Military Neutrality
Dail Éireann — 2026-06-09
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Paul Murphy (PBP), Dublin South-West

The idea that there has been any real public consultation here is a joke. Micheál Martin said we were going to have a citizens' assembly on neutrality. That was scrapped and replaced with a consultative forum packed with warmongers, NATO heads and academics with links to the military industrial complex. That was the Government's public consultation. What a joke. Allow the people to decide. Give the people a referendum. If the Government is so confident in its arguments, let us have it out and allow the people to decide.
I will quote the Minister of State, Deputy Robert Troy. He said:
Ireland's position on the use of force where there is no UN mandate or authorisation is well established and known. For fear that anyone is in any doubt, let me be clear: it is wrong and it is illegal.
Does the Minister of State agree with Deputy Troy or does he not? All the triple lock does is ensure that any mission we go on has a UN mandate or authorisation. That is the whole point of it.
Why did Operation Irini not get extended by the UN? It is because it is no longer just about Libya. Let us be honest; it is about Russia. It is about chasing the Russian shadow fleet.
Why on earth should Irish troops be chasing the Russian shadow fleet in the Mediterranean? That would be a breach of neutrality. It is perfectly correct that we are not going to be participating in that.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-06-09/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-14T01:01:05+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-06-09