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EUROPEAN UNION DEFENCE Ministers have approved a common plan which includes the use of EU battle groups and an EU planning centre for military operations.
Sinn Féin’s Matt Carthy said, “This is very clearly another step towards the creation of an EU army.”
It comes after Donald Trump’s campaign warned it would think twice about defending European Nato nations if they did not contribute more to the alliance’s budget.
Carl Paladino, one of Donald Trump’s key campaign allies, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme,
There’s no reason why America has to put up with the nonsense of caring for the defence of a country that doesn’t pick up its fair share.
Speaking to AFP after talks in Brussels on Monday, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said the plans would not undermine NATO, but would boost the bloc’s ability to respond to external conflicts, help partner countries build their defence capabilities and protect EU citizens.
It’s not about a European army, it’s not about creating a new European Union SHAPE-style headquarters.
However, Sinn Féin’s Matt Carthy is calling for the Irish Government to oppose the plan when EU leaders are asked to sign off on it in December.
Carthy said, “Germany and France have led the push for a new EU defence plan, including the establishment of a planning centre for military operations.
“EU federalists have been seeking to use Brexit to move towards establishment of an EU army.
It is ironic that the Brexit result and the election of Donald Trump, widely described as two examples of citizens being disengaged from the political system, are now being used by EU leaders to further a project that has almost no support among the European populace, greater military consolidation.
British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon is also against the plan and bluntly commented that the EU should stop “dreaming”.
“Instead of planning expensive new headquarters or dreaming of a European army, what Europe needs to do now is to spend more on its own defence, that is the best possible approach to the Trump Presidency.”
The French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said the plan was an “essential step forward” for Europe to show it can take defence decisions on its own in an “increasingly uncertain world”.
Meanwhile Carthy said, “The Taoiseach and the Irish government need to come out in the strongest possible terms in defence of Irish neutrality.
“Enda Kenny must state clearly that Ireland opposes the creation of an EU military headquarters for an EU army, and will veto any attempt to create such an army, regardless of what it is called.”
Additional reporting by AFP.
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Isn’t it already like mid December?
@Adam Rekio: It may seem suspiciously like mid-December but don’t let that mislead you because that’s just what they want you to think…
@Adam Rekio: William is right! Don’t just follow all the sheeple who simply swallow what the MSM tell them to! Do your own research. Those scientists and their MSM propagandists want everyone to believe it is mid-December. Take the red pill! You’ll soon wake up to what month it really is!
@Stephen Rogan: They’re shameless and totally amoral in the lies they tell! I don’t believe for a second that Y2K thing will be as bad as they claim and they’re still trying to convince me we had people on the moon. Have you ever seen the moon? It’s tiny even when it’s full! A bit like a brain that’s been fed one too many conspiracy theories really…
@Adam Rekio: nope. 16th pm onwards is mid December
@TomTraubert: onwards until when ? You’re simultaneously saying it’s a point in time rather than a time span, and that it’s a time span (without elaborating) in the same short sentence. Impressive
@William Tallon: LOL
Language like could,may,maybe,might,possible, probably,are what is scaring the life out of our older generation. When have any of the scary predictions on figures actually happened? The government have a hold on people and they don’t want to let go.
And in 6 months time it will be something else becoming dominant.. Why don’t the experts save themselves time and warn us that omicron isn’t the last instead of acting shocked everytime.
Coronavirus March 2020,
Alpha November 2020
Delta July 2021
Omicron November 2021
Anyone see the cycle
@David Lee: was just brought out in time for the Christmas number 1
@Philip McLoughlin: lol
Loads more scaremongering
No one cares
@Rob Gale: we share a border with this country
Has there actually been any deaths reported due to omicron? Or even hospitalisations? This is insanity.
@Hanna Crowe: not really. Insanity is listening to anti-vaxxers and those who do not understand science. A virus can only spread by close human contact. Vaccines prevent serious illness. Simple.
Dominant in 4 days. What’s the R value of this variant, 100?
Thank god for boosters. The WHO would have them sent them to timbuktu if they had the decision
@Peazel: you know more than the health experts, very impressive.
the health experts don’t seem to know a lot about it either if you read what they say about it, they use an awful lot of words like this could happen, this might happen, if this happens, maybe this might happen.
I thought the UK announced two weeks ago that they had beaten Covid with their approach of opening society during summer when people could be outside. And that everyone else’s (meaning Europe’s) had been wrong. What a shower of raving loonies.
@lelookcoco: at the start of the year most people were expecting an open summer, and winter. Vaccines, you know.
And if we banned cars and outdoor activities there would be less deaths…… We going have to assess. A world in which has increasing older population is not comparable to pandemics of yesteryear.
The trouble here is governments around the world think their ahead of the virus when it’s quite the opposite!
If Omicron pretty much goes about undetected then you can bet it’s already infected more than the tracing system has picked up..
Everyone still needs to keep their gaurd up because Delta is still the big bad circulating.
Vaccines work or not?
@Aonghus O Flaherty: Going off what they said last year…Nope.
@Josepi: What did they say last year?
@Aonghus O Flaherty: Yes. If you need proof, campare last January to now, look at the hospital figures, ICU numbers and deaths, and then think about the most important difference: last January we were locked down with only the essentials available. And now the country is open except for nightclubs
@Josepi: Who are “They”? If “They” are those who thought that vaccines are a magical shield that the virus bounces off, you were listening to the wrong people.
The Dup should put up or shut up and mind thier own business
Dr Facebook has arrived in the comments
@DJ François: Welcome:)
So sorry for those that go by way of the virus. For most others, its business as usual with the odd workaround.
have your say