Last week the government brought a resolution to the Dáil to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It coincided with the anniversary of a brutal war where there has been an estimated 200,000 casualties.
People Before Profit’s position has been clear from the start. We condemn Russia’s invasion and reject any argument that they have ‘legitimate’ security concerns. They are an imperialist power that tramples over people’s rights to self-determination.
We have also pointed out that the US has used the war to re-assert its leadership over Europe. The main institution for doing this is NATO.
The US and EU have pumped €130 billion into Ukraine. To put that in perspective, Oxfam claims that €37 billion a year could end world hunger by 2030. Military alone amounts to twice the Israeli army receives each year!
NATO has therefore been a significant factor in escalating this war and are now fighting a proxy war with their imperialist rivals in Russia.
People Before Profit, therefore, put down an amendment to the government’s resolution. It read:
— condemns North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) activity in escalating the war and using it to increase militarisation;
— re-asserts its support for Irish neutrality and declares that Dáil Éireann will not be making any application to join NATO now or in the future;”
Tragically Sinn Féin refused to back this condemnation of NATO and abstained.
The following week they refused to oppose a decision to send Irish soldiers on a training mission to ‘enhance the military capabilities of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ even though this was a clear breach of Irish neutrality.
The soft left in Labour and Social Democrats went one step further and voted with the government. This was no surprise.
So, a question for Sinn Féin: Where do they stand on NATO’s involvement in this terrible war?