5. SOVEREIGNTY If it's all about "taking back our sovereignty" (Brexit, anyone?), why does the government support abolishing unanimity in EU foreign policy decisions, effectively giving away Ireland's right to say "no," even when our neutrality is affected?

4. UNITED NATIONS Suddenly we must rush legislation because of vetoes. But they're not new. The P5 have had vetoes since the UN was founded. That's how the UN works. Is the government's problem actually with the United Nations? Is Ireland turning away from the UN?

3. NEUTRALITY Supposedly, scrapping the Triple Lock won't affect Irish neutrality. But if an overseas military deployment would have been vetoed in the UNSC - i.e. great powers disagree - how is it suitable for the deployment of the defence forces of a neutral country?

2. PEACEKEEPING Ministers keep saying it's about "removing vetoes" on Irish peacekeeping. But if an overseas military deployment has no UN mandate, how is it a "peacekeeping" mission? What kind of "peace" is kept in defiance of the UN Security Council or its permanent members?

1. VETOES Ministers keep speaking as if UNSC permanent members have a veto on Irish defence decisions. Is that true? Where and when do vetoes happen? What comes first, the UNSC decision to create a UN peacekeeping mandate, or the Irish government decision to join it?

If there are any journalists who'd like to take a break from just writing down what ministers say and relaying it to the public as "news," here are the top 5 points you could put to the government to provide *minimal scrutiny* of their plans to scrap the Triple Lock. 👇

"Would [Ukraine neutrality and ruling out NATO membership] have been better to do before the war started [...]? It certainly would have prevented the destruction and the loss of life." Biden's top Europe adviser, Amanda Sloat.

Couldn't make it up. The pro NATO propaganda being spun by various Irish media is blatantly manufactured. The "Russian-linked" ship that "damaged undersea cables". False. Investigated by Sweden and cleared. Funny that fact isn't reported at all.

Published three weeks ago - will keep posting here until there is another article supporting Irish neutrality published in a national paper. I wouldn't be able to count the number of articles published in that time stressing our 'defencelessness' & the inevitability of war.

"If I must die,  you must live  to tell my story  to sell my things  to buy a piece of cloth  and some strings,  (make it white with a long tail)  so that a child, somewhere in Gaza  while looking heaven in the eye  awaiting his dad who left in a blaze—  and bid no one farewell

From @trouw "Analysis sixty drone incidents in Europe: a lot of panic and little evidence" :

The Journal's @NiallJournal_ie is reporting (left pic) a so-called "drone swarm" at Brussels Airport. But an investigation already found the supposed "drones" were - as reported in @trouw (right pic, see link👇) - "a police helicopter and a landing DHL cargo plane." 🙂

Unilateral sanctions of the type imposed by the US and the EU: 👉🏼Are overwhelmingly illegal under international law; 👉🏼Have massively contributed to the breakdown of international law; 👉🏼Directly and indirectly kill approximately half a million people worldwide every year, with

Full solidarity with @FranceskAlbs - at absolute minimum the EU needs to activate a blocking statute NOW to protect her and others like her.

The article, in the Dutch daily @trouw, is the result of an investigation into 60 reported incidents of supposed "Russian drone sightings." As the author writes, the authorities found little evidence for any of it. Read it here (in Dutch): https://t.co/JdCwzL1wxC

The reality behind "Russian drone" hysteria across European establishments in recent months: 👉most are not even drones 👉no evidence of Russian involvement 👉no security threat In short, EU elites are trying to terrify the public with glorified UFO sightings.👇

Es war schön, mit @EiflerUlrike über die neue Übersetzung meines Buches (mit @wallacemick) „Der Fall Shannon“, die Neutralität in Irland und die Herausforderungen der Friedensbewegung in Europa zu sprechen. 👇👇

@EiflerUlrike im Interview mit @ClareDalyIRL über die Herausforderungen der Friedensbewegung, die Dynamik der europäischen Aufrüstung und die drohende Ausrottung der Menschheit. In: https://t.co/koJQVwanak

Link:

Essential from @rochowanski on the European "peace panic". Ireland would be uniquely placed, given its standing, its history and institutional experience, to advance this vision during its upcoming EU presidency, if our government wasn't determined to jettison all of that...