WAR will be an election issue

Press Statement
Peace & Neutrality Alliance (PANA)

In a statement issued today the Chair of the Peace & Neutrality said; "The war in the Middle East, the use of Shannon Airport in that war & the possibility of direct involvement of Irish troops in that war means that for the first time since 1914-18 Irish troops will be fighting and dying in an imperialist war. Dermot Ahern & Willie O’Dea should think long & hard before making such a commitment with Irish lives. In 2004 Jose Maria Anzar, Prime Minister of Spain, unexpectedly lost a general election to the Socialists on an anti war sentiment propelling Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero into power on foot of the Madrid bombings. Here too, war can & will become an election issue.

Ever since the decision of the current Fine Fail/PD Government to support the invasion & occupation of Iraq Ireland has not been a neutral state but an active ally of America’s new imperialism. The Irish Government is not content with having destroyed Irish Neutrality; it now proposes to send Irish soldiers as part of an "international" force to Lebanon, the purpose of which will be to fight side by side with the Zionists against the Lebanese resistance who are fighting to reclaim their own land.

The stark truth is that the current FF/PD Government has destroyed Irish Neutrality as exampled by its aiding of US foreign policy, furthering the militarization of Europe by legislative changes that will increase our participation in EU battle groups & by its support of an EU decision to cut off substantial aid to ordinary Palestinians because the US & Israel did not like that peoples democratic election results. Thanks to FF/PD policy Ireland has become nothing more than a vassal state of the US. Ironically, if our troops are sent to help Israel they will be nothing more than mercenaries. They will have gone from being an Army of Independence that fought the Black and Tans to becoming Black and Tans themselves."