Lynn Boylan: Defending the Triple Lock and Irish Neutrality
Lynn Boylan argues for the protection of the triple lock as essential to preserving Irish neutrality and critiques European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for acting beyond her mandate. She outlines Sinn Féin's campaign plans and urges public engagement, including regional meetings and demonstrations on 18 April.
Lynn Boylan sets out why the triple lock provides a firewall for Ireland within an EU she describes as increasingly militaristic. She warns that recent actions by the European Commission under Ursula von der Leyen, including use of the SAFE regulation, risk shifting the EU away from its founding peace project.
Boylan points to court proceedings against the Commission president for acting outside treaty powers and highlights the SAFE regulation, a 150 billion euro instrument discussed in the speech, as an example of the Commission bypassing institutions. The speech frames these developments as a threat to Ireland's treaty-based protections and neutrality commitments.
Sinn Féin will launch a neutrality campaign with regional meetings, beginning in Eastwall at the Sean O'Casey Centre, and will take part in demonstrations on 18 April. Boylan calls on the public to support neutrality and to insist that any government case be put to the people.
The address challenges assumptions about EU and NATO convergence and urges a return to diplomacy and peace-building rather than militarisation. Boylan frames the triple lock as the practical tool that allows Ireland to defend its sovereign stance at European Council meetings.
What she said and why it matters
Lynn Boylan sets out why the triple lock provides a firewall for Ireland within an EU she describes as increasingly militaristic. She warns that recent actions by the European Commission under Ursula von der Leyen, including use of the SAFE regulation, risk shifting the EU away from its founding peace project.
Legal and political context
Boylan points to court proceedings against the Commission president for acting outside treaty powers and highlights the SAFE regulation, a 150 billion euro instrument discussed in the speech, as an example of the Commission bypassing institutions. The speech frames these developments as a threat to Ireland's treaty-based protections and neutrality commitments.
Campaign and public action
Sinn Féin will launch a neutrality campaign with regional meetings, beginning in Eastwall at the Sean O'Casey Centre, and will take part in demonstrations on 18 April. Boylan calls on the public to support neutrality and to insist that any government case be put to the people.
Implications for EU policy
The address challenges assumptions about EU and NATO convergence and urges a return to diplomacy and peace-building rather than militarisation. Boylan frames the triple lock as the practical tool that allows Ireland to defend its sovereign stance at European Council meetings.
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Transcript
I'll be brief, but I suppose just to echo what my colleagues have said in terms of the triple lock and how important and intrinsic it is to our neutrality. In fact, it creates a firewall or an insulation for us in an EU that's becoming increasingly militaristic in its outlook, but also it's a commission that under President von der Leyen that has completely undermined what the founding principles of the EU was, which was a peace project. She has acted a number of times outside of her mandate and spoken on foreign affairs, whether that was to travel to Tel Aviv to stand shoulder to shoulder with Benjamin Netanyahu, or more recently, some of her comments on Iran. So the triple lock allows the Irish government to go into a European Council and remind the EU that the EU and NATO are not one and the same thing, that nothing is stopping EU countries from doing their militaristic agenda through NATO, but that the EU is at its core a peace project. That's what the Irish people have voted for repeatedly in treaties, and that that's where the triple lock gives us that protection when we're at those council meetings. I believe as well that in terms of Ursula von der Leyen's mandate, it's very significant that she has actually been taken to court herself by the European institutions for acting outside of the treaties. So at a time when we're seeing international law undermined, we have a president of the commission that doesn't respect her own treaties, and that is under the SAFE regulation, which is a €150 billion instrument to support member states investing in defence. But she has bypassed the institutions in order to do that and is currently facing court proceedings by her own institutions for her actions. So as I said, at this time, the triple lock provides the Irish government with the installation, with the firewall that it needs when it goes into those council meetings, and to show that leadership that is much needed at the moment in terms of setting out an alternative vision, and that's one of peace-building and diplomacy and not one of sabre-rattling. I also think that we are with the Irish people on this. The Irish people are incredibly proud of their sovereignty, and regardless of lots of commentary around neutrality, we see in repeated polls that the Irish people are deeply proud of the position of neutrality, and that is why Sinn Féin are happy to, one, launch its own campaign in neutrality with a range of regional meetings across the country. The first will be in Eastwall on Friday night in the Sean O'Casey Centre, but there's also going to be regional meetings in Galway, Meath, Waterford and Kildare, and then also Sinn Féin are part of that neutrality league, and we would be encouraging the members of the public to come out onto the streets on the 18th of April and show your support for neutrality, and demand that if the government are so convinced of their arguments, then they need to put that to the people.