Newsweek ranks Brian Cowen among world's best leaders

LookingFor

This will go down well locally, I'm sure...

He's placed in their top 10 'head of the class' world leaders, labelling him 'The Fiscal Taskmaster'.

http://www.newsweek.com/2010/08/16/go-to-the-head-of-the-class/the-fiscal-taskmaster-brian-cowen.html

With Ireland's once-roaring economy staggered by the banking crisis--unemployment is at 13 percent, emigration is rising, and the money markets rank Ireland not far behind Greece on the list of Europe's big-time losers--Prime Minister Brian Cowen and his able finance minister, Brian Lenihan, are prescribing harsh medicine. They've pushed through austerity packages drastic enough to win the admiration of the international community, raised taxes, and slashed some public salaries by more than 10 percent. But the Irish aren't showing much gratitude--Cowen's ratings have plunged to a mere 18 percent, and his Fianna Fail party can expect a drubbing in the 2012 national elections. Still, there's some hope that his government's unpopular measures will be rewarded in the long run: surveys suggest that Irish consumer confidence is on the rise again, and the economy notched up modest growth in the first quarter of 2010.

Elsewhere, they rank Ireland as the 17th best place in the world to live.

http://www.newsweek.com/feature/2010/the-world-s-best-countries.html

Superbus

Wait, who's wrong, Newsweek or most Irish people?

Sanjuro

The line-up sounds like the world's most boring superhero team.

It's true though.. We're getting some international praise for taking corrective action over a year earlier than most places. We can't see it but we'd be more fooked without it.

aDeener

Deleted User wrote: »

It's true though.. We're getting some international praise for taking corrective action over a year earlier than most places. We can't see it but we'd be more fooked without it.

dear god delete that post quick before the boards vultures see it and rip you to pieces!!

do you not know the boards equation?

government = bad

Hank_Jones

Should probably be higher than 17th tbh.
Don't think anyone can really complain.
Thank your lucky stars we don't live in Paraguay (or pakistan).

rossie1977

george w won this award every year for 8 years

The_Kew_Tour

Jesus christ no wonder the country is fooked when you read ****e like this.

Next they be telling us Bertie was the greatest person to set foot on this planet.

LukeQuietus

Might as well be the first to reply.

Cowen isn't to blame. We are. We should have voted them out or gone out on the streets rioting (or at least protesting) if we didn't like the way things were done. Nobody did anything but grumble and whine all the time (me included) so nothing changed. The Greeks (who we're worse off than) went out on the streets and you know what they chanted? "We're not Irish, we won't take it!" And good for them. We're all sheep. Pathetic sheep

banquo

Not a FF voter myself by any means, but if you genuinely believe that FF caused the recession then you're an idiot.

Black Swan

NewsWEAK!

sesna

LukeQuietus wrote: »

Might as well be the first to reply.

Cowen isn't to blame. We are. We should have voted them out or gone out on the streets rioting (or at least protesting) if we didn't like the way things were done. Nobody did anything but grumble and whine all the time (me included) so nothing changed. The Greeks (who we're worse off than) went out on the streets and you know what they chanted? "We're not Irish, we won't take it!" And good for them. We're all sheep. Pathetic sheep

24 billion into Anglo Irish Bank alone (all part of the corrective action), yet Saint Lenihan can do no wrong, Cowen is a genius - master of his brief. It's true, we lap up complete government bull$hit like the poster below.

Deleted User wrote: »

I We're getting some international praise for taking corrective action over a year earlier than most places. We can't see it but we'd be more fooked without it.

Scuid Mhór

LookingFor wrote: »

This will go down well locally, I'm sure...

He's placed in their top 10 'head of the class' world leaders, labelling him 'The Fiscal Taskmaster'.

http://www.newsweek.com/2010/08/16/go-to-the-head-of-the-class/the-fiscal-taskmaster-brian-cowen.html



Elsewhere, they rank Ireland as the 17th best place in the world to live.

http://www.newsweek.com/feature/2010/the-world-s-best-countries.html

the word is newsweek. the synonym is propaganda

AnonoBoy

How to Troll real life by Newsweek.


Next week........ claiming Coldplay are the ultimate edgy indie band!

SEPT 23 1989

When the files are opened for the last ten years by the new government in 2012 and the truth finally comes out about Anglo ,then we will see what the world thinks of this corrupt little idiot:mad:

tony1kenobi

Christy Cowen....for Weak News.

Liam Byrne

Deleted User wrote: »

It's true though.. We're getting some international praise for taking corrective action over a year earlier than most places. We can't see it but we'd be more fooked without it.

That might be true, considering corrective action is required.

But there are 2 points that Newsweek are competely missing.

1) Better corrective action was possible (see reports on bailing out Anglo and the extent of the guarantee, if nothing else)

2) The review of Cowen's influence in CREATING the crisis

I could imagine how a zealous new magazine that only started investigating / reporting on Ireland since last year could get this so wrong, based on not having any facts prior to, say, 2009, but Newsweek ?

I'm stunned!

As for the poster that asked who's wrong - Ireland or Newsweek......well, enough of "us" voted FF the last time, so it's probably both.

brianthebard

Newsweek in support for the right wing option shocker!

aDeener

aDeener wrote: »

dear god delete that post quick before the boards vultures see it and rip you to pieces!!

do you not know the boards equation?

government = bad

I didn't say government was good.. i said they took corrective action quicker than other countries. I didn't mention the BS handling of the economy before that because it wasn't relevant.

sesna wrote: »

It's true, we lap up complete government bull$hit like the poster below.

