Brian Cowen Accused of Copying Eamon Gilmore’s Speeches

I am posting below the fold the unedited attachment to a Labour press releases questioning Brian Cowen‘s originality when it comes to parts of his speech. The accusation of cogging is no small matter, considering it was his fourth state of the nation speech. The one might not really want to be associated with the speech is kind of beside the point when we can get distracted by the matter of cogging. I am undecided on the allegations but everything below the fold is the attached quotes from their spokesperson Sean Sherlock.

What do you think?

Cowen Ard Fheis speech cogs from Gilmore

Eamon Gilmore, explaining Labour’s opposition to Credit Institutions (Financial Support) Bill 2008, October 2 2008:  “We asked that the Government curtail the culture of greed that has brought us to this point in the first instance. I made the point already that the six Chief executives of the six banks covered earned €13million between them. Again, the Government refuses to include any provision in the bill to curb the banking culture that brought us here in the first place.”

Cowen, FF Ard Fheis, 28 February 2009:  “There will be caps on salaries of bank chief executives receiving government aid.”

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Gilmore, speaking at a joint Labour/PES seminar on the economy, 21 February 2009: “You have to ask the question: how can we use this money [jobseekers benefit and tax forgone due to large-scale redundancies], not to pay for unemployment, put to sustain employment. […] What I am talking about is a fundamental and rapid re-think of industrial policy.  We need to re-orientate industrial strategy, and the role of the industrial development agencies, to look at protecting jobs, like the jobs in SR Technics.”

Cowen, FF Ard Fheis, 28 February 2009: “We need to protect our native businesses to the greatest extent possible.   That is why, at our next Cabinet meeting we will set up an Enterprise Stabilisation Fund with initial funding of €100m to be run by Enterprise Ireland. The aim of the fund is to support viable but vulnerable exporting companies who, but for this recession, would be thriving.”

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Gilmore, Labour/PES seminar, 21 February 2009: “Ireland is a small country. That restricts us in terms of some of our policy options. But it also means that we can be more flexible, more adaptable, more agile than other countries.”

Cowen, FF Ard Fheis, 28 February 2009: “We are a small and agile nation. We can use our size to our advantage, but we must adapt quickly and radically.”

*****

Gilmore, address to the Institute of Chartered Accountants, 2 November 2007: “If Ireland is to prosper in the next two decades, we must embrace the New Economy. […] Significant investment has been made in our universities, in developing world class research teams and facilities. What will determine our success, however, will be whether we can commercialise new ideas and intellectual property, turning them into jobs and incomes.

A central element of that process is ensuring that entrepreneurs have access to start-up capital – An area where we are currently falling short.”

Cowen, FF Ard Fheis, 28 February 2009: “In December I launched a Plan on the Smart Economy, which aims to position Ireland as the leading location for business innovation in the world.  We want to create the best environment possible whereby good ideas are converted into great businesses.  We intend to use the billions of euro that we are now spending on research, development and innovation up to 2013, to create the commercialized products and services of the future.”

*****

Gilmore, speaking to the Dáil, 29 January 2009: “What answer does the Government have, for example, to the thousands of young people who will graduate from college this year. Will they be faced in a few years with the old story of the 1980s – can’t get a job without experience, can’t get experience without a job.  Rather than pay people to do nothing, can we come up with a work experience or job placement scheme?”

Cowen, FF Ard Fheis, 28 February 2009: “My government is committed to doing all we can for people who find themselves out of work. We will […] help graduates get work through job placement schemes.”

*****

Gilmore, addresing the Labour Party conference, 29 November 2008: “Labour’s patriotism is about pulling together, not pulling back.   It’s about Trust.  Community.  Neighbourhood. Best described in our own Irish language: an Meitheal.   Ní neart, go cur le chéile. Is féidir linn daoine a chur ar ais ag obair.  Is féidir linn gnóanna a mhéadú, agus serbhísí a leasú.   Is féidir linn an tír a chur ar ais ar a cosa.”

Cowen, FF Ard Fheis, 28 February 2009: “Tá focal Gaeilge a theastaíonn a thabhairt isteach sa gcomhra seo anocht. Agus an focal sin ná meitheal. Daoine ag obair le chéile ar son a chéile. Teastaíonn spiorad an Mheitheal anois níos mó ná riamh. Spiorad an chomharsanacht, spiorad an chomhoibriú. Ni neart go cur le chéile a chairde agus seo í an t-am chun brú ar aghaidh I teannta a chéile agus le tacaíocht dá chéile.

Ireland now needs a Meitheal mentality if we are going to get through this together.”