Madam, – So now we know in his own words and, indeed, those of his colleagues in Government that Brian Cowen will act in the interests of Fianna Fáil. There seems to be no obvious concern about the interests of the country at this time of unprecedented crisis for so many families and individuals, students and patients, small businesses and large companies.
Mr Cowen presided over the cataclysmic decline of the Irish economy which required the ECB and IMF to come on board with the most severe consequences for all of us. And to add insult to injury, in seeking to maintain his position in recent times he has proven to be, at best, economical with the truth.
Whatever about the future of Fianna Fáil, much more importantly this country’s interests would genuinely be better served by Mr Cowen’s immediate resignation. He has lost the trust of many in his party. In the eyes of the public he is a lame duck Taoiseach at the very time when the country cries out for true leadership far removed from the cozy cronyism we have seen so starkly illustrated in recent days. Ireland now needs, and deserves, a very different sort of leader. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Mary Minihan (Home News, January 12th) quotes Minister for Enterprise Batt O’Keeffe as saying the Taoiseach Brian Cowen and Fianna Fáil Ministers have “taken our eye off the party” while concentrating on economic matters.
Well, I suppose that even at this late stage, we should be thankful for small mercies. To borrow a word from Sean O’Casey’s Fluther, twas “vice versa” for long enough. Brian Lenihan admitted as much when he opined recently “We all partied”. Indeed they did. But in a cruel twist of fate, the rest of us are saddled with the hangover. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – It is being reported authoritatively that Mr Cowen might be prepared to step down if he could be convinced that to do so was “in the best interests of the party”. It so sad that he could not be persuaded to step down in the best interests of the country, which is, after all, his prime responsibility. – Yours, etc,