Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael trying 'to erode our neutrality', says Richard Boyd Barrett
Richard Boyd Barrett said the two parties intend to remove the triple lock so that they are free to send large numbers of Irish troops to fight in wars with the US or EU.
Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael want to drag Ireland into the "military escalation of geopolitical conflict" that is currently underway, Richard Boyd Barrett has claimed.
The People Before Profit leader said there is a stand-off between the public's deep commitment to the tradition of neutrality and Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael's "drive to erode our neutrality".
Mr Boyd Barrett said the two parties intend to remove the triple lock so that they are free to send large numbers of Irish troops to fight in wars with the US or EU.
It is an egregious breach of Ireland's neutrality to continue to allow the US military to use Shannon Airport and to allow flights carrying weapons to Israel to travel through Irish airspace, Mr Boyd Barrett said.
Involving Ireland in Pesco and Partnership for Peace, which he says aligns Ireland with NATO, is an "ongoing dismantling by stealth" of our neutrality.
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Spending money on weapons and militarisation "as NATO and Pesco are driving us to do is going to be at the expense of ordinary, working-class people and addressing the cost-of-living crisis and investment in public services that we desperately need," the Dublin TD said.
As geopolitical tensions between NATO, Russia and China give rise to the prospect of military escalation or even nuclear conflict, Ireland must play to its strength as a country that has enormous respect internationally and use its voice on the world stage to call for the peaceful resolution of conflict, Mr Boyd Barrett said.
A spokesperson for Fianna Fáil dismissed the People Before Profit TD's claims saying various left-wing voices have been announcing the end of neutrality for over 50 years.
"We are not and are not seeking to be members of NATO. However, a big difference between us and the far left is that we do believe that we have to defend our vital national interests, such as the ocean cables which so much of our economy relies upon," they said.
"We will invest in developing our Defence Forces and do so in the spirit of neutrality which we established in the first place."
Mr Boyd Barrett said his party has real respect for those members of the Defence Forces who do peacekeeping and humanitarian work but money that is invested should go towards increasing their pay. He said huge numbers are "living in or close to" poverty.
He said that while he opposes military expenditure on offensive measures, the party would be in favour of the government buying an aircraft that would be involved in humanitarian actions such as delivering aid or evacuating people from conflict zones.
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