Due to a fiery dispute regarding neutrality and the triple lock system, the Dáil had to temporarily halt its proceedings. State Minister Sean Fleming has reportedly drawn criticism from the People Before Profit (PBP) party by labelling their members as “Putin’s marionettes”.
This occurred amidst the deliberation over the proposed modification of the government’s triple lock system, which necessitates consent from the UN along with government and Dáil authorisation prior to deploying the Defence Forces on peacekeeping operations. During the discussion, Fleming challenged PBP by questioning their understanding of the current world affairs, referencing Russia’s actions in Ukraine.
Fleming’s assertion of the PBP members being “Putin’s marionettes” had PBP TD Paul Murphy requesting retraction. However, when Michael Ring – the acting chair – sought clarity on this issue, Fleming argued that his comments were not directed at any specific individual and that no deputy’s names were alluded to. PBP’s Murphy and Bríd Smith contested this, insisting on a retraction from Fleming and asserting that alleging a TD of being under external influences is against the regulations of the Oireachtas.
The resultant turmoil led Michael Ring, the acting chair, to temporarily discontinue the proceedings. After the House proceedings resumed, regardless of being asked about the retraction, Fleming stood by his initial statement that his remark was not directed at any TD. Nonetheless, he offered analogy of guilt fittingly worn, thereby retracting for those TDs who felt targeted by his comments.
Before all of this, at the beginning of the discussion, TD Bríd Smith pointed out that Tánaiste Micheál Martin was intentionally using the term “military neutrality”, which Smith alleges is designed to disregard the true definition of neutrality as perceived by the Irish. Smith, the representative from Dublin South-Central, opined that a majority of the Irish people associate neutrality with their history of anti-colonial sentiments and colonialism, highlighting that they are not favourable towards supporting any form of power. She further referenced Palestine, arguing the existence of a global hierarchy based on military and economic influence, referring to it as imperialism.
Ms Smith expressed her belief that the agenda is to eradicate the triple lock, transitioning from a supplementary role in American imperialism to a significant participant. She insists the objective is to deploy Irish soldiers to engage in conflicts for the United States and the European Union.
However, Mr Fleming argued that her party was backing the incorrect historic outcome. He stated that he had never seen Russia launching an attack on Europe in his lifetime. He reiterated that People Before Profit (PBP) keep raising points about neutrality or military non-alignment. He added, “Irish public is anything but neutral when it involves Israel and Palestine. Politically or ideologically, we’re not a neutral nation.”
He also claimed that when facing an aggressive nation that is wiping out defenceless civilians, Ireland cannot stay neutral. The same applies to Russia’s actions in Ukraine and its effect on the Irish stance.
Nonetheless, Ms Smith maintained that she stands against both the American empire and the opposing forces in Russia and China.
Her party mate Richard Boyd Barrett revealed that leaders of Fianna Fáil had actively interacted with Putin, unlike their party. Moreover, he stated they have associates currently detained in Russian jails due to their opposition towards Putin’s violent activities in Ukraine.