Austrian ambassador: Taking part in European defence and security spend not a threat to neutrality

7 comments

1. This how you do your best to remain neutral in world full of bullies. 

2. He’s absolutely right. I’d even go as far to say you can’t be truly neutral while relying on the defence force of other countries for protection.

3. Who cares what the Austrian ambassador says. Seeing as Reddit is full of Gardai revenue and government bodies we all know the answers that will pile on here.
   They don’t govern our people nor are they a neutral country – tell me what the Swiss are doing ? That’s the only comparable

4. Is this just a journal.ie page literally does nothing but post their items

5. Freedom to be neutral means having friends.
   DeValera championed international collective defense by neutral and nonaligned countries.
   Being isolated isn’t some kind of Golden ideal.
   With the political situation in the UK and the prospect of a Farage fascist government plus US land grabs and tariff/ war teasing we can’t just rely on being protected by the UK anymore.
   Unfortunately that means money to defense and international alliances.

6. It’s time Ireland abandoned neutrality and aligned more with western Europe to oppose Russia.

7. We’re not truly neutral and we never really have been.

   Even in WW2, the example everyone loves to parrot regarding Irish neutrality, we materially supported the Allies while providing no such support to the Axis.

   We’re part of NATO’s Partnership for Peace program and we follow NATO STANAG standards.

   We periodically have troops and observers over from other NATO countries to see how Irish troops train and to offer guidance.

   We rely on British, Norwegian and American air and naval assets to safeguard our airspace and territorial waters.

   We are a part of the Nordic battle group of the EU.

   And so on and on. To say with a straight face that Ireland is a neutral country is utterly farcical. We’re defenceless, not neutral.