Tomás Ó Flatharta

Most left-wing forces in Ireland favour a foreign policy called Neutrality

This is inaccurate language.

Most Irish people understand Neutrality to mean opposition to military alliances such as NATO, opposition to Irish participation in imperialist adventures abroad, and opposition to general imperialist rearmament.

This policy is 100 per cent correct.

But this policy is not “Neutrality”.

Neutrality – A Clear Definition

The state of being neutral or of being unengaged in a dispute or contest between others; the taking of no part on either side; in international law, the attitude and condition of a nation or state which does not take part directly or indirectly in a war between other states, but maintains relations of amity with all the contending parties.

is the quality or state of being neutral, particularly in the context of not participating in a conflict or war between other parties. It involves maintaining an impartial stance and not favoring any side in a dispute.

Source – Wordnik
Neutrality – Wordnik Definition

A chicken comes home to roost in connection with approving a loan to Ukraine (See below).

The left must not be “neutral” when imperialist powers attack smaller nations

“Ukraine, Palestine, Occupation is a Crime”.

In all these cases using the words Irish neutrality is nonsense – and there are plenty of similar cases.

That means the left in Ireland should say it favours a policy of “Non-Alignment” – as opposed to a policy of “Neutrality”.

It is better to use honest language.In fact, it is my understanding that exactly this observation was made by a tiny band of leftists in Ireland during World War 2. It meant, in those far-off days, saying Yes to Irish Neutrality, and Yes to Anti-fascism (concretely : in favour of political asylum in Ireland for victims of the German Nazis).

We reproduce two important posts issued by UNDI – Ukrainian Diaspora of Ireland.

John Meehan February 1 2026

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Protest in Dublin: Solidarity with the People of Iran Against the Ayatollah Regime

Friends, Ukrainians and Irish people!

Our Iranian friends are organizing a peaceful solidarity protest with the people of Iran, who are now bravely fighting against the inhuman regime of the ayatollahs. We call on everyone to join and show that freedom will not be left without support.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1E7stavfCH/

For weeks, the regime has been shutting down the internet to hide the mass killings of peaceful protesters. Hospitals are being terrorized, and people are being shot simply for shouting: “Woman, Life, Freedom!” Over the past weeks, thousands have been killed — one of the largest crimes against a country’s own population happening in the world today.

This is our shared struggle. The ayatollahs supply Putin with thousands of Shahed drones and military technologies used in the war against Ukraine, while Russian security services help them remain in power. Every act of solidarity sends a clear message: dictators will not go unpunished, and peoples will not be left alone in fear.

Why it is important to be there:

To support people who risk their lives for freedom.

To show that Ukrainians stand with those fighting against repression and terror.

To strengthen international pressure on a regime that commits violence against its own citizens.

To demonstrate unity against tyranny: the freedom of Iran is part of the global struggle for rights and dignity — a struggle Ukraine understands deeply.

Location: O’Connell Street Upper, Dublin

Date: 1 February 2026

Time: 12:00 – 13:00

Come with flags, posters, your voice and your heart. Every person present is a force of support for those fighting for life and dignity.

Glory to Ukraine!

Freedom for Iran!

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Sinn Féin’s Dangerous Double Standards on Ukraine

The Ukrainian community in Ireland is watching closely how political parties respond to Russia’s war against Ukraine. Activist Garrett Mullan highlighted the issue in his post: https://www.facebook.com/share/1B5EoYFpoL/. Sinn Féin published pro-Russian statements for years, and only after the full-scale invasion in 2022 did they remove thousands of old articles from their website: https://www.independent.ie/…/sinn-fein…/41443385.html.

At the time, this was clearly embarrassing for the party, but even worse would have been if the public had seen Sinn Féin’s real positions. Mary Lou McDonald tried to align the party with the consensus supporting Ukraine and appeared at a few rallies outside the Russian embassy, but most party representatives stayed on the sidelines.

Now Pearse Doherty shows what Sinn Féin really represents today. According to his statement in the Dáil: https://www.thejournal.ie/eu-loan-to-ukraine-pearse…/, he wants to cut funding to Ukraine — even as 600,000 households in Kyiv remain without electricity in -20°C temperatures. He complains that EU funds are used for military purposes — but what else should they be used for when a neighboring country is bombing homes, schools, hospitals, and critical infrastructure?

These are double standards, and they put Europe’s stability at risk. Supporting Ukraine is not charity — it is an investment in Europe’s security.

We thank Garret Mullan for speaking out clearly and courageously. Political parties must take a firm and consistent stance in support of Ukraine. Actions matter: financial aid, political advocacy, and countering Russian propaganda all strengthen Ukraine and defend Europe.

Silence or half-measures only help the aggressor. It’s up to all of us to stand on the side of freedom and justice. Ukraine’s fight is Europe’s fight, and every voice and action counts.

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Dáil Éireann Supports Funding for Ukraine, January 27 2026

Pearse Doherty TD (Sinn Féin) is mistakenly implying that the funding is mostly for arms. The €210 billion allocation prioritizes industry integration (industry, of course, will include military production), financial stability and loan repayments.

Category	Amount	Purpose
Industry integration	€115 billion	Expand Ukraine’s manufacturing capacity and integrate into Europe’s, with “Buy European & Ukrainian” rules limiting non-EU/EEA/Ukraine components to 35%.
Macro-financial assistance	€50 billion	Direct budget support to cover financing gaps and maintain state functions.​
G7 ERA loan repayment	€45 billion	Repay prior G7 loans using immobilized Russian asset revenues.​

Read details of a Dáil Debate – .Link :

Dáil Debate, January 27 2026, Aid to Ukraine

John Meehan February 1 2026

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An interesting update – thanks to Brendan Ogle :

A Ukrainian veteran living in Ireland posted in reply to Sinn Fein’s new Ukraine position. Being anti-imperialist means opposing all imperialism, not just British, American and Israeli imperialism.

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I am a veteran of the Ukrainian army. I was wounded on the front line, I lost my leg, my health and the life I once had. My hometown is 15 kilometers from the war zone, people are dying every day, houses are collapsing. Russia has turned our future into ruins. So when I hear Sinn Féin talking about cutting support for Ukraine, I don’t hear “neutrality” or “peace” – I hear betrayal and a direct gift to Putin. Undermining aid to Ukraine means continuing the war, more missiles on civilians, more children killed, more soldiers losing limbs, as happened to me. Supporting Ukraine is supporting the life and security of Europe, and anyone who plays with that is on the wrong side of history.

Link : https://www.facebook.com/camilo.ogle

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A new update :

Excerpt from a reliable media source “Both the Labour Party and the Social Demo­crats asked for assur­ances that Ire­land’s ele­ment of the loan would be aligned with our policy of mil­it­ary neut­ral­ity.

Junior Min­is­ter Marian Har­kin said: ‘The Gov­ern­ment will ensure the fund­ing provided by Ire­land is aligned with our well-estab­lished policy of mil­it­ary neut­ral­ity as has been the case to date.’

Sinn Féin voted against the motion, as did Inde­pend­ent Ire­land TDs and People Before Profit and Aontú. The vote was car­ried by 92 to 38, with the Social Demo­crats and Labour Party vot­ing with the Gov­ern­ment.

Accord­ing to the European Com­mis­sion’s web­site, Ire­land con­trib­uted €3.69bil­lion to the over­all EU budget in 2023, which stood at around $248bil­lion for all 27 mem­ber states that year. This amounts to 1.48% of the EU budget. This would mean that should Ire­land have to cover its por­tion of the loan to Ukraine, it would pay around €1.3bil­lion.” – Irish Daily Mail

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