The UK had to come to Ireland's aid as a Russian submarine was 'hovering' 12 miles from Cork harbour

WTAF? has any of that got to do with your post? and do you really think the mess that has been caused by successive Govts for decades, even FFG cant clean it up (although they have no intention). Whatever you think of SF, you can hardly think it is reasonable for any party to fix a prior mess in record time, it's been decades in the making. It appears, despite some petty squabbling, they are mostly aligned on the things that affect us.

On defence, years of either FF or FG or both (FFG) have allowed the PDF to get to where it is now.

Once again you seem to be under the impression I'm a supporter of FF/FG and I'm here to fight their case, just to clear up an confusion I'm not on both counts.

You on the other hand seem to be either a die hard shinner or else someone who has swallowed their BS hook line and sinker, they won't fix anything because housing and health are the 2 things that no government can ever get a handle on.

But back on topic defence is not something any left leaning party has any interest in funding.

Get the excuses in early!

Anyone with half a brain knows that SF aren't going to improve the issues with health and housing one iota.

But sure it's better to be doing nowt on ministerial wages than in opposition, just keep banging the drum and hope eventually enough start marching to the beat to get there.

Nothing of course ...but we would know and knowing may be enough.

"Let's hope the RN weren't in our territory when they were doing us this favour"

What would we do if they were, get Mickie to send a strongly worded letter?

I really hope you are wrong about that because if you think things are bad now they would be a lot worse with Sinn Fein in power. The international markets would look at us think we are gone crazy and decide not to lend to us because they would be afraid they would never get there money back. You think the 2008 crash was bad. This would make it look like it was nothing compared to what Sinn Fein being in Government would be like.

Anyway back on topic.

I think the easiest way to protect out waters is to buy a few submarines maybe second hand off the Americans or the British or French.

Yes, 100%.

Imagine if we were all forced to speak Russian!!!

Instead of Arabic

Well Ireland is 2000 miles closer to The White House than Hawaii 😅

Not exactly..

'Under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982, all coastal states are permitted to claim a shelf up to 200 miles in breadth, subject to the exercise of the same rights by their neighbours. States whose continental shelves naturally extend beyond this distance must establish their limits to the satisfaction of the UN commission on the basis of scientific data.

A coastal state exercises over its continental shelf the sovereign right to exploit its natural resources, including oil and gas deposits as well as other minerals and biological resources, located on or under the seabed.

The recommendations allow Ireland to exercise these rights exclusively in the claimed area of extended seabed, which amounts to an additional 39,000km of Irish shelf., representing approximately half the size of its land territory.

This first Irish submission to the UN commission was a partial submission which concerns the undisputed portion of Ireland's outer continental shelf. Other areas in which Ireland's claims overlap with those of other states are the subject of separate exercises.'

No. Salt