Lap up what exactly? I know more about this shlt than you, I hate Fianna Fail more than you, I guaranteed know more about the economics of this country than you and my post at the start of the thread is 100% correct.

Rubik.

Deleted User wrote: »

It's true though.. We're getting some international praise for taking corrective action over a year earlier than most places. We can't see it but we'd be more fooked without it.

Cowen & Co. kept telling us it wasn't their fault, we are a small open economy being dragged down by a global economic crises. Then a report they commissioned ,to look at the causes of the crises, concluded that only 25% of our our problems are related to outside factors, the remaining 75% was created domestically.

Their latest mantra is - "we are unpopular because we are making difficult decisions". Conveniently ignoring their role in creating the need to make these "difficult" decisions in the first place.

Red Hand

We are a nation of donkeys led by donkeys.

Owwmykneecap

banquo wrote: »

Not a FF voter myself by any means, but if you genuinely believe that FF caused the recession then you're an idiot.

Wait you mean they didn't inflate a property bubble, they weren't in thrall to the developers, they didn't ignore all the many many warnings of the credit crunch.

Phew, good to know!

Dudess

LukeQuietus wrote: »

Cowen isn't to blame.

Agreed he isn't totally to blame, Fianna Fáil voters and people who didn't vote are also. But not "we" as in all of us.

We are. We should have voted them out or gone out on the streets rioting (or at least protesting) if we didn't like the way things were done. Nobody did anything but grumble and whine all the time (me included) so nothing changed. The Greeks (who we're worse off than) went out on the streets and you know what they chanted? "We're not Irish, we won't take it!" And good for them. We're all sheep. Pathetic sheep

Terry

Nobody wants to hear it, but PAYE needs to rise.
Slate me all you want, but most of you will only be down about a tenner a week. It needs to be done.

The Agogo

Terry wrote: »

Nobody wants to hear it, but PAYE needs to rise.
Slate me all you want, but most of you will only be down about a tenner a week. It needs to be done.

I agree. Also, even though I earn minimum wage, I think this should also drop. Regardless of who made what mistakes (I'm willing to forgive and forget - and no I'm not an FFer), I'd pay whatever extra taxes it takes to get this country out of debt.

Even if Corporation tax went up by .01% we'd be all good.

sesna

Deleted User wrote: »

I didn't say government was good.. i said they took corrective action quicker than other countries. I didn't mention the BS handling of the economy before that because it wasn't relevant.

Corrective action which they are receiving praise for? You mean they cut social welfare, crippled us with taxes, cut essential frontline health services, punished the most vulnerable in society all so they could partially finance a ridiculous blanket bank guarantee which the banks themselves manipulated Lenihan into providing, by withholding information on their dire predicament until the last minute, and which most experts now agree was one of the worst financial decisions in the history of the state. Not to mention consecutive downgrading by all credit rating agencies and highest GDP debt ratio in the EU.

I suppose Nama is going to make a profit too.

doctorwu

Why are they getting congralutions for taking " the hard decisions " for trying to get us out of crap they put us into in the first place. They wont. I despair. I am also very afraid of whats coming down the tracks.

Liam Byrne

Terry wrote: »

Nobody wants to hear it, but PAYE needs to rise.
Slate me all you want, but most of you will only be down about a tenner a week. It needs to be done.

€42 quid a month, eh ? €520 a year that I have to break my balls to earn ?

Tell you what, the day that Callely & Co stop claiming stuff they didn't spend explicitly for work, and the day the Government promises not to piss that away on Anglo or paying off incompetent idiots to keep their mouths shut while disappearing into the sunset with half a million, and the day the con-men in Dáil Eireann don't get more wages than heads of similar-sized countries for 8 months' work petty squabbling, THEN I'll consider it.

Until then, no way. They're wasting enough as it is without giving them more.

The Agogo

Liam Byrne wrote: »

€42 quid a month, eh ? €520 a year that I have to break my balls to earn ?

Tell you what, the day that Callely & Co stop claiming stuff they didn't spend explicitly for work, and the day the Government promises not to piss that away on Anglo or paying off incompetent idiots to keep their mouths shut while disappearing into the sunset with half a million, and the day the con-men in Dáil Eireann don't get more wages than heads of similar-sized countries for 8 months' work petty squabbling, THEN I'll consider it.

Until then, no way. They're wasting enough as it is without giving them more.

They're politicians. What do you expect? You're seriously living in lala land if you think there are politicians out there that wouldn't try getting their own in first.

The Highwayman

LookingFor wrote: »

This will go down well locally, I'm sure...

He's placed in their top 10 'head of the class' world leaders, labelling him 'The Fiscal Taskmaster'.

http://www.newsweek.com/2010/08/16/go-to-the-head-of-the-class/the-fiscal-taskmaster-brian-cowen.html



Elsewhere, they rank Ireland as the 17th best place in the world to live.

http://www.newsweek.com/feature/2010/the-world-s-best-countries.html

Time magazine made Hitler 'Man of the year'

Liam Byrne

The Agogo wrote: »

They're politicians. What do you expect? You're seriously living in lala land if you think there are politicians out there that wouldn't try getting their own in first.

Well then we need to show them it's not acceptable by not even giving them a single vote.