FF Ard Fheis - Greatest challenges still ahead

LET us hope Taoiseach Brian Cowen and his cabinet enjoyed the mother’s-home-cooking comfort afforded by their party’s weekend conference. It may be at least a year before they find themselves again embraced by such uncritical and unflappable supporters.

As early as yesterday Mr Cowen found himself in a more challenging environment at an emergency meeting with his European counterparts in Brussels to discuss the economic crisis.

At the meeting European leaders stressed EU unity. However, calls from Hungary for a €180 billion aid package to rescue east European economies whose currencies have been battered in the economic downturn were rejected. All that was on offer was an acceleration of the process to expand the eurozone.