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It Wasn't Me
As finance minister, Mr Cowen was responsible for a startling 13 per cent rise in government spending last year, which turned a budget surplus of 2.9 per cent of gross domestic product in 2006 into a forecast deficit of 1.2 per cent this year.
“It was an election year, but if you increase spending that much, you will make some mistakes,” says Alan Barrett, senior economist at Ireland’s Economic and Social Research Institute.
“I do not think anyone would say from the state of public services that it was worth it.”
Cowen is now confirmed as Irish prime minister, here is one story.
Posted by Tyler Cowen on April 9, 2008 at 11:49 AM in Current Affairs | Permalink
Comments
Shaggy?
Posted by: "It wasn't me" at Apr 9, 2008 12:07:15 PM
Minor correction: to be confirmed as prime minister ("taoiseach"), he must face a vote in the parliament ("Dáil"). As his party which he now leads hold a majority (with their coalition partners) he is certain to win, but he can't quite call himself taoiseach yet.
Posted by: Enda at Apr 9, 2008 2:35:43 PM
BIFFO!
Posted by: Kieran at Apr 9, 2008 4:23:22 PM
For those who don't understand the previous comment it means "Big Ignorant F***er From Offaly".
Posted by: Anonymous at Apr 10, 2008 4:18:08 AM
Journo: "What are you doing about the crisis in XYZ public service?"
Minister: "Well, we've increased spending in that area by 100% in the past 4 years"
great...
Posted by: AndyC at Apr 10, 2008 7:01:05 AM
Startling indeed. What are the sources for the figure of 13%? My most pessimistic calculation is 9.8%, and that includes a large infrastructure spending boost; justified by decades of under-investment and a debt to GDP ratio of just 27%.
Posted by: Cormac at Apr 10, 2008 11:28:19 AM
He'll leave office with his reputation waning and his fortune waxing.
Posted by: dearieme at Apr 10, 2008 11:43:00 AM
Ireland may have a strategic problem. Despite his political skills, the people who wanted continued orderly economic growth in Ireland could keep Bertie Ahearn's extravagant instincts in check because they knew where some of his bodies were buried. Seems Cowen has extrvagant instincts; but does he have any bodies buried?
Posted by: David Heigham at Apr 10, 2008 2:15:10 PM
Cowen may not have many bodies buried but he is known to be a social drinker. A VERY social drinker. Watch the RTE news link ( first clip at the top ) and watch for the comment about changes to his 'social life'( about 2 minutes in ).
http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0409/9news.html
He has also been descirbed as 'convivial' and 'fond of a drink' in interviews with other senior FF figures. That is RTE code for drinking problem. Hopefully he gets dried out before he starts in the top job.
Alex
Posted by: Alex at Apr 12, 2008 1:45:17 AM
