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.
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”.
We should, for example be
For Palestine and Ukraine – Against USA and Russian Imperialism.
For Greenland against USA, Russian and Danish imperialism
For Iran against USA Imperialism
For Venezuela Against USA imperialism..
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
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.
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!
Protest in Dublin, GPO: Solidarity with the People of Iran Against the Ayatollah Regime February 1 2026Protest in Dublin, GPO: Solidarity with the People of Iran Against the Ayatollah Regime, February 1 2026
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.
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.
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.
…………..
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.
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
In a Facebook discussion, the Swiss eco-socialist activist Chris Zeller points out that the British “Your Party” makes no statement about climate change which threatens humanity – I wonder has the Catherine Connolly presidential campaign in Ireland made a climate change declaration?
Chris’s statement, which I endorse ” I have the impression that “Your Party” is no exception. In several European countries, we see that the traditional left and the trade unions are more or less consciously putting the ecological challenge on the back burner. I would go so far as to argue that the fossil fuel backlash we are seeing in all key sectors of capital has eaten deep into the traditional left and the trade unions.
We are currently less far along than we were possibly in 2019. However, the Earth system is changing abruptly. The effects will pose a concrete threat to the physical survival of a significant portion of humanity in just a few decades. Yet the imperialist countries – including trade unions and the left – assume that the suffering will spread far away from our societies in Europe and North America.
This, of course, raises important strategic questions. My working hypothesis is that we urgently need to build a transnational revolutionary eco-socialist vanguard. We need collectives and organisations that vigorously oppose the fossil fuel backlash and the power of fossil fuel capital in general.”
Paul Murphy TD Advocates an Ecosocialist Revolution
Possibly Catherine Connolly makes a good start here :
Let’s have a little fun regarding the nomination campaign of the conservative far-right, anti-choice and racist candidate Maria Steen; Steen is a veteran or Ireland’s anti-choice movement; readers can stay up-to-date here :
“Independent Ireland is expected to make a decision tomorrow or Wednesday morning.
Their decision could influence whether other TDs or senators – rumoured to include a small number on the conservative wing of Fianna Fáil – would lend her their vote before the presidential nomination deadline of noon on Wednesday.” (RTÉ News Report).
The entire Fianna Fáil organisation is conservative – although occasionally it makes gestures towards the left. Between 2011 and 2018 the party leadership realised it had to dump a too close association with Catholic Church anti-feminism and the vile crime of institutional child abuse. It is continuing this tactic by nominating the high-profile Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) figure Jim Gavin to be President of Ireland. Gavin states he is pro-choice, pro same-sex marriage, and voted to lift the constitutional ban on abortion in 2018. These statements make him totally unacceptable to the Irish far-right, which includes Maria Steen and the Aontú party led by ex Sinn Féin TD Peader Tóibín, who is in charge of the Maria Steen bingo card. It is a racing certainty Steen will be on the presidential ballot – she has the nominations of 13 or 14 Oireachtas members plus 4 from the Irish Independent party.
The purpose of the meeting is to raise money for the work of the Samantha Smith Group charity project. The project deals with a very important job: organizes free online English lessons for Ukrainian refugees.
Learn more about the life of the project here.
How does charity work?
We get together at the pub and enjoy hanging out, playing board games or just hanging out. At the entrance we pay for a ticket for 10 euros (or buy tickets in advance in the header of Samantha’s profile). All proceeds will go to support the project.
Even if we get 10 people, the project will be able to pay for its site for a whole year, so even a very small contribution can be significant!
This is a low risk event, we will not be photographing participants.
So come on out and bring your friends!
See you on June 29 at 15.00. At Black Sheep Pub!
P.S. If you have cool tables at home – bring them, we will definitely try
Irish Left With Ukraine co-operates with Free Russians Ireland.
Irish Left With Ukraine, Return Abducted Ukrainian Children Demonstration, June 1 2025, The Spire DublinDes Dertwin speaks, Return Abducted Ukrainian Children Demonstration, June 1 2025, The Spire DublinReturn Abducted Ukrainian Children Demonstration, June 1 2025, The Spire Dublin
We are delighted to publish a third tribute to Cathleen O’Neill on this blog – this time written by Shalim Malekmian for the Dublin Inquirer, May 14 2025. Thanks to Therese Caherty, who drew it to our attention
“A force bigger than life itself,” said a eulogy by O’Neill’s friend Carmel Jennings. “Working-class warrior,” said Rita Fagan, another friend of O’Neill’s.
A large pram is parked beside the door at 58 Amiens Street.
In a room on the left of the entrance, a baby boy wobbles on the ground, about to crawl.
Downstairs, toddlers play and chat with workers at the crèche in Saol Project, an education and support hub primarily for women grappling with drug addiction – but also those experiencing poverty and homelessness.
In the kitchen, patties sizzle in a pan. Most of the kids who come to Saol are children of its service users.
