Sir, – Much justified anger has been expressed over the Budget but what is more frightening is that many people are failing to see the big picture.
It is admitted that we have lost our economic independence and as if proof was needed we now have to submit our budget proposals to Brussels before we are allowed to announce them. Talk about a bloodless coup. The greatest betrayal, mainly ignored by the Irish media, is what has been done to the Defence Forces (Budget 2012 supplement, December 7th). This was done without reference to the chief-of-staff.
Despite agreements made not to let the strength drop below a minuscule 9,600, it has been announced that the Government now intends to drop the strength from three brigades to two brigades, a 30 per cent cut in operational troops! This decision comes on top of the decision to close more barracks. When you relocate troops, the cost in terms of travel, disturbance, damage to the local economy (especially in an environment where the prospect of realising a profit on the sale of barracks is nil), to morale and tradition, amounts to crass stupidity on par with closing most of the Border barracks.
Democratic states do not exist without the guarantee provided by their military. If you do not have a credible and loyal military other countries will not invest. The military, as proven in Ireland by the Irish Army in every decade since the foundation of the State, is the guarantee that enables democracy and prevents anarchy. When you remove the military or emasculate it and render it ineffective, you remove the this guarantee.
What happens now if there is an escalation of terrorism? What happens if the Muslim terrorist threat increases here? What will happen when there are more gorse fires, natural disasters, floods, strikes, civil unrest? What now happens if the Garda Síochána says enough is enough and has a “blue flu”? Is this the final surrender of Ireland? Will EU troops come in to restore order and security when law and order collapse?
Any semblance of sovereignty and the means to defend it have now been surrendered. All this on the 90th anniversary of the treaty that gave us our independence! What shame! What betrayal! I am not surprised at the bean counters in the Departments of Finance and Defence whose vision is limited to balancing books and whatever other agendas they have. I am surprised that people who value independence and democracy would allow this to happen. What a short–lived independence! – Is mise,