A striking intervention by Rear Admiral Chris Parry, reported in The Irish Times, has reignited debate over Ireland’s neutrality and its place in European security.
Speaking to MPs and peers in Westminster, the Falklands veteran argued that a united Ireland could weaken Britain’s strategic defences and embolden Russia and China in the North Atlantic.
Parry told parliamentarians that the loss of Northern Ireland’s geographic buffer would “deepen the threat to Britain” and claimed both Moscow and Beijing were already active around Irish waters. He went further, saying that NATO should consider conducting naval exercises in the Irish Sea even without Dublin’s approval, and urged Ireland to engage more directly with the alliance.
“I would say to the good people of Ireland: you’ve been independent for more than 100 years. Stop blaming the Brits. We have shared interests here,” he said, according to The Irish Times. “If anyone attacks Britain, they will attack Ireland. It is as simple as that. Neutrality cannot be seen as conscientious objection any more.”
The remarks, delivered at a Westminster briefing organised by the pro-union Together UK Foundation, drew attention from senior unionist figures, including DUP MP Sammy Wilson and former MP Nigel Dodds.
Parry’s argument that Ireland’s vulnerabilities could be exploited by hostile powers will likely prove controversial in Ireland, where debate over neutrality and defence cooperation with NATO has intensified since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
It seems that Irish politics has matured alot in the last five years however the never ending hatred of the British/English is still there in plane sight. However it very much seems that the Irish political establishment and much of it’s population is going off reunification because Northern Ireland has next to nothing to offer, its expensive to run and half the population hate the southern Irish in much the same way they hate the English for no good reason.
Irelands mascaraed of non armed neutrality does not sit well with large parts of its population who are European and outward looking however free riding on the security provided by others and living off “international profits” of other European countries as well as those in the global south remain at the core of the Irish state and are unlikely to change any time soon.
“ living off “international profits” of other European countries as well as those in the global south remain at the core of the Irish state and are unlikely to change any time soon.”
Everyone has Ireland in their sights on this.
40 years ago Ireland was a very poor country and that was the excuse for doing it.
Now there is no real excuse…..even plastic paddy Biden wasn’t too keen.
Really it is a matter of time before US or EU put a stop to it.
Sweden used to be neutral with credible armed forces!
Yes, it’s just unfortunate they can veto it in the EU. Internationally US profits don’t go through Ireland and big tech keeps the US on side for Ireland. Democrats like Biden see Ireland as virtuous in the way they look at Israel and Republicans love a tax haven.
Here in the North according to a poll earlier this year it still is a majority to remain in the union!a poll south of the border at roughly the same time found that approximately 64% favoured a unified Ireland until the costs were explained then the percentage dropped a good bit!
Both sides of the border have a say in this and have to agree to it happening.
Mark might be along with his take on it but it seems unification is still a long way off if ever!
I beat Mark to the comment. Political Unification is a ways away although economic unification was done a long time ago.
Dublin does run the island economically at the end of the day.
Doesn’t stop the people coming up at the weekend to Newry and Banbridge shopping centres for their goodies though😀
Even here in Portadown we get the booze cruisers stocking up for 6/12 months😂
It’s not the fact that they’re neutral that’s the problem. It’s that they won’t pay for their own defence.
They won’t. As long as they are sheltered by the UK they’ll refuse any sort of defence spending, I imagine it would take a collapse of the British, or even NATO defence structure for Ireland to spend (they saw no need even during ww2), and by then it’ll be too late.
Chris Parry is just highlighting what a lot of people in the EU, US and probably RoI already quietly know. Ireland has been blessed with benevolence by the EU and US for decades. The country’s so called Celtic Tiger economy has been built on sucking taxable profits out of other countries to pay much reduced rates of Corporation Tax in RoI. The EU has forced those tax rates up to 15% but that’s still below the EU average. Pressure will come from the EU and US (note, not the British) for the Irish to start ‘paying their dues’ (to use DJT type language). 😉
Is this the same Chris Parry that told Kate Jamieson to shut up and that she, a professional naval historian, couldn’t have an opinion due to not having served? Odious individual.
He isn’t a very pleasant person but he does seem to have a sensible idea from time to time.
IIRC he was the helicopter pilot who during the Falklands war depth-charged an Argentinian sub.
“Ireland: you’ve been independent for more than 100 years”
The generations that came after independence seem to be increasingly hostile towards the UK, Same for India, and Africa.