President condemns Nato and escalating global military spending when number affected by hunger has risen by 200 million

by ShotDentist8872

34 comments

  1. The irony of course is that Ireland spends nothing on defence because we are effectively shielded by our former colonial overlord and NATO member.

    As Orwell said “those who abjure violence can only do so because others are committing violence on their behalf”

    Wonder how this moralising would go down in Poland, Finland or the Baltic states…

  2. I like him, but NATO needs to spend more in the face of Russian aggression.

  3. Easy for him to say when the Russian military isn’t intent on murdering Irish civilians.

  4. Our President would not be saying this hippy shit if we were bordered with Russia. We can afford to live with our heads in the sand with so many countries in the way between ourselves and the threat of invasion. Our politicians just don’t live in the real world at all

  6. Honestly I think Michael is setting a really bad precedent as president. You can’t really complain about our next president making inflammatory political statements you don’t like when this lad’s gotten away with doing it so often.

    Using the Young Scientist exhibition to make a speech against NATO is bonkers.

  7. I’m a huge fan of Michael D. He’s class, highly intelligent, has a strong sense of justice and is a genuinely nice guy.

    But it’s bizarre to not even mention Russia but criticise NATO for increasing spending when it was weakening and “brain dead” according to Macron, before Russia began annexing other countries in Europe.

    He’s dead right about Gaza though. It’s disgraceful that the West is still supporting Israel in it’s genocide.

  8. Unconstrained global greed and stupidity is more responsible for hunger than protecting Europe. Feeding poor people is dirt cheap compared to fielding a military. Couch change by comparison, so it’s not as if military spending vs food is a zero sum game. Russia is an existential threat. Ireland needs to get a whole lot more serious about today’s reality of defense spending.

  9. Full bellies aren’t worth shit if you’re dead.

  10. If only ireland had 14billion excess tax that could be used for homeless and hungry

  11. Easy to say when not in NATO yet enjoying all it’s protections

  12. NATO needs to spend more. Russia is being aggressive, the US is retrenching.
    It’s common sense.

  13. > Military expenditure globally had increased for the ninth consecutive year in 2023 to $2.44 trillion, the highest ever recorded; “at the same time, the number of people affected by hunger has risen by 200 million globally”.

    Incredibly disingenuous.

    NATO countries military spending is way down when adjusted for inflation. hardly anyone is spending 2% as agreed

    the percentage of people in poverty is at the lowest level due to globalisation

  14. For those who don’t know, NATO – the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation – is a military alliance set up during the Cold War as a counter against the aggression and exapanionism of the Soviet Union, and, after the fall of the USSR, of Russia.

    Now, if we all think very, *very* carefully, we might be able to think of a reason why NATO spending has gone up in the last few years. Since, oh, I don’t know, February 2022.

  15. We need to have a grown up national debate on joining NATO in my opinion.

    Why do we think we’re special and not subject to the same threats that forced the Swedes and Finns to join?

  16. I suggest he travels to some border towns in Sweden, Estonia, and Lithuania etc, and tell them the same thing. See what they make of that sentiment.

    Especially as we freeload off of NATO forces

  17. Ah yeah , Putin wouldn’t be having the children starving.

  18. It’s mad how someone can get away with being so out of touch while being president when you look like a nice jolly little frail old man.

  20. Insufferable arrogance at a time when most of Europe is worrying about Russia, and that gobshite Trump is now also talking about attacking smaller countries. It’s heading back towards the 1800s, and small countries didn’t do well in that period – we should hope the EU and NATO sticks together.

  21. I really like MD and think he was a great President but this comment is very disingenuous and disconnected from reality.

    NATO spending was down every year for over 2 decades and only started going up now not because NATO nations want it to but because Russia is a threat again and our trade routes are getting blocked in some seas and undersea resources are at risk.

    We as a nation really need to get a cop on and realise the ONLY reason we can afford to not spend on defence is because NATO, Especially the UK are all around us and we are the most isolated nation on earth from a threat even more so the NZ and Australia who deal with China in their trade routes.

    If anything we need to spend a lot more on defence so we can patrol our own waters and skys.

  22. Easy to say when you live thousands of kilometers away from russia’s borders.

  23. Nato has to provide protection for the notern Atlantic fibre optic routes cuase the Irish navy simply can not

  26. Condemning an organisation that the vast majority of your neighbours belong to and see as absolutely vital to their security is a bold diplomatic move

  27. Breathtaking naivety, I guess expected from him but people in power in Europe seriously need to wake the fuck up.

  29. He’s a soft academic tankie. Always has been.

  30. I can feel Ireland’s obsession with this guy starting to fade.

  31. Does he know that the lads in the Kremlin aren’t socialists any more.

  32. I wonder how much does our Mick D donate of his fine big salary to the hungry and his multiple pensions that he will receive later this year

  33. Moron – how long more do we have it suffer this obnoxious windbag ? Our very own Biden and yet another example there should mandatory age term limits for these political roles. The arrogance to throw slieveen digs at the first entity we would go begging and screaming to should the unthinkable happen us. Leftie free loaders like Higgins who have screwed the public purse all their careers sitting on his 3 ? 4? 5? Public sector pensions having the audacity to criticise the only security block standing between Ireland / EU and the communist despots whom Higgins will probably send condolences to just like he sent Castro…..horrible little man.

  34. The more he speaks the more I despise him.
    An odious creature with a giant case of small syndrome.

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