Say No To PESCO !

In the midst of the ongoing controversy regarding Brexit and the fate of the Irish border, a very significant move by the Cabinet has gone almost unnoticed. This is the decision to give the go-ahead for Ireland to take part in EU plans for closer cooperation on ‘security and defense’ matters, which the government expects the Dáil to ratify on the basis of limited information and after a disgracefully short debate on Thursday afternoon. This plan, known as PESCO, is justified under the catch-all excuse of combating the growing threat of terrorism and comes with the ritual assurance that this poses no threat to our traditional and highly-regarded policy of neutrality. One of the consequences of our joining PESCO is that we would be asked to increase spending on weapons and military affairs, requiring a leap in defense spending from the currently planned €946 million for 2018 to an estimated €3 billion+ annually by 2020, constituting a further abandonment of our traditional non-aggressive foreign policy. The single greatest action that Ireland can take to combat terrorism is to withdraw the facilities of Shannon airport from the US military for use in their wars of aggression, wars which have played a major part in increasing the global terrorist threat in the first place. Rather than joining military structures that proclaim the efficacy of military ‘solutions’ to complex political problems we should be using the experience of our own history to offer solutions to such problems through dialogue and negotiation. With the ever-increasing numbers of homeless people on our streets – and unprecedented numbers of refugees seeking safety on European shores, many forced from shattered homes as a result of Western-backed wars and weaponry – it is scandalous that the government plans to spend more money on militarism, further destabilizing an already impoverished and war-weary world. For over four decades Afri has been involved in opposing war, promoting food sovereignty and tackling climate change - working especially with Secondary and Third level students as well as with the general public. We organise the annual Famine Walk in Mayo, a Hedge School in TU Blanchardstown and Féile Bríde in Kildare. Thank you for continuing to support our work. https://www.afri.ie/donate/ www.afri.ie