Where to next after Triple Lock passes first Dáil vote?

Why was the Triple Lock introduced?

The 'Triple Lock' has become one of the most contentious topics in this Government's Programme for Government, in Dáil Éireann, within the Fianna Fáil party and on the streets.

But it all began when legislation was passed in 1960 to allow Irish troops to be sent abroad, after joining the United Nations five years previously.

These missions would only be backed by the United Nations and for decades that meant Irish participation in peacekeeping has depended on UN backing.

This rule was restated as the 'Triple Lock' at the start of the century after concerns that the Nice and Lisbon Treaties would undermine neutrality, with Government parties back then stressing its importance.

Under the rule, no more than 12 troops can be deployed on an active mission overseas without a decision by the Government, the approval of the Dáil and the authorisation of the United Nations.

However, because the Government usually has a majority in the Dáil, the first two conditions are largely one and the same, and UN approval became key.

Supporters of the Triple Lock see it as being a central part of Irish neutrality, and to make sure that troops are only deployed on legitimate peacekeeping missions.

However, the Government argues that the world is changing and has since become more turbulent.

It argues that the five permanent members of the Security Council - the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France - each have a veto on Security Council decisions.

Any of these countries have a can block UN authorisation for a peacekeeping mission.

Minister for Defence Helen McEntee now says this Government "want to fix what is broken", and to ensure the decision on where Irish troops go remains with the Irish Government "not with Vladimir Putin or anybody else".

She has cited Irish troops that were based in the Lebanon for decades having to leave because of decisions made outside of Ireland.

It was no surprise that the Government and Opposition became entrenched in a war of words in the Dáil chamber this week, but where do we go from here?

Where to next?

The legislation will now be debated further in the committee rooms of Leinster House, likely next month.

It will then return to the Dáil and Seanad, and if, as expected, it passes both houses, it will then go to President Catherine Connolly to be signed into law.

Ms Connolly was a vocal advocate of the Triple Lock before becoming President.

It is expected the legislation will be enacted before the end of the year.

Tensions on both sides of the house are unlikely to simmer down, with Opposition TDs saying this legislation brings into question Irish identity and ideas the State was founded on.

The Opposition has repeatedly called for a referendum on the Triple Lock, saying it was too important an issue not to put to the people.

But on Tuesday, Minister McEntee shut this suggestion down.

Speaking at the Representative Association of Commissioned Officers (RACO) conference, she said the public have "put their trust" in politicians bringing in changes and that any debate would take place in the Houses of the Oireachtas.

She said "putting any form of this into our Constitution" would make it more difficult to "respond to the changing world, to respond to evolving threats, to work closely with our partners, be it in the EU or beyond".

History lessons

Bitter exchanges followed in the Dáil chamber, with Opposition TDs displaying A4 pieces of paper, each of which reading "save neutrality".

The names of Irish historical figures were also repeatedly mentioned during clashes this week, including Wolfe Tone, James Connolly, Pádraig Pearse and Constance Markievicz.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin was also consistently reminded that he said the Triple Lock was central to our neutrality during his time as a TD.

As Taoiseach, he stressed to Ms McDonald that the world has since changed, that peacekeeping has been one of Ireland's most significant commitments to the rule of law and that people want this to continue.

But Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald told Mr Martin that neutrality is also deeply connected with the values of the Irish people, adding that adherence to international law is a safeguard against military adventurism.

Mr Martin dismissed the notion and stressed he would not take "lectures" from Sinn Féin deputies "on the conduct of foreign policy".

He continued that Sinn Féin could not have given a "continental" about Irish neutrality for many decades, and that he would not take lectures from a party that supported Nazism during World War II.

Later, Independent TD Danny Healy Rae would later say that "getting rid of Triple Lock" was "sacrilegious".

However, Labour TD Duncan Smith brought a degree of calm to the chamber, accepting this was a nuanced issue.

He said he did not believe that the Triple Lock is the "full manifestation or expression of Irish neutrality" but instead an "important part" of it.

'Historical and hysterical'

UCD's Professor of International Relations and Defence Policy at UCD Ben Tonra said the debate became historical before it became "hysterical".

He said he was not surprised that this week's debate was passionate on both sides of the House as it is ultimately a question of Irish identity.

"It is something that touches something that's very precious to Irish people. That is Irish neutrality. It's something that is very emotive," he said.

He told RTÉ News that the debate comes down to the "fundamental issue of trust", and who can we trust to make the decision on when and where to send our troops.

He said he found it ironic this week that people who once were the "most radical proponents of the Triple Lock are now saying we don't need it" but "some of the people who said the Triple Lock was meaningless smoke and mirrors are now steadfast supporters of it".

Professor Tonra said he expects the legislation to pass over the coming months.

He said although there is disquiet on the Fianna Fáil backbenches over the legislation, with Deputy John McGuiness and former minister for defence Willie O'Dea not voting this week, he does not believe that this disquiet is "sufficient enough" to "actually get them expelled from the parliamentary party by voting against the legislation".

He said the changes being made by the Government reflect the "new realities that the country faces", with a "real concern within the Defence Forces, that in the absence of this legislation, they are going to be cut out of any new peacekeeping overseas".

"I think the Government is ambitious to see the Defence Forces continue to play the role they traditionally played in terms of international peacekeeping," he said.

He said people do not "join the Defence Forces to do nothing".

"You want to contribute; you want to commit to public service. Part of that is defending the State but a large part of that traditionally has been overseas international peacekeeping missions," he said.

Professor Tonra added: "If that avenue is totally blocked off as it is currently, the way the UN Security Council is set up. Then I think the Government's right to look at alternatives."

The expert said the Opposition's call for a referendum on the issue would be like using a "sledgehammer to crack a lentil".

He believes the Opposition's main standpoint is ultimately that they do not trust the Government to make decisions.

However, others are more worried about the precedent this week's vote made.

Read more: Legislation to remove Triple Lock passes Dáil vote

'When it's gone, it's gone'

Independent Senator Tom Clonan has accused Minister McEntee of "misinformation".

The retired army officer, who has served overseas on peacekeeping missions, said the Government is saying things that "are factually incorrect".

Senator Clonan said: "They say they're getting rid of the Triple Lock so that we can continue our proud tradition of peacekeeping.

"There will be no peacekeeping, at the moment, new missions are all peace enforcement, that is essentially fighting."

He said if the legislation passes and is signed into law, "any mission we send our troops to, if doesn't have a UN mandate, then it's not a blue helmet mission or a blue beret mission that we've all been so used to in Ireland over the decades".

He said he fears it will be "some kind of task force or stabilisation force, and it will be a fighting force with no UN mandate".

He accused the Government of doing a U-turn "without referring to the people" and dismissed that Russia has the ability to "veto our missions".

"Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, and Xi Jinping do not care where Irish troops are deployed, I'd be surprised if they even know we have an army," he said.

He said the Irish people decide "where we do or where we don't go".

"We chose to be bound by the multilateral principles of the United Nations," said the senator.

Senator Clonan compared Irish neutrality to stock in 'Home Store and More'.

"When it's gone, it's gone," he said.

Read more:
Watch: What is Ireland's Triple Lock mechanism
Where did Ireland's Triple Lock come from?