IRELAND should abandon neutrality and play its part in European Union security and defence and help design its future development, Fine Gael TD Billy Timmins told the Fine Gael Ardfheis.
“For many years Ireland has wrapped itself in the comfort blanket of neutrality. It became a byword for ambiguity in our international relations policy,” Mr Timmins said. Declaring that it is now “time to seriously revisit the issue”, he said. “Ireland has never, in any event, been neutral in internationally-recognised terms, since Irish attitudes were identified by opposition to Britain.
“Fine Gael believes that Ireland can no longer operate in this political twilight zone and we must engage as willing participants in a European common defence,” he said.
Dublin MEP Gay Mitchell, who has long favoured change, said Ireland would be able to set its own terms for membership and to be able to influence future changes in the years ahead.
Chairing the opening debate on international affairs, Senator Paschal Donohoe said Ireland needs the European Union “more than ever, but the EU needs Ireland more than ever too”.
During the debate, delegates accepted motions urging Ireland to remain members of the European Defence Agency, and called on the Government not to leave the organisation in an effort to harness support for a second Lisbon Treaty referendum. Future EU treaties should be put first to the Supreme Court prior to their enactment to “offer reassurance to voters” that the treaties are in line with constitutional rights.
Dublin South East TD Lucinda Creighton urged delegates to consider the situation that Ireland would be facing in the current economic crisis if the country was not a member of the Euro single currency.
“The Irish situation would undoubtedly be much worse. You don’t have to be a senior economist to realise just how much more our economy would have suffered in recent months were it not for the cover provided by being part of a major and influential economic bloc. You can just look at Iceland to see the importance of the European Union and the euro.”
Urging support for a Lisbon Yes vote, Fine Gael Dublin city councillor Naoise Ó Muirí said many No campaigners want Ireland to quit the EU.
“The crazy gang have had their day,” he said.
Kerry North TD and Fine Gael spokesman on defence Jimmy Deenihan said the Government’s decision to freeze recruitment and promotions in the Defence Forces, “if not managed correctly, could cripple” the military.
“Retired staff have to be replaced, or else units cannot function. New staff in training cannot remain there in limbo. They have to graduate, but they can only move on if those further up the chain of command are being promoted. In most bureaucracies, not filling certain posts may work. In the Defence Forces, if you don’t fill various posts you could endanger lives,” Mr Deenihan said.
The Defence Forces have accepted “all the cutbacks required of them in the past without complaint” and cut numbers, closed barracks, reinvested the proceeds of land sales into equipment purchases.