03/06/2026
'Higgins dismissed the potential economic impacts of the original Occupied Territories Bill as “quite exaggerated”.
Higgins described as “fairly arrogant” an article he read in The Irish Times recently, which argued that “Ireland needs to grow up and get serious about its interests”.
“But I do think that the will of the people and the moral instincts of the people” should be reflected in a country’s foreign policy, Higgins said.
“Is there an interest greater than to want to participate in a world that is governed by peace?
“The foreign policy of a people must reflect their mind, their heart, their principles, their sense of morality and how they want to see themselves perceived and welcomed by the other members not just of the human family but all of the forms of life on this planet.”
The former president said he had one regret from his political career:
“Only that I wasn’t more explicit about the catastrophic effects of a capitalism and an abuse of power and the havoc that it has done, placing our planet at risk, responsible for so many deaths that would have been avoided.”
His criticism of capitalism’s influence extended to a scathing condemnation of US president Donald Trump’s so-called Board of Peace and the plans to “reconstruct” Gaza.
“I like to call a land grab for what it is. And that is what is proposed” he said.
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