Triple Lock: Government locked in negative thinking

The Irish government is making its move in September to abolish the Triple Lock (Government, Dáil, and UN) on the deployment of Irish soldiers overseas. Tánaiste Micheál Martin has said that the draft legislation will be ready by “the first week of September”, when it will be considered by the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence. This is a critical move in further watering down Irish neutrality and preparing the Republic to participate in EU and NATO led military actions.

Peace groups, in a statement coordinated by Afri, have expressed alarm https://www.afri.ie/category/triplelock/ – it concludes “We call on the government to respect voter wishes and to prevent any erosion of neutrality through the dismantling of the Triple Lock, and to ensure that these widely held concerns are made present in the Joint Committee’s and further deliberations.” The above link has a list of TDs and their emails for making representations to them – which Afri has urged people to do. A further piece there describes a bit of the background – “The Seville Declaration on the Nice Treaty in 2002 spelt out the ‘Triple Lock’, requiring UN authorisation along with Government and Dáil approval if our troops are deployed overseas. This assurance was repeated in 2009 to get the Lisbon Treaty approved, but the promised ‘Lisbon Protocol’ of 2013 merely redescribed that Treaty, without even mentioning the Triple Lock. The present Government’s Programme reaffirmed the Triple Lock, its key resting in the People’s hands; now they propose to unpick the UN lever without reference back to us.”

An excellent recent detailed article on the Triple Lock by Niamh Ní Bhriain is available at https://www.tni.org/en/publication/saving-the-triple-lock and this carefully demolishes government arguments for abandoning it.

A logo produced for Afri which can be freely used in defence of the Triple Lock is available via https://www.flickr.com/photos/innateireland/53941857477/in/dateposted/

The PANA/Peace And Neutrality Alliance’s pamphlet on the Triple Lock is available at their website www.pana.ie

The government-run Consultative Forum on International Security Policy of June 2023 is generally seen as attempting to provide a fig leaf for the change but it is disputed that it even did that. See https://www.flickr.com/photos/innateireland/albums/72177720309217408/with/53008092883 and for a report by StoP on it see https://innatenonviolence.org/wp/2023/10/18/stop-report-on-consultative-forum-on-international-security/

Lex Innocentium 21^st Century: Launch in Birr and Lorrha

21^st September, International Day of Peace, sees the launch of Lex Innocentium 21^st Century, a modern take on the 697 CE ‘Law of the Innocents’ adopted by a church synod in Birr, Co Offaly. The new Law of the Innocents includes protection for the earth as well as human beings and is written in secular mode. The conference part of the programme will take place in Birr on the morning of 21^st September and the actual signing takes place in the afternoon in Redwood Castle, Lorrha, Co Tipperary, where in the early 17^th century Micheál Ó Cléirigh, co-writer of the Annals of the Four Masters, travelled to find out more about Adomnán and the Law of the Innocents.

The law includes the statement that it is a “people’s law, a moral law, a law of principle, that can be used by individuals and groups to highlight failures of governments around the world to save humanity from the scourge of war; to call governments and international leaders to account for those failures; and to challenge all those who have a vested interest in the instigation, justification and normalization of war.”

Speakers in Birr in the morning include; James Houlihan on the history of Adomnán; Rob Fairmichael on Irish peace history; Ed Horgan on the human cost of war; Eamon Rafter on the financial cost of the military-industrial complex; Sylvia Thompson (Tralee) on the cost to the environment and the future. At Lorrha, the new law will be read by John Maquire. Participation is free, donations welcome, and full details of the new 21^st century law, the launch, the background, and booking for the day, can be found at https://lexinnocentium21.ie/ Following the launch, people everywhere, anywhere in the world, will be invited to sign the new law – visit the website to do so later.

Aldergrove: Part of the Western war machine

Belfast International Airport at Aldergrove is very much part of the western military infrastructure. Ed Horgan reports that on 29^th August there were at least 7 US military aircraft landing at Aldergrove airport outside Belfast, including 6 Hercules C130’s, all coming from Dyes air force base near Abilene in Texas and flying on to Ramstein US air base in Germany and at least four of these heading on from there to the Middle East. There was also a C 17 Globemaster coming from Norfolk naval air station Virginia which later flew on to Rzeszow airport in south East Poland near the border with Ukraine which is the main NATO supply airport for weapons and munitions to Ukraine. Ed Horgan vocalised peace movement concern that Aldergrove Airport is being used increasingly by the US military in support of unjustified wars and genocide. See e.g. https://www.facebook.com/veteransforpeace.org.ie

Shannon: A summer of vigils, continued resistance

Every weekend in July and August saw all-day anti-war vigils at Shannon Airport, https://www.flickr.com/photos/innateireland/53854341990/in/dateposted/ and it is hoped to continue this on Sundays in September – including at 2pm on Sunday 8^th September when there is a national demo there with the theme ‘Stop Arming Israel – No weapons or military flights to Israel through Shannon!’ https://www.shannonwatch.org/content/stop-arming-israel-national-mobilisation-shannon-airport

