Cowenomics - Where has it brought us?

[Drico]

This thread is bullsh1t. A taoiseach, the ecb, the eu, ibec and public sector unions yield more power that a minister for finance. He is merely there to enforce the taoiseach's will. We have been in the tailend of the economic philosophy of patrick bart ahern which was:The squeaky wheel gets the oil. Since Cowen has taken over, he has been a conservative presbyterian in comparison.

First if all I would never argue that Mr Bertie was not largely to blame however who was Minister of Finance at the time?
Now I think that while as Tánaiste he may not have been able to do much, as Minister of Finance he certainly could.

[returning officer]

oh do tell? Take an example of a minister for finance who does not want a tax amnesty and neither do his labour coalition colleagues but the taoiseach does. Who won?