Government must restore Irish sovereignty by removing triple lock on peacekeepers, says health minister

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill highlighted how no peacekeeping missions have been sanctioned since 2014

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said Ireland took away its own sovereignty by introducing the triple lock mechanism in 2001, as she delivered the annual Michael Collins oration at Béal na Bláth in Cork. Copyright: 1IMAGE Photography/Bryan Brophy/1Image

The Government “must” remove the triple lock as part of a bid to restore sovereign decision making, the health minister has said.

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said Ireland took away its own sovereignty by introducing the triple lock mechanism in 2001, as she delivered the annual Michael Collins oration at Béal na Bláth in Cork.

“We, somehow in 2001, decided to hand the decision-making about where we send our sovereign troops to an international body, to the UN Security Council, a body that includes both the forces ejected by Michael Collins himself and that includes countries shown to be nefarious imperialist forces,” Ms Carroll MacNeill said.

“We have taken away our own sovereignty — as though we are incapable of deciding where our peacekeepers should be. How can this be?”

Ms Carroll MacNeill highlighted how no peacekeeping missions have been sanctioned since 2014, while saying Ireland’s foreign policy is “open, entirely committed to the rule of law, entirely humanitarian, supportive of the developing global south, leaders in international aid”.

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“We absolutely condemn the utterly illegal and genocidal actions of Russia and Israel, and yet we handed our sovereign decision-making to some of them because we cannot trust ourselves? This is not the thing of a sovereign people,” Ms Carroll MacNeill said.

We cannot be held by others. We must remove the triple lock and take charge of our own affairs and be held to account for our own decisions. The essence of constitutional democracy.

During her oration, Ms Carroll MacNeill highlighted two “foundation stones” to further develop the Irish state into the years ahead — energy security and enduring sovereign wealth.

Ms Carroll MacNeill said amid geopolitical movements in recent years, energy security is now an “absolute imperative”.

“Collins spoke of accessing and maximising the natural resources of the State — our lakes, rivers, fish, minerals, and coal. But he could not have foreseen that we would one day generate energy from wind — clean, beautiful, and abundant,” Ms Carroll MacNeill said.

“We must demand that Ireland become self-sufficient through the clean exploitation of our natural resources.”

In particular, Ms Carroll MacNeill urged individuals who object to the development of solar and wind projects not to do so.

This is not a short-term issue. Energy security is integral to our sovereignty. And fortunately, we are a small island in the North Atlantic, and so we can build it and build it well.

Ms Carroll MacNeill also raised the issue of disinformation in her oration, saying powers are now in place for it to be amplified instantly, globally and anonymously.

“What’s more troubling is the influence of foreign actors who deliberately agitate against democratic institutions, against science, and against the very idea of democratic governance,” she said.

“This is not just noise. It’s a threat to the functioning of democracy.”

The Dun Laoghaire TD highlighted the decision of former Chief Medical Officer, Dr Tony Holohan, to opt out of the presidential election over concerns about the possible impact on his family.