THE RENEWAL OF the UN mission in Lebanon, combined with recent remarks by Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, have placed the Triple Lock back on the agenda.

The Triple Lock is the mechanism that requires Irish soldiers to have a UN mandate along with Dáil and Government approval before being sent overseas. The fact that the Government is proceeding with legislation to repeal the Triple Lock should be gravely concerning to all citizens.

Our Constitution prescribes that all power, under God, derives from the people. This is not simply an aspirational statement, but a real statement that goes to the core of the balance of power between the public and politicians. When the governments of the day tried to pass the Nice and Lisbon Treaties (in 2001 and 2008, respectively), Irish voters rejected them. Despite being supportive of the EU, people had grave concerns around neutrality and EU militarisation.

Each time, the referendum was re-run. Voters were clearly told that voting to ratify the treaties would be subject to the Triple Lock remaining in place. This was very important, because it meant that once provisions in the Lisbon Treaty on Permanent Structured Cooperation (“PESCO”) were activated, Irish troops would not serve under EU command unless there was a UN mandate.

Repealing the Triple Lock without a referendum is a betrayal of the commitment given to the Irish people. Our elected leaders need to remember that they are paid by, and derive their authority from, the people.

Without the Triple Lock, there is no limit to the number or types of missions Irish troops could be sent on, which is particularly worrying given the state of the world. Taoiseach Micheál Martin has recently stated that........

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