Forum on neutrality report

A chara, - Your editorial on Dame Louise Richardson’s report on the Consultative Forum on International Security Policy suggests that “The most likely outcome of the report would seem to be a review of the triple lock, specifically the veto held by the UN Security Council on the overseas deployment of Irish troops” (“The Irish Times view on the latest report on Ireland’s neutrality: reflecting a unique approach”, October 19th).

In her report, Ms Richardson opines that, “While there was not a consensus on this point, the preponderance of views, especially among the experts and practitioners, is that it is time for a reconsideration of the triple lock as it is no longer fit for purpose.” Evidence for this “preponderance of views” in favour of reconsidering the triple lock, we must assume, will be provided when the 833 public submissions are published online. That said, Ms Richardson notes that “it must be borne in mind that the [public] submissions were not a random or representative sample of the population, rather the views of citizens engaged in these issues; therefore, it would be unwise to extrapolate from these views to the population at large.”

Does it not follow that the views of the “experts and practitioners” invited to speak at the forum – the majority of them aligned with Government thinking – should also not be extrapolated to the population at large?

In which case, the Government has no right to cite this flawed report from a flawed consultative forum as evidence of public support for its planned meddling with the triple lock. – Is mise,