MISSING IN ACTION: The 10 Opposition TDs Who Handed the Government a Win on the Triple Lock 23 TDs failed to vote. Here is the definitive list of who didn't show up when it mattered most. Check if your local TD is on this list and ask them why. Share this record so voters remember who showed up when the ballot was called. On 21 October, the Government secured the passage of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2026 at Second Stage by 79 Tá to 71 Níl. The Bill seeks to remove the UN Security Council authorisation requirement from Ireland's Triple Lock governing certain overseas deployments of Irish troops. Exactly ten opposition TDs who voiced fierce public opposition to this legislation failed to vote. Had nine more TDs voted Níl, the Government would have been defeated. Their absence helped the Government avoid defeat and raises a fundamental question: what is the value of public opposition if you vanish when the ballot is called? THE 10 OPPOSITION TDs WHO DID NOT VOTE - Social Democrats: Holly Cairns, party leader. - Sinn Féin: Denise Mitchell, Matt Carthy, Pa Daly. - Labour: Ciarán Ahern, Eoghan Kenny. - Independents / Independent Ireland: Barry Heneghan, Michael Healy-Rae, Paul Nicholas Gogarty, Richard O'Donoghue. HOLLY CAIRNS: LEADERSHIP REQUIRES ACTION, NOT RHETORIC As leader of the Social Democrats and a potential future member of government, Holly Cairns's absence is particularly glaring. Having publicly opposed the legislation, she failed to vote when it mattered. That raises serious questions about her judgement and statesmanship. Leadership requires action, not just words. LABOUR AND SINN FÉIN MUST EXPLAIN THEIR ABSENCE Sinn Féin and Labour must explain why their representatives were not present for a decision of such national importance. Independent Ireland must explain how its public opposition squares with Richard O'Donoghue's failure to vote. Voters deserve more than declarations of principle. They deserve to know why those principles were not backed by a vote. THE OTHER 13 TDs WHO DID NOT VOTE - Fianna Fáil: James Lawless, John McGuinness, Niamh Smyth, Robert Troy, Timmy Dooley, Willie O'Dea. - Fine Gael: Hildegarde Naughton, Jerry Buttimer, Naoise Ó Muirí, Neale Richmond, Patrick O'Donovan, Peter Burke, Simon Harris. In total, 23 TDs did not vote, excluding the Ceann Comhairle. There were no abstentions. Genuine medical or personal emergencies are understandable, and nobody should be expected to disclose private circumstances. But those claiming to defend Irish sovereignty and neutrality must demonstrate that commitment through their actions. WORDS ARE CHEAP. ACTIONS DEFINE POLITICAL REPRESENTATIVES.