Donohoe defends use of Shannon Airport by US troops

July 18, 2016

The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Paschal Donohoe has defended the use of Shannon Airport by US troops in the wake of the Nice attack writes Irish Examiner political reporter Elaine Loughlin.

Mr Donohoe said that a careful response is needed to terrorism such as Thursday’s attack which killed 84 people in Nice.

Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel drove a lorry through crowds who had gathered Promenade des Anglais to celebrate Bastille before he was shot dead by police.

Mr Donohoe said The Tánaiste, Frances Fitzgerald met the Garda Commissioner on Friday and added that the Gardai are well prepared to tackle and prevent such attacks here.

“It’s so important now that the response back from all of us isn’t a cycle that can harden the worst impulses and lock us into a cycle where this happens again and again,” he told RTE’s The Week in Politics programme.

“The kind of terror that we are now facing is the everyday, the truck, the car, something that is part of our everyday life.”

However, AAA-PBP TD Clare Daly said the continued use of Shannon Airport by US troops means we are also a terrorism target.

“I do think our culpability by allowing US military on an almost twice daily basis to transit military hardware, it’s soldiers across the Middle East to wreck destruction in those areas, does make us complicit in those actions, does make us complicit in the destabilisation of the Middle East.

“And in that sense we would be a target as well,” she said.

But Mr Donohoe: “We have always been very clear and successful governments have been very clear on the importance of our neutrality and that that Shannon Airport and its use is not in any way incompatible with that.”

Original article: Irish Examiner, July 17, 2016

6 Out Of 10 Irish People Want Neutrality Enshrined in Irish Constitution

March 16, 2016

A recently commissioned Red C Poll has shown that 6 out of 10 Irish people want Neutrality to be enshrined in the Constitution. At present, Irish Neutrality is a policy choice, decided on by the Government of the day.

The Poll also finds that 57% of the Irish people oppose the United States use of Shannon Airport for Military Transit Purposes, this figure excludes the 'Don't Knows' which are at 4%.

This week, the acting Taoiseach Enda Kenny visits US President Barack Obama, and it is imperative that he raises the concerns of the Irish people, regarding the ongoing militarisation of much of the world, and the impact of same. This Red C Poll has shown that over half the Irish population do not agree with Ireland's current military relationship with the United States, which sees Shannon Airport used as a forward airbase for the US Military. A Press Conference will be held tomorrow at 2.30pm, in Buswells Hotel, Tuesday 15th March to discuss the findings.

Speaking on the findings of the Poll, Clare Daly TD made the point that - "A country with a policy of positive neutrality would not facilitate the massive, devastating displacement of tens of millions of people through wars whose only purpose is to keep the gears of the military-industrial complex oiled. It would not find itself in a state of absolute moral abjection when it agreed to accept only the tiniest fraction of those made homeless and stateless by wars it had abetted. We need to put meat on the bones of our neutrality, to actively and vigorously work against war and destruction, against the arms trade, against the absolute devastation of so many lives in pursuit of imperial power and wealth? Until we enshrine a policy of neutrality in our Constitution, and make it so that our neutrality is something that is real, positive, and active, we cannot and will not play that role".

Mick Wallace TD stated - "Since 2001, the US Military and their allies have been responsible for the deaths of over 2 million citizens in Afghanistan and Iraq alone. Mindless destruction of the Middle East region & beyond has seen the displacement of over 30 million people and an unprecedented refugee crisis in Europe today. It's long past time that Ireland stopped facilitating this horror by refusing to allow Shannon Airport to be used for any military purposes. We need a change of direction - It should start with the new Government. It's time for Ireland to work for peace, not war."

Mick Wallace Clare Dalysee arrest at Shannon Airport 2014

Ed Horgan of Shannonwatch states that " Shannon airport has been used, or misused by the US military, with the approval of successive Irish Government's since October 2001. In the meantime over three million armed US troops have transited through Shannon on their way to and from wars and military operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, Syria and elsewhere. In addition US military aircraft have transported unknown quantities of munitions and other war materials through Shannon airport but the Irish Government has been repeatedly denying that these aircraft are carrying weapons and munitions. Irish neutrality needs to be urgently restored to prevent Irish complicity in crimes against humanity".

Dr John Lannon of the University of Limerick and Shannonwatch stated that - "Ireland's failure to uphold national and international law at Shannon is shameful. The routine transit of armed troops to and from war zones is in contravention of the Hague Convention on Neutrality. The authorities have failed in their responsibilities under the Convention Against Torture by not investigating rendition planes at Shannon. And they also turn a blind eye to the fact that the US military aircraft landing at Shannon are likely to be carrying people who are guilty of war crimes in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. Under the principle of international jurisdiction, these should be investigated and prosecuted".

Original article Mick Wallace and Clare Daly Shannonwatch
See full 'Neutrality In Ireland' RedC Poll Feb, 2016

Clare Daly and Mick Wallace Standing as Independents and Statement in relation to Right2Change

November 5, 2015

Source: http://claredaly.ie/statement-in-relation-to-right2change/

The magnificent movement of people power which exploded onto the streets across the length and breath of the country in opposition to Irish Water & water charges was an important development in our recent history. It channeled the anger and betrayal felt by citizens after years of neo-liberal policies and austerity budgets, the decimation of public services, & a race to the bottom in wages and conditions. It brought thousands of people into political activity for the first time. It showed that no government can rule without the will of the people, and that protest action can pay.

Against this background we believe that the initiative of the Right2Water unions to try and harness this movement, beyond protests, into a movement for change, was the correct one. We have committed to supporting the policy positions of Right2Change, as a starting point in dismantling the prevailing ideology of the establishment parties who have slavishly implemented economic policies at the behest of the markets.

We believe that society can be organised in a different way, a better way, where the interests of the people are centre stage – the right to housing, a job with decent pay and conditions, access to healthcare when you’re sick, and a pension when you retire. These demands are the bare minimum in a country which has seen the wealth of the top 300 citizens increase by €13.5 billion in the last year alone.

Across our society there is a desperate yearning for change as the parties that have been in power have misused it and a different type of politics must be built. We have pledged to play a part in delivering that, by committing to work with any other parties or individuals who are prepared to break with neo-liberalism, including forming a government, should the numbers allow. We are very clear that we will not play a part in any government with Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael or Labour.

The role of the the media, & some of the political parties involved, in how the Right2Change initiative has been portrayed over the past week is a stark warning to activists in the communities and unions. The Establishment has a vested interest in trying to undermine this project. They will seek to exaggerate division, to portray chaos and incoherence & to misrepresent what is being attempted. This is a sign of their fear but we must not fall for it.

It must also be said that the opportunism of some of the groupings involved, who diverted this project into a dialogue about voting pacts & transfers, and whether they would or wouldn’t be calling for transfers for each other is regrettable. Electoral pacts were never part of any discussions. It will do nothing for the cause if some groups are prepared to put their own party interests, ahead of those of the general movement .That is why we are contesting this election as independents & will work with other like mined individuals to build the type of grass roots, bottom up politics, that bases itself on empowering people to organise for themselves. This is essential if we are to deliver the change that Ireland deserves & yearns on the eve of the 1916 centenary.

Clare Daly & Mick Wallace
Nov 5, 2015