A pushback by Fianna Fáil backbenchers against government plans to scrap the triple lock shows the lack of support for this course of action according to Lynn Boylan MEP.
The Sinn Féin MEP, who is the only Irish MEP on the EU’s security and Defence Committee, said that the EU’s obsession with militarisation has made this move more dangerous than ever before.
“The drive for militarisation in the EU at the moment is intoxicating.
“Exhibition spaces dedicated to showing new military technology, along with Kaja Kallas’ recent remarks about our neutrality show the pressure that the EU is heaping on us to abandon our neutrality.
“Decades of neglect mean that we need to absolutely invest in giving our defence forces the equipment, and conditions that they need to do their job safely, but the government cannot be allowed to use this as a smokescreen to undermine neutrality.
Lynn pointed out that scrapping the triple lock would effectively leave the deployment of Irish troops at the whim of this government, who she believes cannot be trusted to stand up to pressure from figures such as Ursula von der Leyen or the US.
“A majority of the public support keeping the triple lock, and clearly not all government TDs support the moves to scrap it.
“If the government are so confident If the government are so confident in their plans to scrap the triple lock, then they should put this plan to the people.
“Otherwise they need to do the sensible thing and back down from this dangerous course.”
