Cllr Micheál Choilm Mac Giolla Easbuig criticises Tánaiste on his neutrality forum appointment

Independent Republican Socialist councillor Micheál Choilm Mac Giolla Easbuig has attacked Tánaiste, Micheál Martin accusing him of threatening Irish neutrality by appointing what he feels is someone not suited to being impartial.

"What on earth is Micheál Martin up to now? He is just after appointing Dame Louise Richardson, Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (DBE) to chair the Irish Government’s Consultative Forum on International Security Policy. The forum is supposedly being convened to discuss the issue of Irish neutrality or more precisely, how to end it.

"Dame Louise who also holds US citizenship is no middle-of-the-road liberal. She is a staunch supporter of American military policies and its wars. Nor is she critical of the old British Empire. While vice-chancellor of Oxford University she opposed the removal of the statue of the brutal colonialist Cecil Rhodes.

"In the past she has had an interest in Ireland.

"Commenting on the deaths of 10 hunger strikers in 1981 she said: 'They starved themselves to death in order to win political prisoner status… The ultimate goal of any war must be to deny the adversary what it is that he wants. Terrorists want to be considered to be at war with us, so to concede this to them is to grant them what they want, instead of doing our utmost to deny them what they want'.

"Yet in spite of all this, Micheál Martin, believes that this woman is suited to chairing a forum exploring the incredibly sensitive and potentially dangerous issue of Irish neutrality. Should we be thankful perhaps that he didn’t invite Derek Wilford [former British Army officer who commanded the 1st Battalion, Parachute Regiment in Derry, on Bloody Sunday] who also holds an OBE," asked the west Donegal public representative.