Does it still exist? Is neutrality relevant post Cold War?
RTE News
The Defence Forces are currently on joint EU operated mission under UN mandate. This seems to be more peace enforcement that peace keeping. Does this breach neutrality?
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Does it still exist? Is neutrality relevant post Cold War?
RTE News
The Defence Forces are currently on joint EU operated mission under UN mandate. This seems to be more peace enforcement that peace keeping. Does this breach neutrality?
There's a different war now, the First World vs. Third World war.
Ireland are, unfortunately, not neutral. We're not in NATO but we let the US use Shannon. This is favourable treatment. Would we let Iran stop planes here?
I don't believe UN peace-keeping is a breach of neutrality. It's more there to help those troubled areas. NATO peace-keeping would be a different kettle of fish.
Surely, a neutral army wouldn't have an army. I mean if you're neutral you won't be fighting wars and therefor you don't need an army.
Personally I think neutrality is pointless post Cold War. I also have no problem with peace enforcement. If the EU decided to lets say enter Burma to stop more affected by the Cyclone dying I would want Ireland to participate.
I believe UN mandated missions cannot break Neutrality rules in the Constitution. US invasion of Iraq is on shaky ground regarding UN mandate.
If say Al Queda attacked Ireland & used Shannon as an excuse would we still remain neutral?
We're not, we allow American army planes to land in Shannon, we've allowed 'torture jets' to land in Shannon, we're another one of America's 'special friends'. If it came down to it Al Queda have more than enough justification (in their eyes) to attack us
Maybe for defence?Quote:
Originally Posted by superfrank
With all respect to the IDF who would we be able to successfully defend ourselves from?Quote:
Originally Posted by Da Real Rover
LuxemburgQuote:
Originally Posted by pete
Ireland vs Papua New Guinea...(from 1:30)Quote:
Originally Posted by pete
Any aerial attack I presume?Quote:
Originally Posted by jebus
Don't mess with these bad boys :D
Sorry TCM. I saw Maxwell's face and I can't watch that clip.
It looks like the IDF went over to Germany after WWII and picked up the left over Luftwafe and re-painted them.Quote:
Originally Posted by pete
Quote:
Originally Posted by jebus
:D In fairness I've seen bigger fishing boats than our our naval vessels. In fact my wife constantly takes the p!ss when she see's them leaving the harbour and asks if those are fishing rods the sailors are holding over their shoulders as they stand to attention on deck :D
We don't have an army nor do we need an army, we have a well armed, well trained defence force that would be the envy of any similarly sized nation.
Its easy to mock the air corps & the naval service but they are perfectly adequate for their roles, coastal patrols and fisheries protection, if the government spent a fortune on strike jets & aircraft carriers there'd be uproar because if would be complete overkill
The Government has gotten itself into an odd position regarding Neutrality when we allowed US fighters and bombers to re-fuel in Shannon, but I don't think we technically violated our Neutrality, surely that would of only been the case had Saddam been refused permission to re-fuel his bombers in the airport too
I think everyone accepts that. Would be more accurate if the navy rebranded as the coast guard. I think the future of the army is smaller better trained & equipped numbers.Quote:
Originally Posted by Wangball
I don't think violation of neutrality would in anyway compromise our UN missions. I doubt people in Chad know or care we are neutral.
We don't need an army because we're not independent. Just like Tatooine didn't have an army. The EU Stormtroopers will protect us!
Trust BP to invoke the Holy TrilogyQuote:
Originally Posted by BohsPartisan
someone asked who we'd need to defend ourselves against? well for one the Irish Army's Presence on the Border in years gone by was a deterrent to the BA to stop them crossing the Border at will
So you think they're not trained well enough now? Any reasons for this?Quote:
Originally Posted by pete
we are not neutral nation, we have allowed american fighter jets to re-fuel at shannon for many years - i would of been in favour of irish participation in WW2 as well , please don't slate me for this - but i honestly believe our country suffered economically because of this in the post-war period, since our inclusion to the EU in 72,unfortunately some will disagree with my views but ultimately we suffered because of this,
You can try back up the claim if you don't want to be slted for it. also we didn't join in 1972Quote:
Originally Posted by Royal rover
Oh and allowing us planes to refuel doesn't affect our nuetrality, it would only affect our nuetrality if we refused other countries leave to refuel
irish Neutrality? what you are having a laugh
What with shannon and the boys in Chad doing the work for the french army
What is the big deal, send them off and fight, sure what do we have an army for anyway
rather than they drink all the time
Well said, we're neutral until such a time that we refuse any enemy of the US from refueling in Shannon on their way to bomb the StatesQuote:
Originally Posted by Dodge
Ask an Irish Defence Force member and they will tell you that they are already stretched as it is.Quote:
Originally Posted by pete
Believe it or not but the IDF does alot of work behind the scenes that is not recognised.
Their intelligence wing moniters alot of criminal activity in Ireland, especially the new threat from Eastern European Criminal gangs. Not much goes by without these boys monitering it.
I agree with you copletely until the bit where you said you were in favour of Irish participation.Quote:
Originally Posted by Royal rover
Since when do we decide our military position due to financial insentives?
We shouldn't, and normally I'd agree that Ireland should have gotten involved to stop a superpower expanding throughout Europe (including our own island). That said we still had our noses bloodied by British occupation, and the Civil War, so I don't think we had the stomach for World War Two at that timeQuote:
Originally Posted by Da Real Rover
Over stretched and underpaid yet always professionalQuote:
Originally Posted by Da Real Rover
I find it hard to disagree on that point, we should of gotten involved, anyone who thinks Hitler would of stopped with Britain had he been successful is just being naiveQuote:
Originally Posted by jebus
Whats that old saying "Nuetral in favour of the allies..."
Not a pop at the army at all but with better equipment comes better training - probably more need for specialised units.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dodge
Anyone else think we must be high enough on the Al Queda hitlist? I mean we allow American torture planes land in Shannon, there are always loads and loads of military in the lounge out there, and we have that connection with American. Not too much of a stretch to see Bin Laden and his boys twirling the globe for their next bombing and landing on us is it? If that happens I wonder where our 'we're neutral' claims will get usQuote:
Originally Posted by Dodge
Dramaqueen much? Don't get me wrong I'd like to see the american refuelings stop. But if anybody thinks we're in the top 10 nations for al queda to target they might want to read an international newspaper.Quote:
Originally Posted by jebus
As long as we continue to condemn israel for attacking Palestine we'll be OK...
Careful Dodge, remember in 2005 Ireland football fans having flags of a legitimate recognised democratic nation being removed from them in Lansdowne at the insistence of zionist mossad agents.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dodge
I disagree, with the information that was available to the Free State at the time they made the right decision in not partaking in the war.Quote:
Originally Posted by jebus
Let people not forget that the Allied European Super powers were expansionist aswell, just not on the European continent. Does that make them any better? Not in my eyes. That was a war of the Empires, we had no place in that war.