Comments on: Enda Kenny Calls on Cowen to depose Bertie, Ahern and Cowen hit back

By: Rumour and counter rumour? The calls for the resignation of Bertie Ahern of Fianna Fáil by the opposition… « The Cedar Lounge Revolution

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 07:54:46 +0000

[...] indeed, the suggestion has been made on Irish Election that this is an effort to ‘link’ Cowen, and indeed all others who might have made [...]

By: WorldbyStorm

WorldbyStorm — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 19:22:09 +0000

Hmmmm…. that’s a good good question…

By: Dan Sullivan

Dan Sullivan — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 16:16:53 +0000

Yeh!, who’s Mandy is what we need to know in all this Bertie/Brian blather…

By: WorldbyStorm

WorldbyStorm — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 23:20:33 +0000

Sorry Dan, I should have made it clear that I wasn’t suggesting it was your opinion one way or another. I’m not sure the Blair Brown situation though is entirely analogous if only because of the close friendship followed by seemingly bitter emnity between those two. Not a feature of the Ahern Cowen history. Changeovers are funny things really. Sometimes they work…sometimes they don’t…

By: Dan Sullivan

Dan Sullivan — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 21:29:25 +0000

I’m merely outlining what I reckon the strategy is, not whether or not I support it, WbS, I would note that Brown and Blair weren’t close either but the changeover didn’t clear things for too long in that long succession either. The more statements of support that FF leadership contenders make the more they can be used against them.

By: flyer

flyer — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 21:17:35 +0000

I wonder does this have anything to do with the findings of the Irishelection.com survey which basically had Richard Bruton as the most popular man in politics and Enda down in the shite with Bertie and co.

There are many grass roots members of Fine Gael who would make the same plea to Richard as Enda is making to Cowen.

For the good of the party and nation……

By: WorldbyStorm

WorldbyStorm — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 18:32:19 +0000

Dan, that seems a pretty self-serving approach by FG. How would it ‘tar’ Cowen or anyone else? What ‘can’t be brushed off’? Cowen can point to merely waiting for the Tribunal to conclude its business and that he felt politically and otherwise his hands were tied prior to that. Most people beyond a certain core of FG would likely give him the benefit of the doubt… indeed it’s well known that Cowen isn’t close to Ahern politically or personally… I think the change in image alone would be sufficient to indicate clear blue water, or indeed all the miles to Offaly, between them. To be honest I think that is an aspirational hope by FG and unlikely to be of any particular traction when it comes to FF.

I should point out I’m a fan of neither Cowen or Ahern.

By: Dan Sullivan

Dan Sullivan — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 17:22:56 +0000

FG are, I reckon, playing out a strategy of tying the future FF leadership to the current FF leadership, ensuring that if Bertie has to go that Cowen (or anyone else for that matter) can’t start with a clean slate. If Bertie goes early then even out of office his past tars his successor or if he leaves it late then once the Tribunal is completed any negative findings can’t be brushed off by his successor either.

By: An Fear Bolg

An Fear Bolg — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 17:02:41 +0000

Not defending FF or anything, but this is such boring b.s. from Fine Gael. Move on, give us something new for a change.

By: P O'Neill

P O'Neill — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 14:22:07 +0000

For some time now it’s looked like Enda is following the David Cameron strategy — that there’s no point in being nice as leader of the opposition. No doubt they still regret not going harder when bertie weeped before Bryan Dobson. Interesting strategy to pull Cowen in too — one wonders if some of the other FFers with leadership ambitions might not mind too much about that.