So run an extensive survey in a year or so time when things have calmed down but not now.
Why? We've seen the principle at hand in play recently - they don't want risk engaging NATO with a major player like Russia. What makes you think that we are different?
It’s a safe assumption within a very unlikely scenario
When Argentina defaulted on it's foreign loans, a very unpleasant activist invester by the name of Singer, bought piles of the debt for cents in the dollar then took Argentina to court in the US and had their assets frozen and eventiually made a packet by forcing an entire sovereign country to capitulate and pay him.
The same can happen with all the seized Russian assets and foreign reserves, a US court may well use those to pay Russian creditors and those whose company assets and marks are seized. If Ukraine survives, I would like to think they should get first dibs on the money to fund reconstruction but were talking the US here and they will look after their own first, I suspect. Not a great bunch of lads, unless they prove otherwise.
Do you seriously think that an 'unarmed police force' would deter an aggressive invading state. That's just laughable and would in those circumstances been seen as pure weakness by the invading force.
Apart from which Irishmen have fought in many international wars and if you go back in time, invaded and ruled parts of both present day Scotland and Wales.
Live press briefing from Ministry of Defence of Ukraine.
No issue with any of that, I’m just lamenting the lost art of respectful debate which I think plays a role in the divide on a micro and macro level on many many topics.
Do you think it’s not actually possible to think Putin is a tyrant, is wrong for this invasion, is engaging in brutally evil unjustifiable acts, to want him to be taken out and still ask questions on how Ukraine ended up here?
This. There is a lot of hysterical and emotional and reactive stuff flying around now. Understandably, but you don't make decisions like us joining NATO and throwing away our neutrality* that will come with long term effects and do so with a hot head.
*It used to mean more, as did our peacemaking efforts overseas. Less so these days and IMHO that's a bad thing.
Yeah the foreign reserve assets of Russia are very sellable (they aren't junk bonds or anything), I think many would like to see those funds used to fund the rebuilding of Ukraine.
Well the reality is they would have to protect us, because any occupying country would have the perfect staging post against both USA and UK/Europe
an unarmed police force is a signal of what Irish society values, I never said it would act as a deterrent to an invasion. That was your own assumption
The Russians are reported to have cut the power to Chernobyl again, so it seems clear they have intentions to cause a nuclear waste contamination problem for europe. How the west can sit back and not send in special forces to obliterate the Russians at those sites to prevent another Chernobyl catastrophe is beyond me.
I suspect they want it to start naturally because of the power cut causing the cooling problem to escalate and then help it along and blame it all on sabotage by Ukrainians.
Perhaps someone should warn that they know what Russia are up to and that it would be an attck on NATO countries and an act of war trigger.
Yes, neutrality means nothing when you can be swatted aside like a fly.
Our 'neutrality' of course is rooted in our love/hate relationship with the Brits. And that's what has changed over time.
Has techtonic plate movement accelerated recently ?
Do we need new thread soon?
It is possible, but less so at the moment when the blood's up and 100% understandably so. You're with us or agin us! runs high at times like this in history and our reptile brains can be hijacked all too easily by all sides in such things. Nuance goes out the window. Indeed is frowned upon and considered suspicious and rounded upon and seen as 'enemy thinking'.
Just in case I get accused of being a putinbot in a Kremlin interwebs cafe, I gather from earlier entreaties that this should suffice to show my loyalty to the just cause...
Yep I opened it from the bottom. I'm a monster. Russian made watch on the right, German made issued 1943 paratrooper watch on the left. All bases covered. 😮😁
We need a debate about Irish neutrality the same way we need a debate about whether we should leave the EU in favour of joining the United Kingdom. I feel quite confident that either suggestion would get absolutely battered if they were put to a referendum.
I'm actually shocked at the stupidity of Martin doing this so quickly..
Whatever about joining NATO and increased defence spending I would 100% feel safer if Ireland had a more robust intelligence network and monitoring of any threats and better scrutiny at points of entry and better cyber security. The last 2 weeks have confirmed absolutely that we live in a dangerous belligerent world where it appears roughly half the entire world is ruled by dangerous autocrats and rogue regimes who are hell bent on destroying western hegemony. We are a part of that World neutrality or not.
Comrade, we learned this in in training. Opening your tayto from the bottom gives you away quicker than the fella asking for 3 drinks in Inglorious Bastards.
"ireland has an unarmed police force. Our officers do viral videos of themselves dancing."
Are you for real? What on earth have dancing Gardaí got to do with national security? Besides which, we have armed Gardaí.
The usual pinch of salt
Good news
Malta is neutral. As is Liechtenstein. Both easily "swatted". Hardly an argument. Our military neutrality has not stopped us from peacekeeping around the world for 80 years, brokering and trying to establish peace and rebuild nations. That for me is a far higher set of aspirations to aim for and get more involved with than as a scut of a refuelling stop on the fringes of NATO.
Sources in Russia claim Putin has had over 200 journalists murdered.
This is exactly why we need to publicly discuss this and be open to change. A month ago I was pretty skeptical about the need for increased military spending here, bar beefing up the navy to monitor our seas. But for Europe, the last couple of weeks has been a seismic event. There's going to be a lot of revaluation.
No they'd want to make sure Ireland couldn't be used, that doesn't necessarily mean being nice to the population.
Drat and double drat!
Maybe give it another couple of months and you could well be back to your initial long-held feelings on the matter.
Among other things, thats why I think I may have some sort of spectrum disorder (there’s autism in my family so it’s not impossible). I enjoy trying to understand things and asking questions that seem to really rub people up the wrong way.
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