Cowen and Kenny in the Dail

[returning officer]

one very important thing to note, Cowen is not smart. FF'ers say he is, but FF'ers r dumb. Remember, Cowen said he beleived aherns tales about digouts etc.

Re-written to avoid ironic attackd from FF'ers wh r dum
"There is one very important thing to note; Cowen is not intelligent. Members of Fianna Fail say that he is, but they are not intelligent either. Cowen said that he believed Ahern's evidence".

So that is it. It all goes back to Bertie - the phrase about ponys limited in their trickery comes to mind.

It's the Dail. The mindless FF (im)posters who build up this as a non-contest have themselves to blame. But it is spin at the end of the day.

[Fr. Hank Tree]

That's a very petulant and unstatesmanlike threat for a Taoiseach to make to the people he's accountable to. Taoisigh are suppose to rise above party politics that sort of thing. If it gets out of hand, look to the CC as the authority to dampen the matter.

Sounded like a child.

[hiding behind a poster]

Enda is doing so well that he is now the least popular of the party leaders

Really? Where did you find that one out? Party leaders' popularity isn't measured in opinion polls.

[droghedasouth]

Once again, Cowen tries to deflect criticism of his government's performance on Health by attacking the opposition.

May work well with some of the bully boys behind him who'd love a good scrap.
Can't imagine it appealing to all dem wimen that Bertie appealed to.

[hiding behind a poster]

Enda is doing so well that he is now the least popular of the party leaders and FG's core vote has plummeted to 20%, half of that of FF.

The FG core vote stood at 13-14% between 2000 and 2002, before Kenny took over. So I don't think that a core vote of 20% will provoke cries to close the party down.

Oh and their core vote fell from 23% to 20%. "Plummeted" ?

And at the end of six weeks in which FF monopolised media coverage, with fawning soft-focus coverage of the Ahern resignation, the long goofbye, and Cowen's accession. When normal politics resumes, things will change.

[florin]

Coward was well beaten yesterday, I loved the way kenny refered to Harney as the "minister for chaos in the health service".

Hardly worthy of Wilde, was it?

[hiding behind a poster]

That's a very petulant and unstatesmanlike threat for a Taoiseach to make to the people he's accountable to. Taoisigh are suppose to rise above party politics that sort of thing.

Absolutely. I remember a dialogue from Yes Prime Minister, in which Hacker was preparing for his first Party Political Broadcast as PM. He was reading from a prepared speech, and his TV producer (brilliantly played by the late John Wells) made a few general points, and then said : "Prime Minister, if I could just suggest - don't attack the Opposition."

Hacker: "Why? Those are the bits the party likes best"

Producer: "Yes, but the party will vote for you anyway - while you'll make the floating voter see you as an angry and divisive figure...... Don't mention them at all. Everything you say has to make you sound warm and friendly..... the father of the nation."

Ahern played that role brilliantly. Lynch, Fitzgerald and Lemass very very good at it too. The likes of Noonan and McDowell were the exact reverse. And so far, Cowen shows all the signs of being in the latter category.