Action Against War, Cork

A new campaign group has been established in Cork, initially under the auspices of the Cork Neutrality League. Action Against War (AAW) will campaign against Ireland’s and the EU’s increasing militarism and in defence of neutrality. AAW aims to to build a united front against militarism and war involving campaign groups (including Palestine-solidarity groups, anti-racism groups, tenants’ groups), trade unions, left political parties, student groups and other progressive associations and individuals. Along with Cork Palestine Solidarity Campaign they organised a protest on 8^th August at Collins Aerospace (a Cork subsidiary of RTX Corporation – formerly Raytheon). https://www.flickr.com/photos/innateireland/53919710025/in/dateposted/ Contact: Dominic Carroll corkneutralityleague@gmail.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/action.against.war_/ This is a shorter version of an item in the August news supplement.

l It has since been revealed that Collins Aerospace has a role in the development of a new NATO helicopter. https://www.irishtimes.com/business/2024/08/15/irish-company-involved-in-concept-study-for-new-nato-helicopter/

MII conference for Belfast, 18^th – 19^th October

The annual conference of the Mediators’ Institute of Ireland (MII) takes place in Belfast from 18^th – 19^th October, the first time north of the border, with the title ‘Broadening our perspective on mediation’. It includes a session on ‘The role of mediators in conflict zones’ with input from Cathy Ashton, Nita Yawanarajah, and Pat Hynes. There is a varied programme, details of which are at https://www.themii.ie/mii-annual-conference-2024-broadening-our-perspective-on-mediation-2/

World Beyond War: Award to TCD SU, Resisting US military empire

World Beyond War (WBW) has given the 2024 Youth War Abolisher Award to Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union. In May, 2024, Trinity College agreed to fully divest from Israeli companies over a period; this followed a tent encampment protest on campus that was part of a movement at campuses in several countries. For this and news of the other awards see https://worldbeyondwar.org/war-abolisher-awards-of-2024-announced-presentation-scheduled/ The WBW annual international conference takes place, including remotely, from 20^th – 22^nd September on the theme “Resisting the USA’s military empire”, see https://worldbeyondwar.org/nowar2024/

Jeremy Corbyn at Galway commemoration of Hiroshima

Video of Jeremy Corbyn speaking on 3^rd August at the GAAW/Galway Alliance Against War commemoration of the Hiroshima bombing can be found at https://www.facebook.com/100003639263343/videos/900703115224421/

Good Relations Week in the North, 16^th – 22^nd September

Good Relations Week in Northern Ireland is used as a showcase for the work done by may different projects. The theme this year is “OpportUNITY” and for full info see https://goodrelationsweek.com/

Nuclear ‘Russian roulette’ in Ukraine

Chernobyl Children International (CCI) has again warned of the enormous dangers posed by threats to nuclear plants in Ukraine following a drone strike and fire at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant on 12^th August. Adi Roche of CCI has repeatedly spoken of the danger of Zaporizhzhia becoming another Chernobyl and that “The inferno at Zaporizhzhia reflects a worrying trend emanating from this war, where nuclear facilities have been weaponised and brought into the increasingly volatile and unpredictable combat zones, signifying to the world that the nature of modern warfare has changed forever, and brings with it a sense of foreboding for wars of the future.” Since the beginning of the war and the invasion of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in February 2022, CCI have been advocating for all nuclear facilities be deemed a ‘No War Zone’ and for world leaders to invoke the Hague Convention which defines any attack on a nuclear facility to be a ‘war crime’. https://www.chernobyl-international.com/

Feasta ‘Rethinking Growth’ videos

Videos of the sessions at the ‘Rethinking Growth – Towards a wellbeing economy for Ireland’ conference in late June are available at https://rethinking-growth.ie/ and the main Feasta website is at https://www.feasta.org/

Season of Creation – Worldwide….including Kerry

This is the worldwide Christian ‘Season of Creation’ which runs from 1^st September to 4^th October; lots of resources can be found in and via Eco Congregation Ireland at https://www.ecocongregationireland.com/2024/07/31/resources-for-season-of-creation-2024/ One example event, organised by the Diocese of Kerry, is a webinar at 7.30pm on 12^th September with Dr. Niamh Brennan sharing on ‘To hope and act with Creation’, see https://www.dioceseofkerry.ie/2024/08/season-of-creation-webinar-to-hope-and-act-with-creation/ for info and booking.

Action for Peace and Climate Justice

The first global Week of Action for Peace and Climate Justice, coordinated by the Arms, Militarism and Climate Justice Working Group, will take place from 21 -28 September, 2024. This initiative aims to connect peace and climate justice movements, raise awareness of the links between militarism and climate breakdown, and foster collective action for a sustainable world. This year’s theme, “Divest from War – Invest in Climate Justice,” promotes redirecting military spending to climate action. See https://climatemilitarism.org/weekofaction/ Source: QCEA https://www.qcea.org/