Paul Murphy urges referendum to defend Irish neutrality

The media reports that the government is opposing this bill on the basis that it's unnecessary. People may ask, what does that mean? Why is it unnecessary? I presume many people will assume that it's unnecessary because maybe they think that neutrality is already enshrined in the constitution, which it isn't, or maybe they think that the government is saying it's unnecessary because don't worry, there's no threat to neutrality from this government. But the evidence is very clearly to the contrary. I mean, the Taoiseach's own words, the Taoiseach who leads this government, his own words just two or three weeks ago, very explicitly, neutrality is a policy issue that can change at any time. The refusal, and I'm going to ask again today, but the refusal last week of Pascal Donoghue and the leader's question is to even give a commitment to have a referendum before Ireland would sign up for the European reaction force, rapid reaction force, which the minister opposite appears to want to participate in. Mr Deputy, we can do it today. We have opposed them for years. You have participated in this process of European militarisation. The majority of people in this country defend neutrality. Exactly. So we won't get a referendum. Thank you for the confirmation. Thank you for the confirmation. Before the government decides to send working class young people from this country abroad to serve in a European military operation. Do we get a commitment from the government to, before they would abandon even the triple lock, which acts as a certain restriction on their ability to again send working class people to fight elsewhere in the world, which is even in the programme for government, but which the minister opposite has floated the idea of the need to be rid of it. Will we get a referendum before that is ditched? The truth is, the government and their outriders in terms of commentators who are also engaged in a propaganda war against what is left of neutrality, independence from military alliance. The truth is, and the truth is, and the truth is left and the truth is left of neutrality in the united states with also political freedom, and the truth is and the truth is, the truth is the truth is that the government and the government and their are outriders in terms of commentators who are also engaged in a propaganda war against what is left of neutrality, independence from military alliances. in terms of commentators who are also engaged in a propaganda war against this what is left of neutrality independence from military alliances and the truth is it's presented as if this is a new thing this is necessary mature response to the horrendous brutal criminal invasion by putin of ukraine whereas the reality is this isn't a new position it's not a new position from us to say that ireland should not participate in military alliances to say and to propose in law that we shouldn't be using shannon airport to transport over two and a half million us troops to the middle east but it's also not a new position from the political establishment to try to erode neutrality fene gael back in 2003 proposed in a policy document to move quote beyond neutrality supporting participation in a common eu defense policy abandoning the so-called triple lock and describing the triple lock mechanism then as a political uh straight jacket and john bruton at the time said you cannot create a political union and then say you're not prepared to defend it if that is logical the Taoiseach should now start preparing irish public opinion uh for that uh taunas de varadkar has regularly paraphrased this europe worth defending line so let's not kid ourselves that this latest push to fully undermine and get rid of this political straight jacket to undermine neutrality is a mere pragmatic response to the war in ukraine instead it is shock doctrine in action of using a real crisis horrendous invasion horrendous humanitarian catastrophes to try and drive a pre-existing ideological agenda from fianna fall and in particular from fene gael now let's just reach its most extreme you feeling confident to almost totally do away with it raising the idea of joining with uh nato and there is an important point here which is that nato is being rebranded as some sort of peace force as if they were simply the neutral teacher on the playground stopping the bullies tell that to the ordinary people of afghanistan who had their country invaded and are occupied by nato for years who gave nato or the us the right to consider themselves the world police the people of iraq over a million of whom died on the hands of the us invasion must be left wondering if their suffering at the hands of nato members has been completely forgotten when we say neutrality we don't mean neutral uh not being on the side of the oppressed against the oppressor everywhere we say we should take the side of the oppressed against the oppressor but what we what we mean is and what's outlined in our bill is that ireland should stand up against invasion war and imperialism especially given our own history of colonial oppression we should be a voice for justice and for the rights of nations to self-determination and to do that with any credibility we must not join any of the imperialist clubs the us-led nato or the russia-led csto we propose that people be given a choice you want to do away with neutrality fully any semblance left of us behind the backs of the people you've cut away at it again and again and again you know making a joke of us in terms of the use of shannon airport but we're saying let's let's have the debate let's have the debate out publicly allow people to decide and give them a chance to vote to block the government from joining nato or any other imperialist alliance as well as blocking participation in a european process of militarization i finally make the point to the green party and there's no green party tds here but amin ryan green party leader has voted for us to enshrine neutrality in the constitution on three previous occasions 2003 2016 2018 it's very clearly in the green party manifesto the question of neutrality what are they going to do are they going to stick to their actual principles our supposed principles are going to stick to what was decided by their membership in terms of what is their election manifesto they're going to stick to the promises that were made to the electorate or will they like on so many other issues fold under the pressure of fianna fall and fianna gael and fold to the drums of militarization the complete abandonment of neutrality and there's lots of quotes i could give from eamon ryan but i don't have time which would be very appropriate here and which would indicate he should be on this side of the debate rather than backing up the militarization agenda