Letter pubished in today's Belfast based Irish News.

In recent times our Irish government is doing all it can to end Irish neutrality against the wishes of the Irish people. The Fine Gael ard fheis passed a motion to effectively scrap the triple lock on sending Irish soldiers on overseas missions, by eliminating the need for a UN mandate. Our Defence Forces have become so run down due to lack of government support that it seems like our government wants to decommission our Defence Forces and invite Nato or a European Union defence alliance to defend our country thereby ending the sovereignty of the Irish people and the Irish state.

Our government’s unconstitutional agreement allowing the British Royal Air Force to engage in military operations within Irish sovereign airspace was just another step towards fully abandoning Irish sovereignty. The most serious ongoing breach of Irish neutrality has been our government’s decision in 2001 to turn Shannon Airport into a US forward air base to wage illegal wars in the Middle East.

A further retrograde step is due to happen this weekend.

Today four Nato warships of the Royal Netherlands Navy have been permitted to visit Cork harbour.

• HNLMS Karel Doorman (A833) will be docking at the Cobh Cruise Terminal.
• HNLMS Zeven Provincien (F802) is due to dock at Marino Point.
• HNLMS Groningen (P843) is due to dock at North Custom House Quay.
• HNLMS Van Amstel (F831) is due to dock at JJ Horgan’s Wharf.

The democratic republic that was hard fought for a century ago was meant to achieve government of the people, by the people, for the people. That vision seems to be rapidly disappearing in Ireland, Europe and in the wider world as the abuses of military power are replacing the rule of law and basic morality. Irish neutrality is suffering death by a thousand cuts.