Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
LAST UPDATE | 20 Jun 2023
TAOISEACH LEO VARADKAR has defended the Consultative Forum on International Security Policy being hosted this week as opposition TDs have labelled it “rigged” and said they’ve been excluded from the debate.
Varadkar, while speaking at a press conference about the Shared Island Fund today today, said that the forum is not about whether Ireland should join NATO or any other military alliance, but a “deep dive” into the state’s security policy.
An Taoiseach said that the country faces “very different threats” today and that he believes it’s time to begin to look at upgrading Ireland’s Defence Forces and putting investments in place.
Speaking outside Leinster House today, People Before Profit TD Mick Barry said he believes the forum is “rigged” and opposition leaders have been “excluded” from the speakers list.
“What is surprising is the breathtaking bias that is there in the speakers list,” Barry said
Barry also criticised the “audacity of the government” to choose such a speakers list as PBP feels there are not enough contrary voices speaking at the events.
Barry’s party colleague, TD Richard Boyd Barrett, said that the first investment into the Irish Defence Forces should be to increase the pay of of soldiers and to take on recent calls from the Women Of Honour for structural reform.
Boyd Barrett added: “Let’s also think; ‘What is the best protection for our troops on peacekeeping missions abroad?’ – I would argue the best protection for our troops abroad is the reputation of this country as a neutral country.
“[One] that is not aligned with any of the major military powers, whether it’s Russia, the United States, Britain, China, any of them.”
Both TDs also commended President Michael D Higgins’ critiques of the forum and said that the president rang the “alarm bells”.
Boyd Barrett said he agreed with Higgins’ suggestions of the forum and shared the view that the forum could lead the country to “abandon neutrality and move us closer towards NATO and a project of EU militarisation”.
An Taoiseach said today that there’s a “long standing convention” that Ministers do not criticise the President and will not breach the it and again confirmed that the forum is not about joining NATO.
Moderated discussions at the forum will be held among experts, such as academics from universities and researchers at think tanks such as the influential Chatham House.
For example, a debate on Thursday on cyber security two years after the attack on the HSE will be moderated by the head of the National Cyber Security Centre and involve Brigadier General Seán White, director of cyber defence at the EU Military Staff, and Richard Parker, vice-president of cyber security at Dell, the technology company.
The chair of the forum is Louise Richardson, an Irish counterterrorism expert who now works in philanthropy. She is a former vice-chancellor of Oxford University.
Speaking at the same event as the Taoiseach, Tánaiste Micheál Martin said the “entire purpose” of the consultative forum was to “generate debate” about Ireland’s foreign policy.
However, PBP believe the opposition has been “excluded” from this debate and argued that there was not enough contrary voices speaking at the consultative forum.
“This is something that we have been trying to ring the alarm bells about since this consultative forum was first mooted,” Boyd Barrett said
Both Barry and Boyd Barrett said they were displeased with the forum and feel it is “unashamedly one-sided” and suggested that less speakers, who they feel are “pro-war”, should be invited.
However, Boyd Barrett urged the public to read the biographies of the speakers as he believes up to six of the speakers have connections to NATO or directly work for the military alliance.
“It is absolutely stacked. In contrast, there is one speaker who is a known activist for the peace and neutrality and anti-war movements in this country,” Boyd Barrett said.
“No fair minded person could say that this forum is anything other than a stacked ready-up, designed to condition public opinion, away from neutrality and towards a closer military in alignment with NATO,” he added.
Martin said he doesn’t understand why Boyd Barrett, Barry and fellow party-member Paul Murphy are opposed to the forum and said he believes the consultative forum was the “right way to go because ultimately the Dáil can debate this as well”.
An Tánaiste described the forum as “transparent” as it provides expertise on “emerging trends”.
Boyd Barrett said he believes the “absolute minimum” the forum should have to create credibility and balance would be to include “at least one” voice from opposition, the non-aligned movement, anti-war or anti-militarisation organisations at each discussion during the forum.
