Independent Ireland supports Deputy Stanley's motion. Some people in politics today are trying to paint neutrality as old-fashioned, outdated or somehow weak. The people of Ireland do not see it that way at all. The people understand neutrality because it is about independence. It is about Ireland making its own decisions, not taking orders from Brussels or NATO and not being dragged into conflicts that are not ours. For generations, neutrality has served this country well. We are a small nation, but we have earned respect across the world because Irish soldiers went abroad as peacekeepers, not as occupiers. Irish troops have worn the blue helmet of the UN with honour. Families across Ireland are proud of that service. Now the Government wants to tamper with the triple lock. It can dress it up whatever way it likes, but ordinary people see through it. The triple lock is there to stop the Government of the day sending Irish troops overseas without proper checks and balances. It requires the approval of the United Nations, the Government and the Dáil. This is not some inconvenience; it is democracy. Let us not rewrite history either. When the people rejected the Nice treaty, and later the Lisbon treaty, neutrality was one of the biggest concerns raised. The Government of the day came back to the people with solemn guarantees that neutrality and the triple lock would be respected. Now years later, the Government wants to quietly row back on those commitments again, without ever asking the people. That is wrong. If the Government truly believes the Irish people wants to abandon neutrality, it should have the courage to put the removal of the triple lock to a referendum. Let the Irish people decide our future, not the rest of the world. Independent Ireland strongly believes we can support and strengthen our Defence Forces while remaining proudly neutral. Those two things are not contradictory. Our Naval Service needs ships, our airspace needs protection, our soldiers deserve proper pay and conditions and our Defence Forces need investment after years of neglect, but strengthening our Defence Forces' capability is a very different thing from dragging Ireland closer and closer to European military structures. People in Ireland understand this clearly. They do not want Irish neutrality chipped away bit by bit while politicians in Dublin pretend nothing is changing. Neutrality is not a weakness. It has kept Ireland independent and allowed Ireland to speak with credibility on the world stage and to act as peacekeepers and humanitarians. Once this independence is surrendered, it will not be easy to get it back. Independent Ireland stands firmly with the Irish people on this issue. We should protect the triple lock and neutrality and, above all else, trust the people enough to let them have their say.

Sentiment score: 0.19