At least we have a President who speaks for us.
On US-Israeli war on Iran, 'deliberate assaults on international law, the international laws that have underpinned global peace for eighty years. We must name them as such, without euphemism and without equivocation.'
president.ie/en/media-lib...
Jeffrey Sachs spoke to an audience in Dublin today.
As the Govnt fails repeatedly to call out the brutal, illegal wars of the US+Israel, he reminded us of JFK's speech to the Dáil in 1963.
'From Cork to Congo, Galway to the Gaza strip', Ireland must be the voice of the weak.
The Triple Lock has never been more important - without it we could easily be drawn into a military conflict created by the US-Israel.
And Cyprus should be an example to us - 'militarily neutral' means nothing when you host British military bases.
www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-41...
Speaking at this with Rory Rowan tomorrow (Saturday). The question of Ireland's neutrality is a question of Irish sovereignty and that cannot be understood outside of our deep dependency on the US.
We wrote this report with the OTB in mind, but it equally helps explain the Govnt's refusal to condemn the illegal US-Israel bombing of Iran.
'Ireland’s economic dependency on the US ensures that the US holds a de facto veto over Irish foreign policy.'
www.uplift.ie/neutrality-f...
'Europe faces a clear choice: allegiance to the US, fossil energy dependence & declining living standards for the majority or an independent foreign policy anchored in green development & wellbeing.'
Retrofitting & renewable energy, not US wars & dependency.
transitionsecurity.org/trillion-dol...
Brilliant piece by Ciarán O'Rourke - made me pick up my Mahon immediately.
"Always an intellectual, Mahon ended his days as a resolute proponent of revolutionary transformation, advocating for “the ownership of the country” to be devolved “to the people of the country, not the few”.
Five great new articles this month from rundale.org
>Derek Mahon - Ireland's Socialist laureate
>Bohemians FC Coops - owning the economy
>What is a 'good' job guarantee?
>Anti-imperialism vs revisionism - the struggle over Irish history
>Reading James Connolly with Franz Fanon
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, still unsure if the US-Israeli assault on Iran is illegal, should read some expert commentary.
'In this case, as a matter of law, the right to use force (in self-defense) belongs to Iran, and decidedly not to Israel or the U.S.'
mondoweiss.net/2026/03/unde...
Tonight DCC voted overwhelmingly in favour (39 for, 9 against, 4 abstain) for a motion supporting the retaining of the Triple Lock. That makes 13 councils and counting to pass the motion.
The Govnt needs to start listening to the people on neutrality.
As the Government continues to acquiesce to the illegal wars and violence launched by the US and Israel, actively supported by the UK, Germany and France, it is worth recalling the words of Frank Aiken at the UN.
Active neutrality involves sacrifice and leadership, not self-interest and passivity.
And btw, there is no doubting that the US-Israeli bombing of Iran was illegal.
eldh.eu/en/2026/03/s...
The same Govnt that wants us to believe without the Triple Lock, we can trust they will only deploy overseas in line with international law.
If anyone needed convincing that the Triple Lock is essential to keeping us out of foreign wars, this is it.
www.thejournal.ie/mcentee-us-i...
'Can't say' or 'won't say'.
Four guests on @rte.ie Brendan O'Connor show. All accepted, even celebrated, the US-Israeli illegal bombing of Iran. No mention of the hundreds killed. Discussion moved straight to potential for regime change. This is how US violence and erosion of international law is normalised.
She won on a socialist, anti-racist and working class platform. Irish Greens have a long way to go.
'Green Party leader Roderic O'Gorman said the Green tide was rising again, pointing to the recent by-election win for Hannah Spencer in Manchester.'
www.rte.ie/news/politic...
To make a statement about the illegal bombing of Iran by the US and Israel without mentioning that fact is tantamount to condoning it.
On Monday, Dublin City Council will vote on a motion to keep the Triple Lock and preserve Irish neutrality. They will hopefully join the 12 other councils that have supported the same motion.
Email local councillors using the template at this link.
action.uplift.ie/campaigns/dc...
Rising energy bills & yesterday's warning about "a potentially challenging situation" in meeting electricity demand.
We need a moratorium on data centres, a planned public retrofit programme and not for profit, socially owned energy generation.
www.rte.ie/news/ireland...
We shouldn't be surprised about the record arms deal with French company KNDS for hundreds of armoured vehicles.
This is what happens when the IDSA, an arms lobby group representing members like KNDS, has direct access to Govnt & the Defence Forces.
www.ontheditch.com/up-to-eu800-...
This Government hates Ireland's tradition of neutrality.
'“Nato proof” is an informal term used to describe the security requirements against passive and active “eavesdropping” for rooms where Nato classified information is discussed.'
www.irishtimes.com/politics/oir...
Myself and colleagues have written about this as the 'militarisation of FDI' - where FDI-linked infrastructures (data centres, cables, energy) and resources (critical minerals) become basis for increased defence spending and EU/NATO integration.
www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/comm...
Ireland's new Maritime Security Strategy orientates around the need to better protect critical undersea infrastructure - much of it owned by tech corporations and/or critical for FDI. This is not the same as protecting civilian populations or essential infrastructures. 1/2
Rather than turning their back on the UN (e.g. removing the Triple Lock), the Irish Govnt should be far more active in supporting countries from the majority world that continue to fight for global justice via international institutions.
Like Vanuatu.
www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/...
I get that there is journalistic license but the jingoism that surrounds media coverage of defence and security matters is something else.
Connecting the purchase of €2bn worth of French military equipment with 1798?
www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2026...
Up to €1 billion to be spent on hundreds of armoured vehicles from French arms companies Thales and KNDS. This to defend us in the event of a land invasion.
Who is going to mount a land invasion of Ireland? Are we not being told something?
www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2026...
More 'serious' commentary on Ireland's defence and security. 'Play station sailors'.
'The new strategy could bring a new band of “play station sailors” to join the Naval Service.'
www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2026...
‘For Ireland, neutrality has long been a refusal to inherit great-power enemies.
But the language of threat is now arriving as if it were an import, packaged with policy papers, procurement plans, and alliance expectations.’
www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/comm... @pbresnihan.bsky.social
Pat Brodie, Rory Rowan and myself make the argument here (and in a longer research paper if anyone is interested).
www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/comm...
Why is the Dept of Enterprise (not defence) meeting with a lobby group representing the arms industry?
Because our defence and security policy is inseparable from an economic model that is dependent on Foreign Direct Investment 1/2
