Taoiseach: ‘A time of great trial and test’

BRIAN COWEN said his time as Taoiseach had been “a time of great trial and test” as he bid farewell to the Dáil.

He urged people making judgment on his tenure to consider the reasons behind unpopular decisions made by his administration.

“I know some of the decisions my Government had to take were not popular. But they had to be taken,” Mr Cowen said.

“In making judgment, people should remember sometimes it is not just the content of policy that defines a political decision but its context too. And more than anything, it is the motivation that inspired that decision.

“I believe politics is about serving the interests of the people first and last. That was my motivation starting out in public life and I stayed true to it right to the end.

“In every decision I took, as Taoiseach, I can honestly say the common good was my overriding concern, and loyalty to this country and its people informed every choice I made.”

Mr Cowen rose to his feet in the Dáil shortly after 2.30pm to deliver his valedictory speech and announce his intention to trigger the election.

Watched by his wife Mary and daughters Sinéad and Maedhbh, as well as other family members and friends and supporters from his Laois-Offaly constituency, Mr Cowen appeared emotional over the course of the 15-minute speech.

He paid tribute to his late father, the former Laois-Offaly TD Ber Cowen, who died in 1984 and whose anniversary last month came on the same weekend that Brian Cowen stepped down as Fianna Fáil leader.

“I also want to express my gratitude, on this my last day here, to my late father who gave me a great grounding in the values of community service and a love of politics,” he said.

Recalling John F Kennedy’s first State of the Union address in 1961, in which the US president said the members of Congress were among his oldest friends, Mr Cowen said those words resonated with him. He said he had made many great friendships in politics that endured despite disagreements over issues of the day.

He also staunchly defended the profession of politics itself, saying: “Politics is public service — and it is an honourable profession.”

Mr Cowen said Ireland’s economic foundations remained strong, and that there were “plenty of reasons for confidence”.

He said peace in the North “is another foundation upon which we can build”. And while speaking of his pride at the role he played in the peace process, he sought to rise above party politics, saying the successful outcome had been “a collective, cross-party endeavour”.

He said the election would “define our economic future” and decide “whether Ireland moves forward from this recession or whether we prolong it or indeed succumb to it”.

He called for a “mature, responsible debate” about the “solemn business of democracy” rather than personalities.

He cited a poem by the late philosopher John O’Donohue entitled “For a leader”, commending it to those “who will be in positions of leadership” after the election.

He concluded with words from the 19th century Irish poet Raftery, saying: “Anois teacht an earraigh, beidh an lá ag dul chun síneadh, Is tar éis na féile Bríde, ardóidh mé mo sheol.”

The English translation? “Now with the coming of spring, the days will be getting longer, and after St Brigid’s Day, I shall hoist my sail.”

He received a standing ovation from Fianna Fáil, and applause from Fine Gael and Labour who kept with tradition to acknowledge an outgoing Taoiseach. But Sinn Féin refused to applaud.