Fine Gael MEP Gay Mitchell has called for an end to the "farcical eulogising" of the concept of neutrality, saying the Government's failure to put the options before the people would endanger the ratification of the EU constitutional treaty by referendum.
"Opponents of the constitution will seize on Government chaos to make wild charges and engage in scaremongering," Mr Mitchell said. "Who can forget the foreign tanks on the streets of Dublin which the Maastricht Treaty was supposed to preface or the compulsory conscription hidden in the Nice Treaty?"
He said the Government was refusing to initiate an honest debate, but it was now time to end "sloganeering and fear-peddling on this issue. The public should hear the arguments and make the decision."
The Government had failed to put the options concerning future defence and security policy before the Irish people, he added.
He denounced Fianna Fáil for adopting different sides of defence and security arguments when it suited.
"In opposition, Fianna Fail opposed Partnership for Peace and promised a referendum prior to Irish entry, only to backtrack once in government.
"In 2004 the Government failed to come clean on Irish involvement in the Iraqi war through the use of Shannon.
"Now the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Defence contradict each other as to possible constitutional implications of Irish involvement in UN battlegroups.
"Indeed, in some briefings sources within the Department of Defence have contradicted the do- nothing ramblings of their own Minister, Willie O'Dea."
Mr Mitchell said the Government should be seeking to shape EU policy so as to allow Ireland to join an EU common defence on a case-by-case basis.
He said the planned EU defence protocol should state that what is now Article 5 of the Treaty of the Western European Union (a commitment that all member states automatically are at war if one member state is attacked) should apply only to all of those member states which sign up for such an automatic provision.
This, he said, would presumably include all 21 member states which were also in Nato but would exclude the four "neutral but in effect non-aligned EU states", including Ireland, which would decide their position on a case-by-case basis.
To do this, Ireland would have to "give up the pretence of . . . neutrality now". The result would be to leave the decision on any future defence action by Ireland in the hands of the Dáil.
"This in turn would provide Ireland - or more correctly the Republic as Northern Ireland is in Nato - with some defence cover. The alternative is to put party political interests first and to ignore the public interest, so as to curry favour and win votes."
He said Fine Gael wanted an EU common defence entity based on the principles of adherence to the fundamental principles of the United Nations; the pursuit of nuclear and biological disarmament; a commitment to mutual defence and support among all EU member states but allowing states to opt out of this provision; commitment to peacekeeping and peacemaking organisations; and respect for the right of other member states, if they so wished, to be involved in other military alliances, such as Nato.
He believed that such an entity could win support across the EU. "If we do not follow such an approach then we will be confined to options promoted by others."