If being an unaligned country with a large army is no deterrent to Putin's ambitions is it time for ROI to join Nato?
If Ireland is not at risk, why is it considering cooperating with Nato in the area of hybrid and cyber warfare.
If Ireland is not at threat, why did it recently join Nato’s Malware Information Sharing Platform, which allows for the sharing of details of cyberattacks in real time between member states.
If Ireland is not at risk why in 2019 did it join the Nato Co-operative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence in Tallinn, Estonia, to which a small number of Irish personnel are seconded.
Surely all those who are distrustful of the Brits and Americans should be up in arms about neutral Ireland cosying up to Nato.
I guess all the millenials who always wondered what the Cold War was like, are about to find out what it was like for real. Based on todays announcments of NATO expansion.
We don't need to join NATO. We don't need to spend 2% of our GDP on weapons. That prick MM should be reined in now. The guy is on a farewell tour of Europe thinking he's a great statesman. He's a joke, a pathetic weak little man, just perfect for the job he's no doubt after in Brussels. That man would happily do what Sweden did and push through our membership without a referendum on the matter. We are a neutral country and we should remain that way. The Swedish people weren't happy about it either, it's a new one on me that a government can bypass it's electorate and get away with saying opinion polls showed support for NATO membership so a referendum wasn't necessary. It's a dangerous road to go down.
Nato has not expanded. A group of friendly countries have decided to join a defensive alliance. Not the same thing.
SF didn't trust intelligence they hadn't seen from a government intelligence agency that they have decades of experience with. Simple and as uncomplicated as that.
You are ignoring, yet again, that SF also choose to ignore intellegence reports from all other European countries because it didn't conform with their core belief that Britain is always the enemy, regardless of whether Russian Hitmen are involved.
Your continued defence of SF in this instance is both hilarious and typical.
Didnt you get the green memo?
Estonia is an American and British stoogeswho are trying to trick little old Ireland into Imperial wars abroad by getting close to NATO. After all, it's all the fault of the Brits/Americans anyway.
I posted your words in multiple posts now which has shown you multiple times saying one thing before and saying another thing now. That is all I have done, yet you take exception to being found out, not for the first time mind.
Handwave and distract away all you want now, but we all know now words mean little to you, once you get chance to soapbox about something close to your heart.
When were they given these intelligence reports?
Britain and it's intelligence agency are not to be trusted. There is a significant cohort in Britain itself who don't not just SF.
Nonsense, you posted stuff and then put your own spin on it.
And BY THE WAY, my opinion changes all the tme. What is the problem with changing your views?
Was it not 5 eyes intelligence alliance report ?
They weren't given them, because they were a nothing party with no power and were happy to get on a soapbox and support Putin by giving out about diplomats being expelled.... roll on a few years they are jumping up and down wanting the complete opposite.
However, there were plenty of reports about it at the time. SF just choose to ignore them as if it were an ostrich.
In the immortal words of Eamon Dunphy, "they were found out, Bill!'
SF have abandoned every single core tenet that originally gave them a reason to exist, all they have left now to go through the motions of pretending to be Republicans and Nationalists is to be reflexively anti British, except when it comes to cashing their cheques from HM Government. 😂
Changing your opinion is fine, if done with honesty and humility.
SF were completely wrong on Russia, as were you. Do you accept that you and they were wrong?
So if they are a 'nothing party', what's the big deal about them?
You want this debate every way.
I didn't read beyond that line. Nonsense pivoting argument with the usual biased agenda, that gets nowhere.
What have I said about Russia?
I hate their intolerence and aggression?
You want me to change that opinion?
SF thread that away >>>
If joining NATO meant that Ireland had to spend 2% of GDP on cyber security then crack on. Perfectly sensible thing to do.
If it means spending that money on military hardware then it's far less sensible use of resources. None of your "threats" to Ireland are military though.
Not only is Rep Of Ireland the most vulnerable in West Europe now but also the easiest target for a rogue nation who wants to attack the west by any means available. We need a 10-year plan to upgrade our armed forces. We absolutely must start with a national intel service that has clout and muscle. there are a lot of iffy characters here that need to be monitored and dealt with.
Why would they lie about Salisbury?
For what purpose? To what end?
I'm more worried that it was a 5 eyes report. And IIRC New zealand was the only one not agree to sanction Russia. why would 4 out of the 5 lie makes no sense.
Why would they lie about Iraq or Ireland etc?
I didn’t say they lied about Salisbury just that they cannot be trusted.
Ok so spending money on protecting IT infrastructure that for example controls energy infrastructure is sensible but spending money on military hardware that for example is protecting emerging energy infrastructure (offshore wind turbines) is far less sensible. Seems a bit myopic to me.
What cost do you think is actually needed to provide a useful military defence?
Is any other military actually going to bother themselves with the hassle of sailing around and through NATO waters and airspace to take out a wind turbine, or are they more likely to stay in their basement at home and launch some remote cyber attack?
Which scenario do you think is more likely to happen, and which is Ireland more likely to be able to defend itself against with relatively quick investments?
Who is Ireland vulnerable to attack from and how are they going to carry out that attack and sustain any invasion for example?
Yeah we should not worry about the Intercontinental Internet cables. Who ever cuts them are going to do it in our waters it's that simple. Why would you risk deep sea vs off shore of Ireland. I mean do we even have sonar or other detection methods for this.
You blamed the US and NATO for the Russians invading Ukraine, just like Sinn Fein did.
And what meaningful way of protecting them do you have? Do you think that the US could prevent them being cut on their end if someone was minded to do so?
Yes, there is the threat of it being considered a direct attack on NATO waters at that end, but why wouldn't the cables being cut at any other point also be considered the same type of attack?
Were not in Nato so how would cutting them be an attack on Nato. If they cut the intercontinental cable from Mauritania to Portugal on the Mauritania end that would not be an attack on Nato. And USA I wager the military with it's budget and navy would have an idea any tampering on their end.
Few lads on here wanting us full-blown NATO members, fanciful thinking
Nope. I said the US had been engaging in geopolitical game playing for decades and that NATO had escalated tensions in the region, Russia were doing the same.
Russia are to blame for invading Ukraine, America and UK for Iraq, etc etc, Two sides with vested interests in keeping war and conflict going. I want no part of that for me or those who come after me.
