The Presidential election provides all those who are concerned about Irish neutrality and the Triple Lock with an opportunity to raise this critical issue.
On Friday the 24th of October, we will be asked to vote for a new President of the State after the current holder of the office, Michael D. Higgins, completes his second term.
Michael D. Higgins has left his mark, and indeed a good few scars on the backs of successive governments, over his time as President. He has been unwavering in speaking out about events in Palestine, and in particular the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
He has also shown great solidarity with the poor and oppressed and criticised capitalism as a deeply exploitative system. No doubt the mandarins of Iveagh House (Department of Foreign Affairs) and the Irish government will be glad to see the back of him.
Catherine Connolly, standing as an independent, has spoken consistently in favour of neutrality and keeping the Triple Lock. That puts her ahead of the other two establishment candidates, Jim Gavin (Fianna Fáil) and Heather Humphreys (Fine Gael).
Jim Gavin has made it clear that he is in favour of the removal of the Triple Lock from his very first public utterance on getting the Fianna Fáil nomination. The removal of the Triple Lock would allow Irish military personnel to be deployed without a UN mandate, meaning that Irish military personnel could then join EU military adventures anywhere in the world.
The harbinger of the future can be seen in this government joining the “Coalition of the Willing”, the EU coalition designed to derail peace efforts in Ukraine.
Jim Gavin is the former manager of the Dublin GAA all-Ireland five-in-a-row senior winning team, and a former officer in the Irish Air Corps (An tAerchór). He is the candidate that Micheal Martin wanted—a safe pair of hands—and who would not block legislation regarding the removal of the Triple Lock, a core strategic policy of the Irish establishment and the state.
Catherine Connolly, who has won the support of the “left” parties in the Dáil, has a long track record of taking strong stands, opposing this and previous governments in relation to housing, homelessness, poverty, and women’s rights. She has spoken out strongly in opposition to the use of Shannon Airport by the military/NATO.
This is an opportunity to put neutrality and the Triple Lock right at the heart of the political debate and raise the public’s consciousness as to what the government is attempting to achieve.
The push by the Irish establishment to end the Triple Lock is an attack on the United Nations, and its removal would be a major step away from the UN’s multilateral approach to peace. This comes at a time when what is required is a strengthened and reformed UN. The role played by the imperial powers like the US, EU, & Britain in West Asia generally, and in particular in the Gaza genocide, has exposed them as never before to the Irish people.
The genocide in Gaza and the inaction of the Irish state show how far it has consciously developed its foreign policy to meet the needs of the US-led imperialist bloc. The Irish political and military establishment want to further integrate the Irish defence forces into EU military structures and strategies, in effect, closer integration and cooperation with NATO.
All those who favour world peace and a central role for the United Nations should support the building and strengthening of a progressive Irish neutrality and the maintenance of the Triple Lock, and make these critical issues central in the forthcoming Presidential election.
It is important that we have a strong voice for peace and Irish neutrality and against EU/NATO militarism in Áras an Uachtaráin. Vote Catherine Connolly on 24th October.
