Cowen has failed to provide the leadership we so desperately need

THERE was a time when people in Fianna Fáil regarded Brian Cowen as a brilliant public performer. From an early stage in his political career — having been made minister at a young age — he was used as a “warm-up” act for the party at árd-fheiseanna, rousing the delegates to a crescendo before the emergence of the leader for his annual address.

During the last general election campaign he took the fight to Fine Gael when his leader Bertie Ahern floundered, confidently delivering the party message whenever required. These performances are but a memory now.

Instead, Cowen cuts a hang-dog image, lugubrious in his appearance and delivery, unconvincing as a man who can lead the country out of the mess it is in. He rarely offers dynamism and, as a result, delivers little hope. He appears beaten. This may be wrong, but it is the image he projects, much as he might like to dismiss it as unfair media criticism.