Taoiseach: I will be more cautious about how I socialise

The Taoiseach has said he will be more cautious in future about how he conducts his socialising.

"Such is the atmosphere of politics today...I'd be a bit more cautious about how I conduct my social life (in future)," he said.

Brian Cowen also said that, despite the controversy following his radio interview earlier this week, he is confident that he has the full support of his Cabinet colleagues and the wider Fianna Fáil parliamentary party.

Fianna Fáil's partner in Government, the Green Party, has called for the issue to be put to bed. Mr Cowen was having an “off day” when he gave his controversial live radio interview this week, Environment Minister John Gormley said today.

The Green Party leader insisted it was time to move on from the fall-out, which has caused huge embarrassment for the Taoiseach and the Government.

Mr Gormley said Mr Cowen had made a “fairly fulsome apology” and the public now wanted the coalition to get back to resurrecting the country’s fortunes.

“The Taoiseach had an off day…He acknowledged that, he apologised,” he said.

“I know politics is a sort of blood sport and I know we like to sometimes talk about it in a jovial way, the gossip, etcetera, but I have to ask myself as someone who is in the midst of this crisis, as are so many people, is it going to get us out of this particular mess that we’re in?” he said.

“And the answer is clearly no.”