Taoiseach Watch: Brian Cowen

yehbut_nobut wrote:

I pictured it as a major cock-up, with that piece of paper she was handed being headed "for editors guidance only - not to be read out on air."

Cowen sez: Shut the fuck up... - 19/01/09

-- The Pin

Quote :

IBEC also said that the national minimum wage should not be increased for the foreseeable future.

“The competitive pressures being faced by all businesses are unprecedented," IBEC Director General Turlough O'Sullivan said.

“The serious deterioration in economic conditions since the Agreement was signed, especially the deepening global recession, the sharp increase in the value of the euro, the credit crunch and the prospect of deflation, has now made paying the terms of the Agreement impossible for our members.

Meanwhile, the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants is recommending a plan to cut costs for employers.

It is suggesting employees work an extra half-hour per day without pay.

An extra 30 minutes represents an effective 6% pay cut, but the group says there is no real loss in earnings, even though there is an increase in productivity.

It says the plan could be implemented before pay cuts or lay-offs are considered.
http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/mhsngbauaukf/

Two bright ideas they had there

Cut the wages of the lowest earners...
Cut jobs (a longer working day, if people actually use it to be more productive, overall would lead to fewer employees being needed)

If Government does not stop the increases in public sector pay, the private sector should

Chartered Accountants put their fees up last year by 11%. The bill we got for our last year's accounts, which were much simplified from the previous year, was 50% higher than the year before.

Their suggestion on extending hours, when most firms have less work and a lot of people have been put on three day weeks, is a scary indication of how little they know about business.

I could make a suggestion to the Association of Chartered Accountants as to how they could help competitivity, and it would involve cutting their own fees.

We need someone to stand up and be counted, show some leadership, and tell everyone what they are going to do, how it is going to be, and inject some stability into our lives. People are putting off holidays, house purchases, cars and we are all behaving like we could all be laid off tomorrow. As George Lee said the other night on Prime Time, the chances are 9/10 will keep their jobs. Eugene Sheehy did well the other day to say we should all just concentrate on getting our jobs done....there's too much rabbits in headlights stuff at the moment and it isn't helping.

Leadership, please. Then leave it for 6 months and let people sink back into the comfort of their routines. Joe and Josephine Soap might then get sick of austerity and start spending a wee bit more...

Talking about leadership here is a video of Cowen playing a squeezebox at a wedding in Offaly. He has style I will say that much


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReLwUhNh2fU

youngdan wrote:

Talking about leadership here is a video of Cowen playing a squeezebox at a wedding in Offaly. He has style I will say that much


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReLwUhNh2fU

That is a rare find Dan.One from the Vaults.
Barracks O'Bama at the Money Gall Arms.

Indeed. Cowen looks relaxed and nicely tanned. Not a care in the world. Now he is pale disheveled.

Want a speech to cog Brian ?: here's one from the Japanese PM:

28/01/2009 - 08:12:13
Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso is promising to create 1.6 million jobs over the next three years to help pull Japan out of its economic crisis.

Mr Aso made the proposal today to ease the impact of massive job cuts announced by many companies, including big names such as Toyota Motor Corp and Sony Corp, as he mapped out key measures in a major policy speech at the lower house of parliament.

Mr Aso, who has seen his public support ratings nosedive since taking office in late September, has previously announced a series of economic regeneration measures worth 75 trillion yen (€633.266bn).

Mr Aso wrapped up his speech with a desperate plea for support from the opposition to smoothly enact the fiscal 2009 budget.

“It is only natural that the ruling and opposition parties have different views. But the people are not hoping to see a mere contention between us, but political leadership that can tackle the problems quickly,” he said.

“We have no time to waste or hold off a decision,” Mr Aso said. “If you have good ideas, I’m fully open to discussions.”

An impassioned speech by Cowen to Dublin Chamber of Commerce last night in a week and a bit where we saw the 'My Way' speech in the Dáil, the poor success with the Social Partnership talks, the Emergency Budget of Tuesday (does that go into effect immediately by the way)

Why the hell doesn't Cowen speak like this in the Dáil ????? Lot of good stuff there.

The speech was recorded by the Chamber of Commerce and gives me some suspicions that because Cowen doesn't speak like this in the Dáil he's pandering to vested interests...

I think he's an impressive speaker off the cuff at times when he's on a roll but his speech in the Dáil the other day was at best annoying and at worse insulting at this time of pure crisis - he could have ad libbed at least some of it and I thought he spoke well, though extremely nervously in the Press Conference afterwards. Perhaps he was knackered from being up all night.

Unfortunately for Fianna-Fail haters, an ad lib speech with some of this substance is what wins FF plenty of votes ...........

Cowen says recession to cut living standards by over 10%

TAOISEACH Brian Cowen has appealed to the Irish people to use their “can do” spirit and deploy their sense of solidarity in the face of the economic challenges ahead.

