Neutrality and Triple Lock: Motion [Private Members]
Dail Éireann — 2026-09-16
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Richard Boyd Barrett (PBP), Dún Laoghaire

This whole debate, to my mind, turns on what you say neutrality is. Irish neutrality is not about being indifferent. It is not about not taking sides. It is about never standing with empires and always standing with the oppressed and those who resist empires. This tradition goes back to Wolfe Tone, the first person to enunciate the idea of Irish neutrality, and to James Connolly, Constance Markievicz and Pearse who set up the Irish Neutrality League in 1914 at the outbreak of the First World War to oppose both sides in that war and to say, "Neither king nor kaiser." Who do I trust with that tradition of neutrality? That is the real tradition, and that is the tradition that people in this country support. I trust Aaron Rowe and Beoga, the Irish artists and musicians who in a selfless, brave and courageous act decided to drop out of Ed Sheeran's US tour in solidarity with the people of Palestine. It is worth noting the words Aaron Rowe used to explain his decision. He said he was doing it to honour this country's tradition of opposition to colonisation, oppression, genocide, enforced famine and occupation. Now that is a real understanding of what Irish neutrality means. It is about opposition to empires, oppression and colonisation and standing with those who oppose it. Now, do I trust the Irish Government in that regard, with what it says is its commitment to Irish neutrality? No, I do not.
The most recent evidence is the visit of Donald Trump to this country. Donald Trump, in a speech in the US Embassy that nobody seems to have focused on, waxed lyrical about the use of American weapons systems and arms in Venezuela, an illegal attack on a sovereign nation. He was absolutely explicit; it was disgusting. He boasted about the use of American weapons to illegally attack that country and then talked about all the oil. He said the US was getting along great with the people and Venezuela was so happy now; the big oil companies are moving in and starting to drill. He was absolutely explicit, saying that the US uses its weapons to attack countries and take their oil, but the Government invited him into this country, rolled out the red carpet for him and treated him as if he was not an imperial monster, although the Government is happy to say that about Putin, who is an imperial monster.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-09-16/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-28T05:50:48+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-09-16