That’s what Cathleen O’Neill, its co-founder, wanted, said Paula Kearney, a training programme team leader at Saol, recently, sitting in the building’s backyard near a barbeque grill.
O’Neill wanted Saol to look after their kids so that women had time and space to recover and thrive, she said.
Two decades ago, O’Neill would bustle up and down the stairs at the old building, shows Born Bolshy, a 2002 documentary about her life by the late director Louis Lentin, saved in RTÉ’s archives.
“If you can! Alright, Mary. Thanks a million, bye, bye, bye, bye,” says O’Neill, before hanging up the phone at a tiny office in Saol.
We are delighted to publish a second tribute to Cathleen O’Neill on this blog – this time written by Lorna Siggins for the Sunday Independent, May 11 2025.
All who attended the funeral will remember the hilarious stories and moving tributes. Cathleen, in lock-step with her campaigning friend and activist Joan Byrne, was fearless.
Cathleen O’Neill, who has died aged 76, was a witty, irreverent and tireless activist, author and advocate for social change whose passion for education and opportunity transformed countless lives.
Described as an “organic intellectual” by Professor Kathleen Lynch of UCD, she said she was one of a rare few experts whose ideas were informed by their own working-class background. She was born and reared in Ballyfermot, Dublin, as the eldest of 13 children, but said in an Irish Times interview in September 2012 that her life “began at 33”.
Deepest condolences to all Cathleen’s family, friends, feminists, socialists, community activists and neighbours. She was a true warrior for all sorts of progressive causes. a very inclusive person, good singer, and unafraid to speak very plainly and politely when it was necessary. She was great company. There are great memories. She helped make Kilbarrack Dublin and Ireland a better place, especially for women. John Meehan
I first met Cathleen in the mid 1980’s via her great friends Joe Kelly and Therese Caherty.
Here are a few memories
23 People launched The Alliance for a No Vote (ANV), October 6 2001 in Dublin. Ivana Bacik, a Trinity College Dublin (TCD) Law Professor, introduced the discussion. ANV spokespersons included Sinéad Ní Chúalacháin, Catherine Naji and Cathleen O’Neill.
Founding organisations :
Irish Family Planning Association; Irish Council for Civil Liberties Women’s Sub-Committee; Lawyers for Choice; Cork Women’s Right to Choose Group; Dublin Abortion Rights Group; Women’s Education Research & Resource Centre, UCD; Pro Choice Campaign; Socialist Party; Workers’ Solidarity Movement.
Bertie Ahern’s government tried to sneak in an anti-choice amendment to the Irish constitution overturning a 1992 Supreme Court decision which made abortion in Ireland legal in certain circumstances – the X Case Judgement. The pro-choice side won.
A whistleblowing contact has supplied the workers’ movement with two letters which the Socialist Workers’ Party (SWP) Central Committee is sending to members in Britain. There is no need for members of the organisation’s sister parties, such as the Irish Socialist Workers’ Network (SWN), to read these documents. They are strictly confidential.
We Demand Change Summit and the need to build confidence that the SWP has changed.
A friend has begun vital work – examination of the 2025 FFFGBG Programme for Government, which contains lots of measures these parties did not propose during the recent general election campaign.
Alarming things
The programme for government has a few alarming things in it – (and the government has a few alarming people in it) eg there’s lots of commitment to reduce carbon emissions alongside actions and plans that will directly increase carbon emissions. There’s a bunch of mangled science around the particular characteristics of methane and it’s basically a valentine card to those involved in data center construction.
Shutting people up over Israel’s genocide
It also has a commitment to recognise a particular and highly contested definition of anti- semitism which would help those who want us to shut up about Israel’s genocide and occupation – and which was as far as I can remember not part of any single party or politician’s election platform. It would be very interesting to find out how and from where and on whose request this made it into the programme.
Louisiana’s governor Jeff Landry issued a deadly threat to the people living in the city of New Orleans :
This story – dateline November 13 2023, did not hit international headlines.
By contrast, on January 1 2025, we are in the middle of a breaking story about another mass shooter event in an American city : at least ten people are dead because an assassin opened fire into New Orleans citizens celebrating the new year.
The city of New Orleans uses the Mississippi River as drinking water. Our current governor (Louisiana’s Jeff Landry) begged the state to remove funding from the city of New Orleans to fix the pumps and the decaying sewage and water system UNTIL the District Attorney agrees to prosecute women for abortions.
Must read article by @geauxgabrielle.bsky.social.“IN A HORRIFYING INTERSECTION OF REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE, JEFF LANDRY HAS URGED THE STATE TO WITHHOLD FUNDS BECAUSE OF HIS PERSONAL FEELINGS ABOUT REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS.”👇🏽
Location: O’Connell Street Upper, Dublin
Date: 1 February 2026
Time: 12:00 – 13:00
Tomás Ó Flatharta 