Cowen to give ‘state of the nation’ Dáil address

TAOISEACH Brian Cowen is expected to make a “state of the nation” style address outlining challenges facing the country in a two-day Dáil debate on the economy, starting tomorrow.

During a five-hour meeting of the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party yesterday, TDs and senators promised to “rise above” the bad publicity of recent weeks on how the Government is handling economic problems.

Members told the Taoiseach that an address spelling out what action was needed would be timely as part of an overall plan to convince the public that the Government is dealing with economic challenges.