In a very rainy day in Dublin this afternoon The Communist Party Of Ireland took part in a Protest March to shout loud to Protect Our Neutrality and Say No to Dismantling The Triple Lock.
“Neutrality is part of our long struggle for freedom from the British empire, to a assert a sovereign independent Irish voice, a voice against colonialism, oppression and domination. It is borne out of the historical and continued struggle for national freedom, sovereignty and independence to end colonial and neo-colonial domination and control.
The arguments set out by the government do not justify dismantling the Triple Lock. The UN does
not encroach on Irish sovereignty; Irish neutrality and the Triple Lock are intrinsically linked; the
Triple Lock remains fit for purpose; and the Triple Lock is precisely what is needed to deal with the
world as it is now. Globally, we are experiencing escalating militarism, hostility, war and conflict.
The Triple Lock provides Ireland with a unique opportunity to show decisive leadership, to reassert
itself as a neutral state and to actively use its voice and its leverage in the multilateral sphere to
advocate for justice and peace, and for the protection of international law.
Our Bunreacht establishes that sovereignty is vested in the people. The Triple Lock embodies a
legal and political commitment from the government to the people and without consulting us the
government has no mandate to revoke it. Our Bunreacht also affirms Ireland’s ‘devotion to the
ideal of peace and ‘adherence to the principle of the pacific settlement of international disputes’.
All public representatives elected to the Oireachtas must uphold these obligations and must
reverse the trend of eroding Irish neutrality by enacting the necessary democratic and legislative
processes to give it constitutional protection.
Irish neutrality is not simply a matter of government policy. Neutrality, like sovereignty, emanates
from the people. It is part of our identity stretching back over a century and is rooted in antiimperialist struggle. It is a rejection of the notion that Irish people would be sent to fight on foreign
soil and return scarred from the horrors of war, with life-altering wounds, or in body bags. At
its core, neutrality is a deeply held belief that we, the people of Ireland, oppose war and cherish
peace. And our neutrality, which encompasses the Triple Lock, provides us with a pathway to
realise those aspirations.
