Sligo Councillor wants to enshrine Irish neutrality into Constitution
The Sligo Champion“Our neutrality is not a weakness; it is one of our greatest assets” said Cllr Declan Bree in relation to a notice of motion passed at the March meeting of Sligo County Council which called for a referendum to be held in order for the nation’s neutrality to be enshrined into constitution.
Speaking on behalf of his motion, Cllr Declan Bree hit out at the President of the United States of America Donal Trump and referenced the words of President Catherine Connolly who said money spent on war is at the cost of making the world less safe.
“Donald Trump, the unhinged mouthpiece for the US oligarchy, is not only a narcissistic bully and unashamed racist but he is also a war monger. In addition to funding the campaign of genocide against the people of Gaza his brazen bid to seize territory from an E.U. member state certainly dispelled the illusion that he is in any way interested in peace. His ongoing criminal behaviour puts the whole world at risk and makes us all unsafe.”
“Trump’s attempted regime-change assault on numerous nation states have alarmingly intensified the war agenda. And it has to be pointed out that the complicity of many Western countries in the genocide in Gaza has normalised military aggression against any state which is perceived to be against American interests.
“Western states appear to have only one response to this war-ridden world: a further ramping up of spending on arms and militarisation – which inevitably means more wars.
“A number of months back our now President Catherine Connolly said there has to be a stop to war. She said she was particularly worried about the military industrial complex that is building up in Europe saying it was not the way to bring peace. And she highlighted the fact that the billions spent on armaments is at the cost of increasing poverty and the cost of making the world much less safe.
“Today we stand at a crossroads where the rule of force threatens to once again overshadow the rule of law. Supporting the United Nations and international law is not merely about defending a set of rules; it is about defending civilisation itself.
“Irish people are extremely proud of our long-standing neutrality and our role as UN peacekeepers. All of us acknowledge the bravery and courage of Irish peacekeepers who have participated in UN peace keeping missions over the decades, and in particular we acknowledge those currently serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.
“A number of years back in a Dail debate the Taoiseach Micheál Martin described the Triple Lock as being ‘at the core of our neutrality’.
“In its election manifesto five years ago, Fianna Fáil pledged to ‘fully maintain neutrality and the Triple Lock’ stating that ‘Ireland has correctly conferred primacy to the UN since joining in 1955’.
“Elements in Fine Gael have never been comfortable with our neutrality and have wanted to end the Triple Lock for many years. However it now appears that the leadership of Fianna Fail is willing to abandon Irish neutrality.
“Ireland’s strength has never come from military power. It has come from moral authority, principled diplomacy, and a long‑standing commitment to peace. Our neutrality is not a weakness; it is one of our greatest assets. It allows us to speak honestly on the world stage, to mediate conflicts, to protect our citizens, and to avoid being pulled into wars we did not choose.
“There are no good arguments for abandoning neutrality and dismantling the Triple Lock. By undoing it, Ireland will significantly weaken its commitment to the UN system, UN peace-keeping and to multilateralism. This at a time when the UN faces an unprecedented challenge from Trump, Netanyahu and those who have no respect for international law.
“Ireland is a small island nation. Our contribution at a neutral state on the global stage has been immense, punching far above our weight to promote peace and reject war.
“Considering that a recent opinion poll showed that 71% of Ireland’s population want a guarantee of Ireland’s neutrality inserted into our Constitution I believe it is time for the government to hold a constitutional referendum to enshrine neutrality in the Constitution.
The motion was supported by Cllr Gino O'Boyle who said, "Irish people have repeatedly shown they value neutrality, that is reflected in consistent opinion polling and made central in the Lisbon Treaty debate. If the Government truly respects neutrality, let’s copper fasten it, let’s put it to the people in a referendum.” Cllr O’Boyle added, “Neutrality belongs to the Irish people. If the Government believes in that, they should trust them and hold a referendum.”
The motion was also supported by Cllr Fergal Nealon who criticised mention of the triple lock by Cllr Bree. “I am very proud of Ireland’s neutrality and our records. Bringing the triple-lock into it, you can't equate the two of them together. We’re rightly proud of the role members of the defence forces have played peace keeping missions across the world.
"Their record going back to 1958 has remained unbroken ever since but the world is a different place from post World War II when the Security Council was initially set-up. The world has changed dramatically. Under the current triple lock system countries like Russia, China and the United States can veto Ireland’s participation in missions via their role as permanent members of the UN's Security Council. Our own Government, and we are rightly proud of our neutality, we can make up our own minds. I don’t like the idea of us answering to Moscow or indeed Washington or Beijing.
"No new mandate has been approved by the security council since 2014 and that’s despite what we see in Ukraine, Syria, Gaza and Afghanistan. We are a small, proudly neutral country, being held hostage by theses vetos. I believe instead of a triple lock we should have a double lock so Government and Dáil approval, Irish democratic control, and remove the dependency on the security council where Putin, China and Trump can have a say in where we send our troops, I think that’s wrong. I agree with the motion but please don't bring the triple lock into it, it has nothing to do with it.”
Cllr Michael Clarke also offered his support for the motion saying, “The general public don’t know if we are neutral or not. It’s something that needs clarification, A referendum and public debate would help.”
Cllr Ann Higgins also gave her backing to the motion saying, “I 100% support this motion. Because of global instability it's more important than ever Irish people have a voice to say if they want to maintain neutrality.”
Article Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.