Cowen to decide political future this weekend
An Taoiseach Brian Cowen will decide this weekend whether to bring down the curtain on his political career.
Mr Cowen will dissolve the Dáil on Tuesday and name the date for the most eagerly awaited General Election in decades.
The Taoiseach revealed he will discuss his future plans with family and advisers over the next few days amid speculation he is preparing to retire.
Mr Cowen, who stepped down as leader of Fianna Fáil last Saturday, said he wanted to address the Dáil before calling the Election.
“It will give me the opportunity to say some things before we do that,” he said. “It’s really a question of using the Dáil as the appropriate forum for that announcement.”
The Dáil will reconvene at 2.30pm on Tuesday with Mr Cowen’s statement and expected remarks from the leaders of Fine Gael, Labour, Sinn Féin and the Greens, who pulled out of coalition on Sunday, triggering the early Election.
The Taoiseach will then go to Áras an Uachtarain in the Phoenix Park, and ask President Mary McAleese to formally dissolve the Dáil.
In an interview with Radio na Gaeltachta, Mr Cowen said he would take the weekend to decide his future, with a selection convention for his Laois/Offaly constituency planned for Tuesday night.
The election is widely expected to decimate Fianna Fáil's number of seats, as it languishes in third place in opinion polls, neck-and-neck with Sinn Féin.
At 14%, their rating is a record low. The next Red C poll to assess what level of support each political party has, is due in this weekend’s Sunday Business Post.
The Seanad is due to sign-off on the Government’s final act to put Budget 2011 into law tomorrow clearing the way for the early election, widely expected to be held on Friday, February 25.
The Finance Bill passed all stages in the Dáil this week when Independents Michael Lowry and Jackie Healy-Rae secured last minute changes after they threatened to jettison the legislation.
As debate continued in the Seanad, opposition senators hit out at the Government over the tough Budget measures, with Fine Gael‘s Jerry Buttimer saying the Bill was Fianna Fáil’s legacy to the country.
“That of gargantuan tax increases, huge unemployment, thousands of people emigrating and a failed political legacy,” he said.
Party colleague Senator Liam Twomey took a swipe at newly-elected Fianna Fail leader Micheál Martin, who has repeatedly apologised for Government mistakes on the economy.
“Minister Martin reminds me of some sort of two-timing eejit,” Senator Twomey said. “Everybody knows the type. Constantly fooling around on his long-suffering girlfriend. Constantly saying sorry and that it will never happen again.
“This time what he doesn’t realise, is that she’s thrown him out for good. And this is the way the people of Ireland feel about the manipulation by this Government.”
Finance Minister Brian Lenihan criticised former coalition partners the Greens for not allowing enough time for tax changes to accommodate people in civil partnerships, a major policy plank of the Green Party.
“I have to say I find it extraordinary that the Green Party which made such an effort at pushing the whole question couldn’t find it in their hearts to give the Government another week or two to arrange for that,” Mr Lenihan said.
Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams welcomed what he dubbed the “long-overdue” announcement from the Taoiseach to dissolve the Dáil.
“The people will be glad to see the back of this totally discredited Government,” he said. “Sinn Féin looks forward to the election and would call on all citizens to make a stand for a better Ireland and against the cosy consensus for cuts.”
