Judged harshly for being Irish and good at it

COMMENT

WHEN Brian Cowen finally succumbs to the inevitable and leaves his position, by whatever means, he will feel no backlash from the public in the aftermath. Despite all the hand wringing and public outcry, the Taoiseach feels somehow more human than we are accustomed to our politicians being.
Reading some of the coverage since the interview has been a stomach-churning experience. Reports more suited to the pages of a glossy gossip magazine have poured forth in the Irish media regarding Cowen’s private life.
All of a sudden, “sources” are willing to spill the beans on the Taoiseach and his liking for a drink throughout his political career. Journalists have appointed themselves judge, jury and executioner and condemned the man from on high. Let us not forget, however, that there were many journalists with the Taoiseach the night before the infamous interview. True, they did not in most cases have to go on air the early the next morning but how many of them would like to have the spotlight turned on their own drinking habits? I’m sure all would protest that it never affected their work, which begs the question – what is the Taoiseach’s job?
As far as I am concerned, Brian Cowen’s job is to run the country, it is not to give radio interviews. Many will argue it is essential that the Taoiseach project a good image in interviews and calm the country with soothing words regarding the shattered economy. Does it actually make any difference how he delivers news of savage cutbacks and hard times ahead? In reality, most people are sick to the back teeth of politicians giving slick interviews that would be more use in fertilising a garden than enlightening the listener as to the actual state of affairs at any given time.
I do not agree with Brian Cowen on many policy issues and I consider the Fianna Fáil party to be a venal gang of self-serving crony politicians with little by way of a moral or political compass but hang Cowen on policy issues, not one interview and a tsunami of gossip. If all these brave souls, who are so concerned for the country that they feel the need to tell the press about Cowen’s drinking habits were so concerned about his leadership, why did it take a tweet from a Fine Gaeler for them to find their voice? If there is or was a genuine problem then it should be faced and dealt with.
In 2007, the then leader of the Liberal Democrats in Britain, Charles Kennedy, was forced by his colleagues to resign because of his alcoholism. His was an illness that had long affected his performance as party leader and had reached Yeltsinesque levels of excess. He drank secretly and was often incapable of functioning in public to the point that his own people ousted him for his own good and that of the party. This man suffered from a serious illness and has since sought treatment and reinvented himself as a well-liked pundit. I am not for one minute suggesting that Brian Cowen has anything approaching a problem of this kind but the hysteria which has greeted the radio interview would give the impression he has.
The reason I began this piece by stating Brian Cowen could look forward to personal popularity when he ceases to be Taoiseach and leader of Fianna Fáil is because he slipped up as many have before in Ireland. He drank as Irish culture allows and glorifies, with little or no thought for the next morning. He drank publically, sang songs and regaled his companions with entertaining banter. in short, he embodied everything Bord Fáilte tries to sell tourists about the Irish drinking experience. If Ireland sits in judgement on Brian Cowen, it sits in judgement on its own culture.
Perhaps Simon Coveney’s true intentions in tweeting what he did will never be known but he certainly knew the magnitude of what he was doing when he posted the message. Whether by choice or intention, he has brought the public spotlight on the drinking habits of all TDs and the culture that exists at the heart of Irish politics. People can pretend to be shocked by this or they can choose to accept the reality that alcohol is a central facet of Irish public and private life. The consumption of drink has been and will continue to be central to our culture. Government health campaigns tell the public to cut consumption and project a comforting image of a nation coming to grips with its national pastime but in reality, a tiny scratch to the surface reveals the real Ireland that nobody in fact wishes to change. In changing our drinking culture, we would be required to change ourselves.
In early August, Brian Cowen was listed in Newsweek’s top 10 world leaders for the measures he has taken to tackle Ireland’s economic crisis to the electoral detriment of his party. The ”The Fiscal Task Master” Cowen and Brian Lenihan received high praise from the author of the piece, William Underhill.
He stated, “They’ve pushed through austerity packages drastic enough to win the admiration of the international community, raised taxes, and slashed some public salaries by more than 10%. Underhill also noted, “The Irish aren’t showing much gratitude”. I don’t agree with what Cowen and his party have done to tackle the crisis but they are doing it to prove to the world that Ireland is worthy of investment again in order to facilitate a recovery of some kind. This cause will not have been helped by the recent headlines running all over the world. Covney’s tweet will cost the country dearly in the next few months. He will have to weigh up the profit and loss of his actions and consider in future whether short-term political gain is preferable to the long term national interest on the international stage.