In an unscripted address at a function in Dublin yesterday evening, he exhorted business leaders and the community at large to pull together so that the State could quickly revive the growth achieved in the past decade.

He also strongly defended the Government’s adherence to social partnership.

The Taoiseach, who was guest of honour at a Dublin Chamber of Commerce dinner, warned that the standard of living was likely to drop by 10-12 per cent in the coming years.

Speaking without notes for 17 minutes in a sometimes impassioned address, he directed his remarks at what he described as the sense of cohesive nature of the community. He received a standing ovation from the close to 300 guests.

The Irish people had the qualities required to meet the challenge posed in these difficult times, he said.

“The one thing that characterises their success is their self-belief. If we decide to wallow in the sea of doubt do not be surprised if we remain in the turbulent waters that we are in today.”

But he added that it would be difficult. “We owe it to the next generation. We have had some good times. We have had better times than previous generations and perhaps the next.

“The profound changes that are happening in the global economy mean that we won’t revert to the high rates of growth but we can revert to growth more quickly if we stick together as a community.”

Mr Cowen said he understood many people were finding it difficult to stay in the game, that Ireland had gone from a position of “unknown prosperity to suddenly survival stakes”.

Outlining the task that now faced the economy and Government, he said “jobs, jobs, jobs” had to be the priority in the coming years.

“We cannot say that suddenly we lost our entrepreneurial can-do spirit that has brought us to where we are today.”

Mr Cowen said Ireland needed to cut labour costs, invest in infrastructure, education and research and development.

His remarks came as more than 900 jobs were lost on both sides of the Border.

Mr Cowen said political leadership required a cohesive, rational and determined effort to get the country through the problem and “pull us through”.

On social partnership, he contended that its detractors did not understand its importance and that all the sides in the process understood the full scale of the problem.

Some people regarded leadership as operating in a vacuum and deciding to govern by fiat, he said, adding that that was not the best way to lead in a modern democracy.

He also defended the decision by Government to stay with the social partnership process when others were urging it to take earlier decision on the economy.

“I decided that I would use that month of January for that purpose and I am glad I did.

“I don’t believe for a moment that the idea that that is somehow a prevarication or abdication of responsibility. I don’t accept that.

“We must work together. Without working together we will not get through it, such is the scale of the challenge we face.”

Mr Cowen said the country must now go back to basic living, saying that the hubris of the past – that Irish people could do it all themselves – had come crashing down.

“That sort of arrogance has no place if Ireland is to forge ahead again,” he said.

Mr Cowen said he spoke extemporaneously because he wanted to stare the business community in the eye while spelling out the situation.

He said Ireland should recognise the solidarity that the European Union had brought, adding: “Our future is in Europe for all its faults.”

Arriving at the event, he indicated that preparations for the recapitalise Allied Irish Banks and Bank of Ireland were well advanced.

According to some financial sources, all that remains to be finalised are certain “technical” aspects of the recapitalisation transactions.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2009/0206/1233867922934.html

Cross-party talks on tax off the cards - Gilmore calls for Cowen to resign

Quote :

LABOUR PARTY leader Eamon Gilmore has called on Taoiseach Brian Cowen to consider stepping down from his position so that the country could “breathe politically again”.

Speaking as Mr Cowen prepared to address the Fianna Fáil ardfheis today, Mr Gilmore said the Taoiseach might be able to rally his party’s troops but he had lost the confidence of the country.

“I think he has to ask himself some very heart-searching questions, whether at this time his best service to the country would be standing aside and letting the country breathe again politically,” said Mr Gilmore


http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2009/0228/1224241991180.html

"Prime Minister Cowen spoke at a conference this weekend about introducing a new regulatory system. Many people watching those Irish banks.

I'm Cris Valerio .... "

We all know you like her Auditor #9 - but what did she say ?

cactus flower wrote:

We all know you like her Auditor #9 - but what did she say ?

Her and many others - why else would I stick watching Bloomberg all day?

There's a quote directly above her head. I'll open a seperate thread on Regulation - seems we're going to import the Canadian system according to the SBP today.

Quote :

Cowen’s Obama-style address a little short on answers

WELL it was certainly worth the wait. Cowen TV lit up Irish computer screens last night as Brian Cowen finally set out to reveal the answers to nearly 1,000 questions sent to his party’s new website — but he only managed seven answers.

"Given the overwhelming number you submitted, I’ve only been able to answer a selection of the most popular questions. I’d like to thank each of you for putting these questions to me," said the Fianna Fáil leader in an email to the party faithful.

The reworked online party drive — designed by the company behind Barack Obama’s web campaign — was launched last month to give political devotees the chance to quiz the Taoiseach.

Cowen appeared on video on the party’s website last night with the much-anticipated answers.

Read more
http://www.examiner.ie/ireland/idgbgbmhau/

Uouuuh - how did we miss that last night on FF TV ?