The Minister is relatively new in the role as the Minister for foreign affairs. I am really concerned about the route she is going down on a number of issues. This week is outlining the Minister' policy position in terms of the Department of foreign affairs. The Government is looking to dismantle the triple lock, totally against the wishes of people. That is the dismantling of our neutrality. Now, the Government is looking at completely and utterly hallowing out the occupied territories Bill by excluding services from that Bill. Again, it is going completely and utterly against the wishes of the people. There are other governments and states that do not have the people on their side when it comes to Palestine or when it comes to passing the likes of the occupied territories Bill and including services. However, the Government does. It has the people on its side in relation to this. The people have been extremely clear that they want services included. The Bill the Minister has brought forward today has been gutted. It has been stripped of its original intent and purpose. The Government has decided to hollow out this legislation and shy away from standing up to the Israeli Government and its genocidal violence. That is what the Minister is doing by bringing forward the legislation in this form. Excluding services blunts the impact of this legislation against the rogue Israeli State. We know where the money lies. It lies with services and to not include services in this Bill is simply outrageous. As other colleagues have said, the Government could do this. This has been done but the Government is choosing, politically, not to do it. The third issue I have with the Minister's policies in the Department of foreign affairs relates to the Security Action for Europe, SAFE, legislation. The Minister has been quoted in the media as saying that she would like to see Britain included in SAFE. Has she not read the report of the Oireachtas committee on finance on the SAFE legislation? Has she not seen the recommendations that came out of that report, which were completely opposed to the policy intent of the Minister?

Sentiment score: 0.08