If being an unaligned country with a large army is no deterrent to Putin's ambitions is it time for ROI to join Nato?
Funny how both you and mark resort to the insults when you have no answers,
Our neutrality has been helping the oppressed and the victim for decades. Our neutrality has been providing a buffer against the tormentor for decades.
Our role is the peacekeeper and we are good at it. Somebody has to be there to clean up after the warmongers.
We are not between Europe and the US we are in Europe.
The poster is echoing Neale Richmond on Twitter. Obviously the campaign plan is to first demean what we do already in our neutrality.
Extrapolate Francie. What exactly do you mean by 'demean what we do already?'
We are not and never have been politically neutral
However unlikely a Russian invasion of Ireland is,we do have an obligation to protect and defend our European brothers and sisters in the EU,5 or 6 of which are in Putins sights
Anyone from the Shinner party railing against that and the organisation that effectively halted the advance of the iron curtain last century is just a willing putin agent/putin bot
The shinners don't like Nato because Britain is in it
They haven't moved on
They deleted 1000's of pages from their website friendly to Russia because Congress in the USA,their main financing ground on scrutinising it would have eyebrows reaching the moon in the current climate and close that tap
The hypocrisy, double speak and sheer ostrich neck with their stance on anything security related is deep,never mind anything else
That our neutrality is somehow cowardly. That there is no value going into areas torn apart by warmongers and conflict to keep the peace and help heal and build new societies.
You act as if Ireland is somehow special in this regard. Currently Ireland is 39th in the world for the contribution of personnel to peacekeeping forces.
You must be really proud.
And who's doing that or inferring our peacekeeping duties as such?
Those who infer that neutrality is valueless. Neutrality is important in our peacekeeping role. From the DFA:
Over the years, our policy of military neutrality and the values it encompasses, coupled with our lack of a colonial past, have served us well in our endeavours to be a constructive member of the international community. Successive governments have not seen neutrality as meaning that Ireland should stand aside; rather, they have considered that it enhances our reputation internationally and enables us to engage more effectively in our efforts to promote peace and development through the UN, the European Union and our own bilateral actions.
The power swap have cut the resources of our defence forces to ribbons. What we can mange to do, we do well. I'd prefer to be anywhere on that list than on a list of those who cause the need for peacemakers.
A few of the lads in this thread are very easy to misdirect. These days they are looking for putin bots in every crevice, a few weeks ago they were twitching their curtains in annoyance at their neighbours, before that they were cheering on the war in Libya and before that they were cheering on the war in Afghanistan. In the 50s they would have been looking for commies under the mattress. There is a name for them if only I could remember, useful somethings..
Who is on your list of those who caused the need for peacekeepers?
Is this like the "War on Christmas"?
Irish neutrality is basically whatever you want it to mean. Earlier on you were worried that if we got rid of the Triple-Lock, we would turn into a bloodthirsty bunch of barbarians. Idiotic stuff.
Who the hell listens to Paul Murphy anyway, he is just a crank who opposes everything. He was lauding Putin and decrying NATO until recently.
Defence is peace keeping
Nato is a defence force that kept enforced authoritarian imperialist communism at bay for decades
Life moves on ,threats move on
Today's threat is from imperialist Putin
It will be interesting to note what comes out of a constitutional convention on military neutrality
My preference is for strategic association with any group of countries or organisations they're a part of committed to protecting democracy
We will need to invest in our defence forces for that,our Óglaigh na h'Éireann in ways we never thought we had to in recent decades
Unless Russia comes to its senses,which seems unlikely
Decide for yourself.
No you were the one who brought it up, now back it up - for once.
Give us your list who cause the need for peacekeepers?
Hilarious, you say the above yet you post up videos from cranks like Paul Murphy who advocated getting rid of pretty much the entire budget that goes towards the defence forces.
You have been on record yourself giving out about the government jet, which as you should know is part of the Irish Air Corps.
Talking through both mouths again Francie.
That's the press release alright Francie, written by a civil servant and not etched on a stone tablet fetched from a mountaintop by Moses.
What?
It is very obvious that those who engage in war and conflict are the ones who cause the need for peacemakers. That's a long list.
I posted a tweet by 'Neale Richmond'.
And?
Who said it was etched in stone?
Who was responding to Paul Murphy who was parroting your own views that "Neutrality is under ATTACK!"
Perl clutching nonsense.
It's not obvious to me so indulge me - give me a top ten list of those that in YOUR opinion cause the need for peacekeepers?
I quoted Neale Richmond Mark. Who he was responding to is immaterial.
I've no interest in this rabbit hole.
If you cannot accept that wars and conflicts have causes and that they are caused by people. That's your own issue. I'd prefer to be anywhere on the list of peacekeepers than on a list of people/countries that caused a conflict/war. That is all that is required for this discussion.
It's not a rabbit hole, in MY opinion you believe Ireland is in some way morally superior to other nations because the DF only engage in peacekeeping roles. I was only trying to establish all the countries / organisations that you believe you are morally superior to.
So on that basis can you supply the list now?
I'd prefer to be anywhere on the list of peacekeepers than on a list of people/countries that caused a conflict/war.
Interesting about-face considering your neverending devout support for the actions of the PIRA, including their murders of innocent women and children. You are an apologist for murderers when it suits your agenda and worldview. So don't tell us all today you really a dove at heart.
Your opinion would be wrong. Ireland is no more morally superior than anyone. I don't climb onto the higher moral ground.
Wars and conflict have causes and those are human causes.
Look at the link of where we have gone...that's a start to the list.
Ok would you agree that the PIRA should be on that list?
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