Brian Cowen Star is Falling

[hammer]

Thank God for real journalists so

[dresden8]

SO - still there seems to be agreement that Cowen's star is on the wane.

Whatever about him being the pal of backbench TDs - an election for leader will be a pragmatic event with people choosing the person who will deliver votes for the party not pints and laughs in the bar.IN terms of policy he has done so little in any Dept. - in FInance I have not heard him once defend or put forward an alternative to decentralisation. Nor has he made any effort to defend his Party from the value for money/rip-off attacks.

Dave you were so right about so much but so wrong about this one thing. Going on the piss was the one requisite a FF leader needed.

[Marcos the black]

Cowen is still a dead cert for the FF leadership - even though he has vanished off the political map in recent months.

Mainly due to the fact that his one-time-rival, Micheal Martin, has been shown up as an incompetent, surly and even childish Minister - who could well be even more unpopular with the voters than Bertie is at the moment (some acheivement!).

When the other choices are bumbling idiots like Noel Dempsey and Dermot Ahern, pompous windbags like Dick Roche, and preachy know-it-alls like Mary Hanafin, then Cowen is laughing all the way to the bank

Quote of the century.... And it was written in 2005!! all hail Barry W. We're not worthy!

[anewbeginning]

It was the medical card issue that set in train the events that took down Cowens government and ultimately to the sad demise of a once great party.

I disagree..it was the fact Cowen was a hopeless leader who waltzed into power on the coat-tails of Bertie Ahern that set in train the demise of the country and FF.

FF have survived though thick and thin the last 80 years, but lost 75% of their seats under Cowen, some achievement.

And it didn't have to be that way.

If he addressed the people while sober in a state of the nation address and showed up on TV and radio sober every so often, everything might have been fine.

If he had actually lead, everything might have been fine.

And it's completely inaccurate to call him a leader anyways, for two and half years, this country was leaderless.

[oggy]

Two lucky breaks for this country, FF kept FG and Labour from ever becoming a single party government and Brian Cowen and Brian Lenihan were at the helm when this country ended its biggest ever boom with its biggest ever bust. If FG and Labour had been in government in 2008 there would be blood pouring in the streets since ! Thank you so much FF

[jpc]

Two lucky breaks for this country, FF kept FG and Labour from ever becoming a single party government and Brian Cowen and Brian Lenihan were at the helm when this country ended its biggest ever boom with its biggest ever bust. If FG and Labour had been in government in 2008 there would be blood pouring in the streets since ! Thank you so much FF

Would you recap what caused the bust you mention.
Keeping in mind FF being in power all of that time bar 95-97.
Over to you