People Before Profit Cllr Adrienne Wallace has blasted the local TDs that voted against a referendum on Irish Neutrality. Last week PBP introduced a bill to the Dáil to enshrine Ireland’s Military Neutrality into the constitution via a Referendum but it was voted down by government parties.
Carlow Cllr Adrienne Wallace said she believes if people were given the choice between investing in fighter jets and building social and affordable homes, the public would undoubtedly vote to remain as a neutral country.
Ms. Wallace said: “Obviously, this bill was put forward in a particular context and that’s a context of the political establishment in Ireland, very cynically, trying to use the context of Putin’s brutal, horrendous criminal invasion of Ukraine, to try to achieve what they already wanted to achieve.”
She claimed that Fine Gael has been trying to “undermine what semblances remain of neutrality” long before the war in Ukraine. She hit out at senior figures in the Government for their “extremely concerning” comments around the need to review Ireland’s stance as a neutral nation and at local Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Green TDs for their “shocking attack on democracy on such an important issue”.
Cllr Wallace added “How could Ireland continue to be a safe haven to the refugees arriving here? At a time when there are threats of nuclear missiles we need to focus on de-escalation and fighting for peace. Irish neutrality means that we cannot join a military alliance. This can coincide with an active foreign policy that promotes human rights and denounces big state bullying. As Catherine Connolly TD has pointed out, it can have a positive aspect in pushing Ireland to the fore in promoting peace and diplomacy.”
