McHugh says Ireland should be ‘an agent for peace, not war’

European election candidate, Saoirse McHugh, has called for Ireland to lead in International peace.

International peace is what keeps us safe and Ireland can be a leader in this field, according to the Independent candidate in the Midlands Northwest.

“We cannot compete militarily and nor should we, our neutrality and our position as a global advocate for peace and reconciliation are what can keep us safe” said Ms McHugh. 

“Of course, we should fund our defence forces adequately and ensure we are investing in cybersecurity but being part of an EU army or increasing our involvement with NATO will only put us at risk,” she added.

Defence has been a topic of discussion since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the European election candidate called the Government’s moves in removing Ireland’s triple lock, ‘a huge mistake’. 

“We already have US warplanes landing in Shannon every day, dozens of the components in weapons are manufactured in Ireland and are used to kill people in Gaza and elsewhere, so we’re not really neutral. If we really want to be safe, we should be protecting our neutrality, not undermining it,” she added.

This past week, Ireland recognised the State of Palestine, a move which has been welcomed by many, however McHugh believes pressure must be maintained.

“It’s a welcome move, but it must be followed by real action to send a clear message that Ireland is pro peace. We need to enact the occupied territories bill, stop exporting the dual use goods that are used in weapons, and get the US military out of Shannon. At EU level, we can push to rescind the EU Israel trade agreement and end the sale and supply of weapons to them.

“Boycotts and sanctions send a much stronger message than political gestures and have proven to be effective in the past. For a small country, Ireland has an oversized influence internationally and can be pivotal in creating a peaceful world, something that will keep us a lot safer than investing in bombs and guns,” she concluded.