Don't increase military spending

You might have heard the Tanáiste, Leo Varadkar’s, comments last week - about using Russia’s horrific invasion of Ukraine as a wake up call to increase Ireland’s military spending. Increased military spending is a grim thing to contemplate on International Women’s Day - research shows that higher military spending crowds out expenditures on civilian needs such as education and health. This disproportionately harms women, because, together with children, they are more dependent on social spending.

As the world adds more and more to its military spending, the destructive power of humanity’s collective technologies to kill, destroy and obliterate life is increasing in a terrifying way. And other crucial issues, such as inequality, homelessness, gender justice and the climate crisis are not being given the finance or action they need. Increased military spending would also increase Ireland’s carbon emissions - military carbon footprints are huge as this blog about Ireland’s defence spending illustrates. We’ve got to ask the question - can our fiscal, carbon and moral budgets really afford to increase our military spending? Take this e-action to raise these concerns and ask your TDs to oppose increases to Ireland's military spending.