As finance minister, Mr Cowen was responsible for a startling 13 per cent rise in government spending last year, which turned a budget surplus of 2.9 per cent of gross domestic product in 2006 into a forecast deficit of 1.2 per cent this year.
“It was an election year, but if you increase spending that much, you will make some mistakes,” says Alan Barrett, senior economist at Ireland’s Economic and Social Research Institute.
“I do not think anyone would say from the state of public services that it was worth it.”
Cowen is now confirmed as Irish prime minister, here is one story.
Shaggy?
BIFFO!
Journo: “What are you doing about the crisis in XYZ public service?”
Minister: “Well, we’ve increased spending in that area by 100% in the past 4 years”
great…
He’ll leave office with his reputation waning and his fortune waxing.
Cowen may not have many bodies buried but he is known to be a social drinker. A VERY social drinker. Watch the RTE news link ( first clip at the top ) and watch for the comment about changes to his ‘social life’( about 2 minutes in ).
http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0409/9news.html
He has also been descirbed as ‘convivial’ and ‘fond of a drink’ in interviews with other senior FF figures. That is RTE code for drinking problem. Hopefully he gets dried out before he starts in the top job.
Alex
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