Second, it is Ireland's sovereign right whether then to participate or not. It would require the approval of both the D il and Seanad. Third, under our laws, Ireland can only participate in UN-mandated operations. Still, we have Sinn Fein telling us that the EU is becoming 'militarised' and this must be resisted. Sinn Fein could do a lot more itself for de-militarisation in one part of Europe, Northern Ireland, by pushing for decommissioning of arms and semtex.
Some people say that the idea of trusting political leaders is gone anyway.
I disagree completely. We can see why, for example, with something like the Nice Treaty, where it is a long document, with a lot of technical points. People will not have the appetite to read it all for themselves. It is the job of public representatives to earn the trust of the people so that they can rely on them for straight-talking and honesty on complex issues like Nice. What a low opinion they have of the Irish people.