Boyd Barrett added that he believes it couldn’t be clearer that the forum is designed to “push an an agenda of militarism and war.
The Consultative Forum on International Security will happen over four days, kicking off on Thursday in University College Cork. The remaining sessions will happen in the University of Galway on Friday, followed by two days in Dublin Castle next week.
Government sources said that 1,200 people have registered for the events and there have been 300 submissions.
There has been no change to the programme and all speakers continue to be committed, sources said.
The sessions will be live-streamed and members of the public have had the chance to register to attend, although places are limited. Members of the public can also make submissions in writing.
Additional reporting by Mia Douglas and Valerie Flynn
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
I hope she never sees the light of day again
The sickening thing is , she will .
Will she even do time I wonder
I doubt it. It’ll be a Suspended sentence
This is Ireland.
She’ll most likely, get a fully furnished new house to add to her previous portfolio of 3.
A new car.
A raise in her benefits.
New clothes.
And hundreds of thousands of Euro in medical and counselling expenses.
This woman does not deserve to call herself a mother. She’s nothing but a disgusting human. Fair play to those kids for going through with this case and sorry to hear this was allowed to carry on for so long.
How did she get bail? Vile human being, I hope she gets a proper sentence and the kids get the love and help they need.
How could this continue over time without something being done? Neighbours aware, school aware of issues. What did social services do here? This is madness.
Yes, Greg, I wonder what Social Services did here, and what the ISPCC did here, too.
It seems to just have been allowed to continue for 5 years.
It’s astounding, with Child Abuse supposedly being taken so seriously.
I can’t understand what makes someone do that to kids, any kids. I just hope that they get the love and attention that they deserve now as young adults.
Her defense team? Who paid for that I wonder?
Where is/are the father(s)?
How is this tolerated in the 21st century?
She may not even know who the fathers are.
Disgusting! Poor children, God love them
Why didn’t the neighbours report her?
What a twisted bitch
I heard some of the mothers defence evidence reported on the radio today in relation to the two boys having their hair pulled out by her…….
“She said the boys were exaggerating, yes, she said, she had to hold them forcibly in a headlock and it took some power to force the neck of the Fairy washing liquid bottle past their clenched teeth as they struggled and won’t allow her to pour the washing up liquid in their mouths because they said a rude word but she didn’t pull out clumps of hair”
That was her defence on that charge alone.
She didn’t see anything wrong with it, that was her defence………What an evil woman.
She is evil, I hope that she never gets out.
It wasn’t just her that failed the children, why were they left in her care for so long, why did it take so long to bring her to court?
Why was there a delay of 5 years from when social services got involved until the kids were taken from this vile evil woman
The poor kids. I hope they can go on to lead normal happy lives.
This evil piece of sc#m should be fed on bread and water for the rest of her miserable life
I hope she gets the help she needs, and for the children’s sake that she is able to establish a normal relationship with them in time.
Joe, I would say that the relationship is way beyond repair.
‘The help she needs’?!! Are you for real Joe?
Why is every perpetrator of horrific crimes given the tag of ‘victim’? Some people are just evil, nasty, deplorable animals and should be disposed of.
After witnessing first hand similar events above I can say from my own experience that forgiveness comes in time. May be a few years, may take decades, the child will still want to be loved / accepted by the parent. They may have a chance at a relationship of some sort depending on the child or no relationship at all depending on the child. The child will also feel a degree of guilt and responsibility even though the child is 100% innocent the guilt is still there.
The child’s want/need to be loved and wanted is huge if they can get that of the fosters career they may never look for their mothers love, but if they are shipped from home to home and only used by the foster career for money (some foster careers not all) then I feel the child future will be hard.
Exactly Colin some people are beyond help, evil will always be evil unfortunately the human race churns out the odd one every now and then, and unfortunately that evil can spawn innocent children.
Well said
Poor kids
have your say