Triple Lock removal plan is 'to get slice of EU military spending' - claim

Patricia Foley, who chaired the meeting, with Fionn Wallace and Niamh Ní Bhriain. 

A desire to get a slice of a multi-billion-euro EU military spending fund is behind the Irish Government's attempt to make it easier for Irish troops to be deployed in overseas conflicts, by eliminating the UN mandate requirement in the so-called Triple Lock, writes Brian Byrne. That was an underlying proposition in last evening's presentation by the Neutrality Roadshow in Kilcullen Town Hall.

The two speakers at the event, which went on for more than two hours before an audience of around 30, also claimed the government move is so that they'll 'look good' amongst their European counterparts. Making the argument were Niamh Ní Bhriain, the coordinator of the Transnational Institute’s War and Pacification programme, and Fionn Wallace, a researcher and political writer and son of former MEP Mick Wallace.

It was the 16th presentation of the Neutrality Roadshow, led by what was described by meeting chair Patricia Foley as a ‘grassroots' Save The Triple Lock grouping of a number of organisations. It was the only one in Kildare in a 14-county programme.

Niamh Ní Bhriain outlined the background to the provision of the Triple Lock arrangement to safeguard Irish neutrality during the 2002 Nice and 2009 Lisbon Treaty referendums. She said that abandoning the arrangement at a time when Europe is becoming more militaristic and 'barrelling down the road towards war' would be bringing Ireland in an increasingly dangerous direction. She noted that the country's neutrality is not protected by the Irish Constitution, and that the status has been under "consistent attack from successive governments and the Irish media." 

Fionn Wallace described what he claimed is a 'neo-colonial' attitude in Brussels towards sub-Saharan African countries and their resources, the EU's military policy, and the long-planned European army. He spoke of a 'relentless attack' on Ireland's Triple Lock and a campaign in the Irish media promoting 'fear and threat inflation', and noted increased arms industry lobbying in Ireland at a time when spending on fighter jets, anti-tank missiles, and other military equipment is being proposed. He criticised Ireland's leaders for "caring less about what their constituents think ... and more about what the European Union and the EU arms industry thinks."

Both speakers commented on Ireland's participation with NATO's International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan from 2002-20016 and the European Union Training Mission in Mali since 2013, and about overflights in Irish airspace from the US of arms shipments, and stopovers at Shannon of US troop-carrying flights. Commentary about the threat from Russia to the communications links off the Irish coast, and on possible UN vetoes of peacekeeping missions was dismissed as distraction and paranoia. 

A question-and-answer session brought up questions about the general understanding amongst Irish people of the Triple Lock in relation to neutrality, criticism of Irish defence forces recruitment activities in school and GAA environments, the possibility of conscription, and getting local authority councillors backing on the neutrality issue. 

There was no representation at the event from government and the tone of the meeting from both the presentation and the audience participation was completely in one direction.

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