Politics watch: Triple lock at centre of debate
James Cox
Here, we have a look at the topics likely to dominate political discourse in the week to come.
Triple lock changes in spotlight
The Government has a “clear intention” to “dismantle” provisions of the triple lock, the Sinn Féin leader said, after it was confirmed that Ireland will join an alliance of European nations that shares intelligence on potential threats in EU sea waters.
Tánaiste Simon Harris announced on Monday that he has approved plans to join the Common Information Sharing Environment to allow for “more effective” operations at sea and deal with maritime threats.
The Fine Gael leader, who is also Minister for Foreign Affairs, said he is “confident” of the benefits of joining the alliance.
CISE shares maritime surveillance information among EU and EEA countries, and aims to respond to threats at sea, including physical and cyber-attacks on infrastructure and drug trafficking.
It allows agencies from different countries to share data securely.
Mary Lou McDonald said she is “deeply concerned” by the Government’s direction of travel.
She said Sinn Féin will go “toe-to-toe” in defending the triple lock.
Speaking in Belfast on Monday, Ms McDonald called on the Tánaiste to provide “clarity” as to the mechanics of the alliance and the extent of information exchanged.
“I absolutely accept that we have an issue around the surveillance of our seas,” she added.
“There is no question about that. Very disgracefully, successive governments have allowed that to slip. We need active surveillance of our seas, and that’s a very important element, by the way, of protecting our position as a non-aligned and a military neutral.
“I want to hear more about this arrangement. The Dáil isn’t in session for the next couple of weeks, but I have no doubt that the Tánaiste will face, and the Taoiseach will face, questioning on these matters, and they have to set out very clearly for the Irish people what is envisaged, what commitments will be made.
“Let me say this, anything that impinges on our status, on our role as non-aligned, as military neutrals, cannot and should not be countenanced.”
The Government has insisted changes to the triple lock will not affect Ireland's neutrality.
In an interview with BreakingNews.ie on Sunday, Minister of State Neale Richmond said: "Ireland’s triple lock mechanism for deploying troops abroad is an archaic tool that is hindering our ability to be a global force for good whilst surrendering our sovereign decision making to the veto powers of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.
"Given a UN mandate can be vetoed by any of the five permanent security council members, we are effectively giving the likes of Russia and China and a veto of where and when we send our own troops."
Mr Richmond added: "Ireland’s military neutrality is completely unaffected by any proposed changes to the triple lock, it is perverse to equate being able to participate in more peacekeeping missions as undermining our long held tradition of military neutrality.
"As it stands, Ireland could not send 13 members of our defence forces to Ukraine to help train Ukrainians on land mine removal, the very same land mines that are killing and maiming so many."
Trump mentions Ireland again while discussing pharmaceutical tariffs
US president Donald Trump has said he is considering imposing tariffs on pharmaceutical imports in the "not too distant future".
Speaking in the Oval Office, he suggested they would be similar to the 25 per cent rate imposed on the motor industry and steel and aluminium.
Mr Trump referenced Ireland and China as countries which produce drugs and said it is time America started doing so.
He claimed companies are investing trillions of dollars in the US since his tariff announcements, without providing specific figures.
"We don't make our own drugs, our own pharmaceuticals anymore. The drug companies are in Ireland and they’re in lots of other places — China.
"All I have to do is impose a tariff….We’re going to be doing that.”
He added: "I have a timeline, yeah... in the not too distant future. We're doing it because we want to make our own drugs, we want our own steel and aluminium, lumber, other things, and they're all coming in."
Mr Trump has mentioned US pharmaceutical companies based in Ireland on several occasions.
Abroad
In the UK, Rishi Sunak's closest parliamentary aide when he was prime minister has been charged along with 14 others with election betting offences.
Donald Trump’s top advisers and the president of El Salvador have said they have no basis for the Central American nation to return a Maryland man who was wrongly deported there last month.
On Monday, Mr Trump also suggested that he might temporarily exempt the motor industry from tariffs he previously imposed on the sector, to give car makers time to adjust their supply chains.