palestine.

Regarding protests, I respect the right of everybody to protest but to block the Houses of Parliament is totally unacceptable. It would not be accepted in any democracy anywhere in the world. I will leave it at that today.