Welcome to Volt Ireland’s November Newsletter.
We currently have 94 registered members, so we are steadily moving toward the big milestone of 100 members. Reaching this milestone by the end of the year would be a great achievement, so please register your partner, bestie, or family member (or all three) to help us get there 👉 Join Volt.
Apart from always looking for new members to join our ranks, there are 3 main things that we are actively working on within Volt Ireland at the moment that you can join:
The first is the communications team. After our September monthly meeting on our communications strategy, you may have noticed they have really kicked off by posting more on social media and publishing articles on our website. There is a dedicated comms team chat group within our WhatsApp community that you can join if you want to help create content for us. Whenever you see something that we should comment on or react to online, this community group is the place to tell us, or email Kim.
Second is our policy on defence. After our monthly meeting during the summer, where our external speaker Arjan Lammersen talked to us about his research on neutrality, we now have a policy proposal in the works on Volt Ireland's stance on defence strategy, led by Joseph. We will discuss this proposal on our monthly call on 17 November at 7 pm. If you would like a sneak peek at the proposal, you can email Joseph and request access to the working document.
Third is the European Citizens' Initiative around housing. On the European level, Volt Europa has played a big part in this ECI, and you can already sign the petition here. At the Irish level, we are working on creating a campaign with student bodies, other political parties, and other institutions. You can write to Scott if you want to help out.
At the European level, the ‘We are the one million’ campaign is still running. Volt Europa is building a database of 1 million Europeans to sign future European Citizens' Initiatives much faster. I feel everyone who supports democracy, whether or not you are a Volt member, should join this group.
Events for the coming weeks are:
November 9th, 12 pm, online communications team meeting
November 10th, 7 pm, online leadership meeting
November 17h, 7 pm, online community monthly meeting, the presentation of our proposed defence policy
November 23rd, 12 pm, online Comms team meeting
November 28th, 7 pm, informal drinks in The Crafty Fox, Dublin to meet fellow Volters in person
December 13th 9 am - 3 pm, Volt Europa online General Assembly (register here)
All events (including meeting links for online meetings) are listed in the Volt Ireland calendar.
👉 See the Volt Ireland calendar
This month’s topics
What’s happening with Volt in Ireland? ▶️ The Triple Lock: When Ireland’s Commitment to Peace Becomes an Obstacle to It
▶️ Volt leaders at The Bioeconomy Summit and the Political Communications Summit
News from Europe
▶️ Get your Dutch friends to vote Volt!
▶️ First Hungary, now Serbia. Great news after the Elections in Serbia
▶️ A very moving Ireland appreciation post
Updates from Volt around Europe
▶️ Historic win for Volt in Slovakia
▶️ Volt's statement on the US midterm elections
News from Volt Ireland
The Triple Lock: When Ireland’s Commitment to Peace Becomes an Obstacle to It
Leinster Lead Joseph wrote about Volt Ireland's position on the removal of the triple Lock. Below is a snippet, and you can read the full piece here.
Volt Ireland supports removing the UN Security Council mandate requirement for overseas deployments of the Defence Forces. However, we believe this reform must be accompanied by clear statutory definitions of peacekeeping, peace enforcement and other forms of international security assistance, alongside meaningful democratic oversight.
Ireland's commitment to international peacekeeping and the principles of peaceful resolution of disputes is deeply rooted in our foreign policy tradition. Our record as the country with the longest unbroken record of peacekeeping in the world, and the exemplary conduct and contributions of our Defence Forces on those missions, is rightly a source of pride. This tradition must be preserved, but we must distinguish between the principles underpinning our foreign policy and the legal mechanisms of the day through which it has been pursued. The triple lock was intended to safeguard Ireland's independent decision-making, democratic accountability and commitment to international peace. Today, given the dysfunction at the UN Security Council, what once was a safeguard now undermines those very principles.
Under the existing arrangements, the permanent members of the Security Council can effectively determine whether Ireland is permitted to participate in certain international missions. This gives countries such as Russia, China and indeed the current US administration the capacity to obstruct Irish participation for reasons that may have little to do with the mission itself. This arrangement is irreconcilable with an independent foreign policy or with Ireland's responsibility to contribute to European and international security.
