Government neutrality claim is totally cynical invention
After Nice’s defeat, when it was clear that many Irish voters were concerned about Ireland’s participation in the NATO-linked EU Rapid Reaction Force (RRF) and its impact on neutrality, the Government realised it had to address these concerns if it hoped to pass Nice second time round.
It then set out to devise a form of constitutional ‘guarantee’ which would give the appearance of protecting neutrality while, in effect, leaving the Government free to pursue exactly what it wanted to pursue in terms of EU military developments while disregarding Ireland’s neutrality.
The Government’s Nice amendment allows for a referendum in this country if the European Council decides to form an EU common defence under Article 1.2 of the Nice Treaty. It does not place neutrality into the ConstitutionSuccessive governments have whittled down the meaning of neutrality to mean solely non-membership of a military alliance with a mutual defence pact (a ‘common defence’).
But even under the Government’s minimalist definition of neutrality, its proposed amendment is a failure. Under its terms, Ireland could join the NATO nuclear alliance in the morning; it’s only an EU common defence which requires a referendum. And how relevant is the Government’s narrow neutrality to the real world of rapid reaction forces? What would become of the Government’s stipulations on common defence if Ireland were participating in an EU military enforcement operation with the RRF and that force came under attack? Would we go home, saying we weren’t allowed to partake in common defence, but only in common offence?
This amendment doesn’t stop Ireland participating in the RRF, doesn’t stop Ireland facilitating foreign warplanes through Shannon, and doesn’t stipulate that Irish forces can only serve abroad with a UN mandate.
If the Government were truly serious about allaying Irish concerns it would have negotiated a protocol to the Nice Treaty giving Ireland an opt-out from the military and defence activities of the EU. It would have then proposed a constitutional amendment to Article 29 of the Constitution, which already affirms Ireland’s “devotion to the ideal of peace and friendly co-operation amongst nations founded on international justice and morality”, the peaceful settlement of disputes, and the principles of international law. The added wording would refer to our neutrality and state that our defence forces could only serve abroad withforces established by the UN.
Carol Fox,
26, Rosmeen Park,
Dun Laoghaire,
Co Dublin.
