Is it time to join Nato

"Mr Higgins’s comments are the latest in a series of remarks that have strayed into politically contentious ground and have irked the Government privately.

Last June, he described housing in Ireland as "our great, great failure", saying "It isn't a crisis anymore — it is a disaster."

Feels good. Someone with a voice calling out the bullsht, and just for the sake of it.

They did have 2,500 soldiers in Afghanistan (altogether, not at the same time) and participated in combat operations with the Americans.

Would I be correct in saying that none of the countries that send soldiers on peace keeping are members of any organisation like NATO?

Other countries and even NATO ones do it as well as already mentioned above.

OK, I get your drift: might as well let those Russians do what they want no matter what.

If someone wanted to cut the cables then they can do so and they don't even need to be in Irelands EEZ, they could just go further out into the atlantic and cut them there. People who think Ireland can protect the cables by increasing defence spending are blowing smoke up your arse and while we depend on them they're not Irelands alone to protect.

Who's else are they to protect

Well of course your entitled to that opinion of the EU it is one of the positives of living in a democratic free and open society as we do in Ireland. I myself and I think most Irish people differ and see the EU and our membership of it as mostly positive.

Being in nato didn’t help Germany much when their gas pipes were blown up under water recently.

I don’t see the point in us joining NATO. Russian spent 10 months trying to take a town bakmhut. His hands are full. I don’t think Ireland will be high up on list of places to take and their army is stretched to the limits and will take years and years to recover.

Who else china? They’re all about a different island Taiwan. I certainly don’t fear a Chinese invasion anytime soon, if you do perhaps see a professional.

Not being in nato spared us 20 years in Afghanistan for absolutely nothing in hindsight, taliban back in total control.

If we bordered Russia I’d be all for it but we don’t. There’s also the possibility of complex issues arising that you mightn’t care about but would cause a stir for example British soldiers being stationed on this side of the border. That wouldn’t go down well with a portion of the population whether or not it would bother you personally.

There’s more chance of the Brits coming over the border to take the entire country again than there is of the Russians or the Chinese invading us. I think joining NATO would be stupid, we’d have more chance of getting roped in to something stupid like Afghanistan than getting help because we were invaded. I just don’t see any benefits in joining. The government should concentrate on helping the soldiers and improving our capabilities instead of poncing around with this and pretending they’re totally against joining.

@.Donegal. Not being in nato spared us 20 years in Afghanistan for absolutely nothing in hindsight, taliban back in total control....

Irish troops served in Afghanistan.....

And if you were born in that 20 year period in Afghanistan you lived in peaceful times and less likely to die a horrific death