Difficult days for the Taoiseach
SUNDAY JANUARY 9th, 2011
Previously undisclosed contacts between Brian Cowen and Seán FitzPatrick are revealed in a new book on FitzPatrick.
In The Fitzpatrick Tapesby journalists Tom Lyons and Brian Carey, the former Anglo Irish Bank chairman says they had a phone conversation in March 2008 and a golf game and dinner on July 28th, 2008.
Anglo was included in the Government bank guarantee scheme introduced in September 2008.
Cowen confirms the golf game but says Anglo’s problems were not discussed.
As for the March 2008 conversation, he says he was told about businessman Seán Quinn’s then secret investment in the bank, which he undertook to refer to the governor of the Central Bank.
JANUARY 10th
Cowen “refutes” what he terms “malicious” and “unfounded” allegations about his contacts with FitzPatrick.
“There was nothing untoward, no hidden or secret agenda and no concessions, favours or interventions requested or granted,” he says about the golfing occasion in a statement.
Minister for Tourism Mary Hanafin says the issue “adds to the instability of the party” but a change of leadership “would not help”.
JANUARY 11th
The Greens say they can find no evidence of inappropriate behaviour in the Taoiseach’s contacts with FitzPatrick but say Cowen should have put the matter in the public domain earlier.
JANUARY 12th
More details emerge about Cowen’s contacts with Anglo Irish Bank figures in the lead-up to the bank guarantee in 2008. The Taoiseach tells the Dáil his dinner with FitzPatrick after a golf game in July 2008 was also attended by a second Anglo director, Gary McGann, former Anglo director Fintan Drury and a director of the Central Bank, Alan Gray.
JANUARY 13th
A meeting of the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party is postponed by three hours, sparking rumours that Cowen’s position is in doubt. However, Cowen tells the meeting he is not resigning, although he accepts there are issues around his leadership.