Cowans crowning moment and cunning FF's greatest escape: Budget 2010

Daithinski

Hillel wrote: »

If only! What we have, we hold, appears to be the motto. Cut and burn, but not me.

IMO he could, and should have made deeper cuts to Social Welfare.

It appears to be your motto too!

irish_bob

hallelujajordan wrote: »

Lisbon - Delivered
NAMA - Delivered
3 subsequent mega-tough budgets - Delivered
Coalition - Stabilised
Economy - Stabilised (If you accept that the 4bn in cuts will stabilise the economy)
Unemployment - Stabilised
Unions - Faced down (for the first time that I can remember)

If you judge Cowen by his appearance on TV or by the nob-nation profile its relatively easy to say that he is not a good leader, but I believe his record stands for itself. He has managed to make some very tough decisions this year while at the same time holding together a government that includes a shaky green party, and a whole load of independents that need close TLC.

Many commentators predicted that he, FF and the government would not survive this year !

i wouldnt credit cowen for any of those achievments and i will reserve judgement on whether unemployment has stabalised , the begining of next year will tell a tale

Shea O'Meara

hallelujajordan wrote: »

Lisbon - Delivered

By wearing down the public and making a mockery of democracy, (much like Nice).

hallelujajordan wrote: »

NAMA - Delivered

Yes and when it starts to bite us all in the arse FF will no doubt spread the credit/blame.

hallelujajordan wrote: »

3 subsequent mega-tough budgets - Delivered

.....after the horse has bolted. If they preped for this even slightly over recent years there would be no need to get so harsh. Now who was the Finance minister back then???

hallelujajordan wrote: »

Coalition - Stabilised

Yes, the Greens have been the bane of FF up until now:rolleyes:

hallelujajordan wrote: »

Economy - Stabilised (If you accept that the 4bn in cuts will stabilise the economy)
Unemployment - Stabilised

Yet to be seen

hallelujajordan wrote: »

Unions - Faced down (for the first time that I can remember)

Walking out on talks is hardly facing down. Standing their ground and arguing their point, that would be facing down. The upcoming strikes will be the fall out from the walk out.

He's in over his head panicing like f***. I bet he was hoping he'd be out by now. Bertie knew it was all going to s***e

Dannyboy83

This thread was only 4 days ago, Monday the 7th.
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055763535

The only stabilization going on here is Cowen propping up the Dail bar.


Couresty of dfbemt

dfbemt wrote: »

In addition to the 2 prominent job losses mentioned in the OP it is worth noting some of the many job losses which were announced in November

27th Nov - 103 jobs in Galway
26th Nov - 310 jobs in Cork and Sligo
26th Nov - 100 jobs in Dublin
26th Nov - 18 jobs in Dublin
25th Nov - 22 jobs in Waterford
23rd Nov - 172 jobs nationwide company
19th Nov - 100 jobs in Clare
19th Nov - 55 jobs in Kilkenny
19th Nov - 10 jobs in Cavan
13th Nov - 82 jobs in Dublin
12th Nov - 40 jobs in Limerick
11th Nov - 250 jobs in Sligo
11th Nov - 80 jobs in Tralee
9th Nov - 30 jobs in Donegal
7th Nov - 138 jobs in Galway
6th Nov - 70 jobs in Wexford
5th Nov - 80 jobs in Youghal
2nd Nov - 150 jobs in Clare

On the flip side, if you can call it that, the IDA have not managed to bring 1 single job to Limerick since Dell shut
http://www.limerickleader.ie/news/IDA-fails-to-deliver-a.5843600.jp

All fairly depressing news in advance of tomorrows budget with worse expected in the New Year. Did Mr Lenihan say recently that we would not hit 500,000 unemployed ? I think he needs to revisit that statement

The fact that any of the other stuff got through is a miracle (or the result of Lenihan's hard work).
Cowardly Clow(e)n would give Inspector Clouseau a run for his money at this stage.

Thread should be called Cowen's Clow(e)ning moment.

Ulysses Gaze

Cowen to have failed to stabilise things but he hasn't failed and the fact of the matter is that things are more stable now than they were in April. For that, he deserves a level of credit whether or not you agree with his policies.

He can't get 'credit' for doing what he has done 12-18 months too late. As another poster has said, it's like closing the barn door once the horse has bolted. That's not good leadership. He has shown a lack of decisive leadership at crucial turning points in this crisis.

A lot of what you have posted as his 'achievements' that he deserves creidt for have been dictated by needs must (after much dithering, obsfucating and denial) or by outside forces (warnings from the ECB, our credit rating taking seismic hits, the threat of IMF intervention and the failure of the US economy to recover).

If Cowen and co had taken radical steps 12-18 months ago to negate the crisis to an extent I would applaud him, even though I'm as far removed from an FF supporter as possible. I've no faith in other political parties here either btw.

This goes far beyond politics with me. It goes to the heart of the matter; trying to save the country socially and economically for the next generation.

And applauding, or giving credit to someone for doing what should have been done months ago is nonsense.

thebman

Also lets not forget he is partly to blame for causing it since he was finance minister that pushed up government spending to unsustainable levels to please Bertie who we are still paying to advertise his book which is being outsold by the Mr.Tayto book last I heard.

A potato head outselling a potato head many would say but at least Mr.Tayto generates jobs and isn't using tax payer money to advertise his book.