MEATH CONVENTION:TAOISEACH BRIAN Cowen last night defended his record as leader of Fianna Fáil in a rousing 50-minute speech to 300 delegates attending a Fianna Fáil selection convention for Meath West.
At the meeting in Athboy, Mr Cowen received strong support from Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey. “I have confidence in this man to lead this country,” Mr Dempsey told the convention.
“It’s because there isn’t a more decent honest upright politician in Dáil Éireann than Brian Cowen,” he said.
Mr Cowen’s communication problems may have been because he was too busy doing the job he had to do for the country, Mr Dempsey said to cheers.
To a standing ovation, Mr Cowen said whatever his position was in future there would be a Cowen from Clara at the forefront as long as there was a national collection and posters to be put up.
Mr Cowen said he would “give the same to his party” regardless of the decision TDs took on the confidence motion.
Members needed to dispel the lies and the misrepresentation of the party. He spoke of the “conspiracy theories” suggesting that everyone in power was getting up to something that was not in the public good.
“I am not this sort of person, and I am prepared to go out and defend my good honour and this party, and have nothing to be ashamed of in that respect”
The party had to go back into communities and back to the traditional values that made Fianna Fáil great so it can be “refashioned in the new urban Ireland”, he said, speaking of the need to increase national morale.
He told supporters they had nothing to be ashamed of any decisions that were made. What Fianna Fáil did in the past two years was the right thing, and “there is never a wrong time to do the right thing”.