Is it time to join Nato

Pathetic again. Criticise NATO and you are a fan of Putin. Maybe you should study this Yurt, start with the lead up to the COld War and work from there. Russia is as good/bad at playing the games too BTW.

Well I don't support either Putin LePen or NATO Yurt. If you are calling people in Ireland who don't want to join NATO Putin supporters you won't get far.

Are all wars not 'terrible'? Your stance seems to imply you think there is some kind of glory in war. That notion is long died out. They are all a failure of humankind and despicable.

If there was nothing here Britain would still be sending jets to intercept at this range.

My concerns are not just about European wars Yurt. So less of the 'reds under the bed' please and do some research on geo political gameplaying over the years. Good night.

I would say no. As a small country, our traditional neutrality has served us well in world affairs.

Would it also not be the case that we'd become a legitimate military and nuclear target were we to involve ourselves in conflicts such as those within the Ukraine?

Absurd stuff now. Your anti-EU sentiments are driving this stance.

You're assuming a few things here:

-That international sea law would just simply not be adhered to (similar to stopping the present Baltic fleet craft currently in the Black sea, which loitered around Gotland in Jan, which didn't happen, and they travelled through 4 easy pinch points, Denmark Straights, English Channel, Gibralter Straight, Turkish Straights)

-That the invading force would be coming from Northern/Baltic Russia

-That this would be well telegraphed, so airspace closures/blockades could be in place

-That other countries would blockade on our behalf

As I said previously, Ireland does have agreements with the UK on airspace protection, but the details have never been explicitly detailed..

It has been documented that they simply shadow unknown threats in Irish controlled and Oceanic airspace (international airspace), with any threats from the QRA's only being issued when the vector and close in on UK airspace ...

Naval wise, we're on our own from 12 miles inwards.

That sounds like something a Putin-bot would say in fairness. Sure, its all a ploy of the West to sell more arms, blah blah blah...

I guess 1939-1945 was hyperbole as well? ROFL

Has there always been these tensions mark? Yeh or nay? Who benefits from them being maintained?

Odd when you try and portray yourself as a peace-loving man, when in fact if it suits you are more than willing to send (other) men to die for causes deep to your own heart. Like invading the North in 1970, and again in 1923. Never mind your staunch defence of the murderous actions of the PIRA, including the defence of their own war crimes in killing civilians and children which you have never condemned with a 'whatabout' statement pegged on.

See, if you were consistent maybe we would have more respect for your viewpoint. However, we all know that you are a bloodthirsty warmonger when it suits and a dove when it suits. So in essence you have no credibility here, nor have any right to go on your high horse and preach morality to the rest of us, about the horrors of war when you made fun of innocent men, women and children killed by war in the past.

God only knows why you continue to repeat the same tired arguments in this thread when all you have done is bury your head in the sand and dismiss any notion that things have changed in Europe, and the next few decades are not going to be like the next few.

Is it time to join NATO yes it is or will you join after half of the country is going to be destroyed smart people are proactive stupid people are reactive. Why small countries like Estonia with 0.5 million population or Latvia or Lietua are not attacked by russia? Because they are NATO members.