Taoiseach hits out at 'corrosive anti-EU' sentiment among opposition TDs and MEPs

Martin says one-third of Ireland’s MEPs are reliable votes for attacking the EU and defending its opponents

An Taoiseach Micheál Martin has strongly defended Ireland’s place in Europe. File Picture: Gareth Chaney/ Collins Photos

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has slammed what he called “corrosive anti-EU” diatribes from Opposition TDs and MEPs who blamed the Union for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Speaking at a commemorative event to mark the dead leaders of the 1916 Rising, Mr Martin strongly defended Ireland’s place in Europe.

“As a country, we have to stop indulging the corrosive anti-EU sentiment of far too many in our politics,” he said.

One-third of Ireland’s MEPs are reliable votes for attacking the EU and defending its opponents.

“The recent shameful diatribes blaming the EU for Putin’s aggression are not new," Mr Martin said. 

"Look back on the record and you will see one party and a range of other self-described radicals attacking everything the EU does. 

"Sometimes they claim that they are just calling for reform, but the bottom line is that they have constantly misrepresented and distorted the European Union and attacked our partners,” he said.

With the exception of a handful of courageous journalists, they have not been held to account and have got away with their constant “what about” claims where Europe is to blame for everything, he said.

We do not belong to a military alliance, but we are not neutral in the face of this aggression.

“Anyone who indulges in talking about ‘both sides’ is failing the basic moral challenge of calling out clear evil,” he added.

In contrast, he said his party is a proudly pro-EU party. It was the final political act of our revolutionary founders to set our country on a European course.

He said Ukraine’s struggle is Ireland’s struggle.

“That is why we will continue to host people fleeing the conflict. We will continue to support their freely elected president and government. 

"We will never accept the idea that Russia has a right to control any part of Ukraine,” he said.

There can be no more frozen conflicts — where brute force imposes partitions on countries and is used to destabilize regions, he added.

For far too long we have ignored the real differences between parties on where they stand on Ireland’s place in the world, the Taoiseach said.

This year we mark 50 years of our membership of the European Union — a membership which has directly enabled prosperity and peace on this island, he added.

Mr Martin said every poll shows that this is understood by the Irish people and there is overwhelming support for the idea that Ireland should both be a member and be a positive member.

In terms of the influx of Ukrainian people fleeing the war, he said it is going to become extremely challenging as more than 20,000 people have come into the country very rapidly in a matter of weeks.

He said such an influx is unprecedented in terms of anything we have experienced before in relation to refugees fleeing a conflict zone and a war.

Asked about people living in large communal halls, he said the number of public pledges of help “are not as large as originally anticipated”. 

“We have to move fast in terms of going through all the pledges for example, not all of them have been processed or gone through and there's some opportunities there. They're not as large as originally anticipated,” he said.

Mr Martin also said Ireland’s stance on neutrality has to evolve and has begun to already.

He said it is very clear that cybersecurity is the major battleground for the future, where water systems, electricity systems, power systems could all come under threat.

“So we really have to work with others to counter threats of that kind. So the world has changed and therefore we have to change with that. Part of that we'll be working proactively in the European Union context to the security and defense policies as they evolve,” he said.