Boris Johnson may have misled parliament but the Irish government appears intent on misleading the whole country.
That's a view which this column has previously expressed about Dublin's thinly disguised objective to abandon neutrality and head towards Nato membership.
That view was echoed last week by President Michael D Higgins, who said that in drifting towards Nato, the government was "playing with fire". His intervention came just days before Micheál Martin's grandly titled Consultative Forum on International Security Policy began on Thursday.
The Irish government has previously convened citizens' assemblies on issues such as the Constitution and climate change. However on neutrality the Tánaiste organised a "forum", which normally means a meeting where views can be exchanged.
Sadly, in this case the views expressed will be those of a carefully selected few. President Higgins called them "the admirals, the generals, the air force", as well as "the formerly neutral countries who are now joining Nato".
The forum chair is Irish-born, Louise Richardson, whose political views are perhaps best expressed in her book, What Terrorists Want: Understanding the Enemy, Containing the Threat (2006).
The title suggests that terrorism is a political belief rather than a form of violence adopted by those of various beliefs. They include Nato, the US (of which she is now a citizen) and the British Empire (of which she is a Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order).
Had she been older, she might have become her own definition of a terrorist. She told the Financial Times that after Bloody Sunday, as a 14-year old, she'd have joined the IRA "in a heartbeat" if they would have allowed her.
Her book describes the IRA as "a European national independence movement with Christian roots".
The New York Times said her book was "deeply informed" by her being "briefly recruited by the political wing of the IRA" as a Dublin student.
While vice-chancellor of Oxford University, she said that so many British prime ministers were educated there because, "we attract ambitious students with an interest in public life" (and you thought it was because of the British class system).
Those who support neutrality have largely been excluded from Micheál Martin's forum. He has also ignored the main Churches and he has disregarded the northern peace process by excluding those with experience in creating it.
Dublin has already significantly shifted its stance on neutrality. Ireland has been involved in 23 of the 68 military projects organised by Pesco, the armed wing of the European Union and soon to be a European army.
So why is Dublin doing this? It is being driven by the EU (it's payback time for Ireland's motorways) which in turn is fostered by the US. America keeps its troops at home and enlists others, such as Ukrainians, to fight its wars. It now hopes to recruit the Irish.
Ireland's voters rejected the EU's Nice referendum in 2002 because it threatened Irish neutrality. Bertie Ahern called a second referendum (how very democratic) based on what he called the triple lock: to send more than 12 troops overseas, Ireland would require United Nations approval, a government decision and a Dáil vote.
Now Micheál Martin, wants to abolish the triple lock, which means the Irish government would take its military direction from Brussels, not the UN. Over 60 per cent of the Irish people favour neutrality. Their views are being ignored by the government.
Can it also ignore President Higgins? It will certainly try, but his intervention has given the pro-neutrality movement a new and powerful voice. The Saw Doctors sing of Michael D rocking in the Dáil for us. Last week he rocked not just the Dáil, but the whole country for us.
Some query if he had the right to speak out. It might be better suggested that he had a duty to do so. In challenging the government he has done the Irish nation a service. We should all be grateful to him.
