Cowen’s first year - Affirmation of political maturity

Today marks the first anniversary of Brian Cowen coming to power. It has certainly been an eventful year. His friend Senator Geraldine Feeney described it as “the worst time” in her memory.

The country has essentially been confronted with the greatest economic reversal since the establishment of the State. Yet in a sense the events have been an affirmation of our political maturity.

It would be wrong to suggest that the scale of the problems confronting his government in its first year have been unprecedented. WT Cosgrave found himself confronted with a bitter Civil War in his first year in power, and Eamon de Valera had to deal with the Economic War and the danger of being toppled by a neo-fascist coup d’etat in his first year.