Volt Ireland leads attend the Global Bioeconomy Summit in Dublin and the Political Communications Summit in Vienna
Volt Ireland co-lead Nina van den Bergh attended the Global Bioeconomy Summit 2026 in Dublin (19–22 October), where policymakers, industry and researchers met to discuss the shift to a sustainable, bio-based economy. The big takeaway is that we’re not short of solutions. The innovations on show proved that. What’s holding us back is policy coherence, implementation and the ability to scale.
That’s why Volt Ireland believes government must lead, with clear long-term strategies and investment for an economy that is circular, creates jobs and reduces inequality. This matches the Summit’s Bioeconomy Vision 2040, which calls for a bioeconomy that is just, sustainable and drives socio-economic development.
Getting there means using local knowledge, because people in a region know best what it needs; sharing what works between EU regions facing the same challenges; bringing science, industry and communities to the same table; and making sure local workers benefit through new jobs, new industries and reskilling.
We want a sustainable Ireland that people can enjoy today and future generations can inherit.
👉 Want to help build it? Become a member
From left to right: Volt's Sarah, Lena, and Kim were proud to represent women in politics. #WomenInPolitics
And in Vienna at the start of October, communications lead Kim Gillick attended the Political Communication Summit. The theme of the day was leading with clarity. Some of the most interesting sessions discussed what the data says and how to respond. Many Europeans, for instance, don't trust information from EU institutions and instead look to trusted messengers within their own context (location, community, economic situation, demographic group, etc.). This makes sense at all levels of governance; local contexts shape what people hear and how they receive it. And those closest to the context are trusted most to suggest solutions.
Volt was the only genuinely pan-European party at the summit; one team with representatives from Volt Berlin, Volt Europa and Volt Ireland that stood out as a serious alternative to other siloed national parties in attendance. Volt's Sarah, Lena, and Kim were also proud to represent women in politics.
News from Europe
Get your Dutch friends to vote Volt! 🇳🇱
You may have friends from the Netherlands who live in Ireland or elsewhere in the world. They can decide the composition of the Dutch Senate through an electoral college. To do that, they'll need to register through this link. Please encourage them to do so. Of course, if you can persuade them to vote Volt, it would be even better. 💜
First Hungary, now Serbia. 🇷🇸
Hopeful news after elections in Serbia. A tumultuous two years of student demonstrations demanding change have culminated in the (good) riddance of Putin’s friend Vučić. The student-led movement The Student List enjoyed a major win in October’s parliamentary elections. Rapporteur reports that “the reformist and insurgent Student Movement will preside over a commanding majority in the new Serbian parliament.” Although the party’s foreign affairs programme omits any mention of EU membership for now, we remain hopeful for inclusion and collaboration in the future.
Ireland appreciation post 💚
We spotted this lovely post from Belarus' opposition leader, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, about Ireland and the time she spent here after the Chornobyl disaster.
The Irish Times this week has a profile on Ms Tsikhanouskaya; you can read that here.
Updates from Volt around Europe
Historic win for Volt in Slovakia
Volt Slovakia has won four seats in municipal elections for the first time in our party's history! Just a few months after our GA in Bratislava, four Volters now represent us in three regions.
Two are formerly independent candidates who have joined Volt and will serve their second term: Ján Lacko in Malinovo (Bratislava region) and Jana Dudášova in Ružiná (Banská Bystrica region). Two are Volters elected for the first time: Mikuláš Lakatoš in Pribeta (Nitra region) and Eva Svoradová in Halič (Banská Bystrica region).
Once again, European ideas for local elections have proven to be a formula for success. 💜
America will make its democratic choices. Europe must make its own
Yesterday, America voted. A Democratic victory may create more institutional balance in Washington, but Europe's task remains the same. Europe still needs to become safer, more sovereign and more competitive. A divided Washington does not solve Europe's challenges. Defence, competitiveness, energy security and technological leadership remain European Responsibilities.
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