Mattie McGrath urges a balanced Irish stance on EU and neutrality

I too am delighted to be able to speak today on this and I wish the new Minister back again, he jobbed very very best and he'd known my views from previous debates here when he was previously Minister and it was interesting I was sitting in the chair for the last few minutes and listened to both Deputy Lawless and Deputy Ward so look we have to have a balanced debate and we have to have people whose voices here in Ireland think they're not being listened to believe that the government isn't representing all of us and I'm one of those people that want to have you know to be able to ask questions to be able to ask about Europe's role and how it's behaving the whole European spending on defence and of course that's necessary but we could have thought according to measure and I'm one of those people that I honestly believe that you know while we are at the table and we are an equal member in Europe but I believe Europe not only in this issue but many other issues over the last uh number of years including the the covert um so-called pandemic which I don't believe it was and I believe they dictated totally and there's huge questions to be asked there about the whole situation um you know as regarding the doctors here in Ireland who have concerns and they're genuine qualified people of course there are so there are thousands of people out there um that have issues about our ongoing and our um very very strong uh being out top of the class in Europe and that's the difference I have maybe with Deputy Lawrence and I know we can't tell people go and get whatever else uh is not a nice thing to say but we need to be heard and we need to I think we need to call them to to to solve the hostels a bit here because we are a neutral country have always been as we will knock down we see is under question um the teachers have said that our um neutrality has been an outdated concept I don't believe it has and the Irish people will have to have a vote if we want to meddle with the triple lock because it was given as a stop and I'm old enough to remember canvassing for niece one and niece two canvassing in favorite if it was today I wouldn't be canvassing in favorite but the niece two got passed because of concessions and one of those was the triple lock so we need to be have our advice heard in Europe certainly but we need to be be uh listened to and the concerns need more balance especially with our president teacher and our last teacher we're just so um you know everything goes we'll top of the class we'll do add in Europe once we've seen that with many pieces of legislation as well I also recognize that and maybe I'm straight from the council that European people the courts of justice have given access to people here when they couldn't get justice here in Ireland with many cases like that uh that that the European courts do give us a hearing when we don't get afraid of hearing at home so as well as the post-european council and um our um our our issues there and we're in a very volatile time as you know and I honestly believe and what else going on in in in in Gaza is just incomprehensible and just words wouldn't even describe how people feel but we need to be careful Rhianna Cormack are fought because um hopefully that will end soon my god it couldn't end soon enough the start of children everything is just horrific but we need to make too many enemies out there either why are other European countries being being um in spite of what they see the horror uh why are they being so careful and so prudent and not rushing out and you know with the camera here for the for the bill and you know and the gas and all the emails we get for for for you know the the francis senator black's bill but we are the only people that are making these noises so we have to have a balanced view and a more nuanced view and accept that we're a small island and and we're a part of Europe but we need to be an equal player there but we don't have to be the best by since around Gokla there are some days we can be the Buchel Donnie and the Colleen Donnie and and assert yourself and it says uh you know the the hard part freedom that we had here as an independent state I also cannabis for the accession to Europe in 1973 and I'm showing my age now probably so yes certainly but a lot of things have changed since and and with with uh Miss Merkel and others they went uh you know and huge issues and I'm not even talking about immigration the huge huge issues that we have with migration in here and you know there's funding there to support it I don't even know how we even claim that funding here as a partner in Europe which we're entitled to to pay towards the cost of that but we can't have completely open borders and we must as I said be seen at least and be heard at least at these meetings to be standing up advice of an independent neutral country not in a cosy cartel and nearly the best buy in the class as I said our best book in the class uh Gokla or and that's uh difficult so I look forward to listen to uh ministers and Tara start and talk to burn and replying to this debate but I honestly believe that people in Ireland want more rebalance they don't want it running headlong into every issue in Europe and be front line and center in it and we need to have balance and we need to have respect for the electorate here in Ireland thank you thank you deputy we now move to