People Before Profit TD Mick Barry dismissed the upcoming government forum on Irish neutrality as a “stitch-up” which he said was intended to appease Irish public opinion on increased military spending and de facto associate NATO membership, reports RTE.
The International Security Consultative Forum was convened by Tánaiste Michael Martin and will meet this month in Dublin, Cork and Galway.
Mr Barry told the Dáil that his office had checked the list of speakers and found they were 5-1 “pro-Nato or EU militarisation”, reports RTE.
He also said the forum would be chaired by a Dame from the British Empire who he said had “offered explanation bordering on justifications for the bloody interventions of US governments in Latin America”, reports RTE.
He said the key debate was not whether Ireland should rush to militarise, but the scale and pace of such action.
Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien rejected the merger proposal, saying it had not been foreshadowed.
He said the government is very aware of the changes in international relations since Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Mr O’Brien said Ireland could not be complacent about increased geopolitical risk.
He said he vehemently denied that it was about joining NATO or de facto association with the alliance and said the speakers were “stacked”, reports RTE.
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