Cowen needs to do much more than speak well

WITH just one unscripted speech Taoiseach Brian Cowen has gone from villain to hero, despite telling the annual dinner of the Dublin Chamber of Commerce on Thursday night our standard of living would be slashed by 10% as a result of the recession.

His rallying call played well with the 300 business people in attendance and, according to one account, the standing ovation was prolonged.

It was important the Taoiseach stepped up to the plate to let the business sector know he had not lost the bottle for the fight.