Fianna Fáil TDs and Senators have strongly endorsed the party’s traditional stance of military neutrality following a private meeting on Wednesday evening.
At a meeting of the parliamentary party, TDs said that Fianna Fáil should be publicly stating its commitment to neutrality, two sources said.
John Lahart was among those who made “strong contributions” on the topic, in advance of the start of the planned neutrality forums from Thursday onwards.
It is understood he told the meeting that the party should reaffirm that it is against military alliances, while also recognising that Ireland is in the 21st century and needs to co-operate on certain issues such as cyber security. He was backed by Senator Eugene Murphy.
‘Puppets of Putin’: Dáil suspended amid heated row over junior minister’s comments
Ireland receives just €11.6m in EU defence grants despite contributing many times that amount to fund
Ireland ‘scrutinising’ Russian diplomats’ visa applications amid spying concerns
Varadkar attends ‘Davos for Defence’ for first time to discuss neutrality and push for Gaza ceasefire
“The feeling in the meeting was that up and down the country, Fianna Fáil members are very much against any move towards Nato,” a source said.
The party meeting also heard concerns raised by Senator Lisa Chambers about certain aspects of the Government’s proposed hate crime legislation, with the meeting also hearing that constituency clinics are receiving calls from worried members of the public who are concerned about the reach of the Bill.
Fine Gael also held a parliamentary party meeting focused on the forthcoming budget, with a number of TDs stating that they want to see significant progress on reducing childcare costs in Budget 2024. It comes after Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said last weekend in an interview with The Irish Times that he was not sure if the Government could implement a full 25 per cent cut in childcare costs this October.
There were more than 30 contributions at the meeting.
Mr Varadkar said the Summer Economic Statement has not yet been drafted and so it was the “ideal time” for input from his party colleagues.
He said both a tax and spending package – while also setting money aside – can be achieved this year.
Mr Varadkar reiterated that he does not want to fuel inflation with an overly large budget package.
TDs and Senators outlined their demands for tax cuts, housing investment and childcare.
Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe said it was the “second time Fine Gael had a budget surplus”, and this year’s would be used responsibly and “to a high standard”.
On childcare, the meeting was told that expanding the availability of childcare is as important as further reductions in fees.
As previously reported, Fine Gael politicians are calling for welfare increases of between €15 and €20 in Budget 2024, as well as the extension of State supports for first-time buyers purchasing second-hand homes.
