Taoiseach: Passing Lisbon my most urgent task

BRIAN COWEN has said the most urgent task facing him is to get the Lisbon treaty passed.

Mr Cowen yesterday became the 12th head of government since the foundation of the state, elected by 88 votes to 76 in the Dáil.

In his first speech as taoiseach, Mr Cowen set out his priorities, chief among them passing the Lisbon treaty. “Far from damaging our interests, the treaty will enhance our capacity to shape developments in line with our own perspectives and principles. There is no more urgent or important task ahead of me,” he said.

Mr Cowen spoke in both Irish and English, saying he accepted the enormous honour bestowed on him “with a genuine sense of humility”. He paid tribute to previous taoisigh, in particular Bertie Ahern who had made an “outstanding contribution” to the life of the country.

Mr Cowen said that, in considering his role as taoiseach, he had thought “a great deal” about Ireland’s place in the world today. There had been immense change in a short period, he said, pointing to the peace in the north, the republic’s economic success, and the influx of migrants who had helped sustain that success.

He said Ireland was a much better place to live in than ever before, with far fewer people struggling on the margins of society. But one of the biggest challenges facing the country was to temper “a rising tendency towards individualism within Irish society”.

“Not correctly harnessed, this can sap the energy from our sense of community, which is still strong and visible in so many ways.”

The Government’s responsibility, therefore, was to “fuel the engine of community — to lead the charge away from the promotion of exclusive self-interest towards a superior value of a wider community interest”.

While acknowledging the country had made great gains, he admitted it still faced great challenges. “Our job as legislators is to provide leadership for society at this time of change. But we need society to engage with us in the process. Change of this nature cannot simply be driven by government.”

The “common good” was enshrined in the constitution, he added, and should have special relevance now.

“The ultimate test of our progress will be the extent to which we can mobilise all of the people to think and behave in a manner that puts the interests of society as whole ahead of their own private interest,” he said, before again quoting the principles of Seán Lemass, just as he done when accepting the leadership of Fianna Fáil.

Mr Cowen finished on a personal note, growing clearly emotional when recalling his late father, whose death in 1984 led to the byelection that saw the new taoiseach elected for the first time. “I got my grounding in politics from my father, Ber, who had in turn got it from his father, Christy, a founding member of the Fianna Fáil party. Politics is about public service above all else.”

He paid tribute to his mother, May, his wife, Mary, daughters Sinead and Maedhbh, his brothers Christopher and Barry and relatives and friends.

He acknowledged there were expectations on him. “I will commit myself completely to meeting those expectations. I sincerely hope that I can do so in full.”