Regards, Ivan
Posted on 03/21/2003 5:38:51 AM PST by MadIvan
IRELAND'S economic and political interests were best served by not abandoning "our friends" in Britain and the United States, government leaders told the Dail yesterday.
During an often heated six-hour debate in which it was accused by the Opposition of supporting "illegal action" by George Bush and Tony Blair, the Government strongly defended its stance in continuing to allow the use of Shannon facilities for landing and overflights.
Though coming under fierce Opposition attack for "facilitating" war with Iraq, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and his ministers strongly defended their handling of the situation.
No coalition backbenchers broke ranks as the Government had clear-cut wins on several votes both on its own motion and on Opposition amendments.
PD Deputy Fiona O'Malley admitted she was "uneasy" about the continued use of Shannon but accepted such use did not breach the Constitution.
Fianna Fail TD Sean Haughey said the "moral" thing to do would be to withdraw the facilities but accepted IT could not be done at this time.
The government had taken the unusual step of publishing the legal advice to it from Attorney General, Rory Brady in which he said the provision of the Shannon facilities did not constitute "participation in a war" within the meaning of Article 28 (3) of the Constitution.
Mr Brady also advised the Cabinet that the absence of a second UN resolution on authorisation of military action did not, of itself, determine that "the US and UK legal position is not sustainable."
Mr Ahern told the House that in deciding to allow continued landing and overflight for US military aircraft at Shannon, the Government had taken into account "the present circumstances, the principles that underpin our foreign policy, our international relations and our broader national interests."
The Taoiseach said it would be "extraordinary" for Ireland to oppose the US in a way that even its harshest critics were not prepared to do.
"No other country is known to be contemplating the withdrawal of existing facilities from the US," he said.
And Tanaiste Mary Harney spoke of how deep the ties between the US, Britain and Ireland ran "historically, culturally, socially and economically" and said: "We accept their honesty. We trust them as friends. We want and need the continual engagement of the US and the British Government on our vital national interest.
"But we will surely put at risk the spirit and the strength of that engagement if we question their motives, their legality and their honesty at a time when they are asking their own citizens to put their lives at risk in war."
But Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said that while Ireland had a "special relationship" with the US and the strength of that needed to be re-stated, this relationship was not and never had been based on "economic subservience or international patronage."
He added: "At no time, up to and including the present day, has the US put Ireland under pressure to abandon our non-aligned status or our concept of neutrality as the litmus test of that relationship.
"These matters are for ourselves to decide," said Mr Kenny. "The reduction of that relationship to an implied coercive threat to bring us to our knees in post-war revenge for not allowing the use of Shannon is profoundly offensive to both partners in an historic trans-Atlantic link."
Ireland, he said, was a "free state" and not the 52nd State of the United States.
Labour leader Pat Rabbitte said although Ireland's relationships with the UK and the US were vital, it was important to be frank and express opposition to the war.
"I believe strongly that we have no choice but to express our friendship to them now by saying frankly and candidly, as we would to any friend, that they are profoundly wrong," he said. He claimed that in years to come Ireland would be ashamed at the role it was playing now."
Among the toughest anti-war speeches were those made by Green Party leader Trevor Sargent, Joe Higgins of the Socialist Party and Independent TD Tony Gregory.
But ministers Dermot Ahern and John O'Donoghue said the government had to make "hard, complex and difficult decisions."
Regards, Ivan
I always considered Puerto Rico our 52nd State, not Ireland. And I never thought they considered the U.S. treated them that way.
Ireland exports some fine people here to the States though!
Regards, Ivan
I'm sure the thousands of Irish men who joined the British Army during WWII would beg to differ.
You got that right. Besides, I have been to Ireland and they really seem to like Americans.
That's like giving the US a hard time for not helping the English fight Napoleon. I don't think the Irish stopped to reflect too much on what a dangerous madman Hitler was.
The Irish do have an army - you may have seen them in action: they were the extras in Braveheart (I'm not kidding).
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