Ireland shamefully neglects to defend itself

Re the article “Ministers to be quizzed on UK ‘airspace deal’” (Irish Examiner, February 13),

Fianna Fáil spokesman on defence, Sean O’Fearghail, said he was “concerned that Irish neutrality was being compromised”. I would hope that Mr O’Fearghail is aware that Ireland is not now, nor has it ever been, neutral.

During World War 2, Ireland had a policy of neutrality, but since then it has had a policy of non-belligerency. As a nation, we shamefully use the blanket of neutrality as an excuse to avoid defence spending, while not being able to adequately protect our territory, land, air and sea.