There have been calls on social media for Fianna Fail’s Thomas Byrne to be put on the frontline himself, and his own family to join him, if Ireland joins NATO and ends up in some war that has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with us.
Bryne, who is in his late 40s, possibly feels that he is unlikely to be called up for direct conflict, however as one social media user pointed out;
“Anyone like Byrne would even suggest that the youth of Ireland should die for the military industrial complex should never be elected again. Hopefully we’ll see the end of Thomas Bryne and other warmongers in the next election”.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine is forcing Ireland to reconsider its long tradition of military neutrality, said Minister of State for European Affairs Thomas Byrne.
Public opinion may not be ready to join the US-led NATO alliance, Byrne said in an interview during a visit to France, although he has no doubts about Irish sympathies.
“Russia invading Ukraine, totally against the UN charter, against the basic principles of territorial integrity, put the Irish people very firmly, instinctively on the side of right there,” he said to news agency AFP..
“We’re not neutral when it comes to an invasion like that, but we’re neutral when it comes to joining a military alliance,” he said.
Ireland’s neutrality has sometimes caused dismay among its allies in the EU and elsewhere, but Byrne said there were strong historical reasons for his position.
“For a lot of our history, as an independent country, we were overshadowed in our own minds by the British attempt at conscription in 1918,” which sparked angry protests from Irish nationalists and became a factor for the country’s independence in 1922.
“I think that’s partly where Irish neutrality comes from. Our neutrality has been characterised by non-membership of military alliances,” he said.
The US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 – justified by false allegations of weapons of mass destruction in the country – fuelled Irish scepticism about joining NATO, Byrne said.
“Public opinion is not in favour of Ireland joining military alliances. But also I think the public is seeing now that defence is different to offence,” Mr Byrne said.
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