Newsweek ranks Brian Cowen among world's best leaders

LookingFor

This will go down well locally, I'm sure...

He's placed in their top 10 'head of the class' world leaders, labelling him 'The Fiscal Taskmaster'.

http://www.newsweek.com/2010/08/16/go-to-the-head-of-the-class/the-fiscal-taskmaster-brian-cowen.html

With Ireland's once-roaring economy staggered by the banking crisis--unemployment is at 13 percent, emigration is rising, and the money markets rank Ireland not far behind Greece on the list of Europe's big-time losers--Prime Minister Brian Cowen and his able finance minister, Brian Lenihan, are prescribing harsh medicine. 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 percent. But the Irish aren't showing much gratitude--Cowen's ratings have plunged to a mere 18 percent, and his Fianna Fail party can expect a drubbing in the 2012 national elections. Still, there's some hope that his government's unpopular measures will be rewarded in the long run: surveys suggest that Irish consumer confidence is on the rise again, and the economy notched up modest growth in the first quarter of 2010.

Elsewhere, they rank Ireland as the 17th best place in the world to live.

http://www.newsweek.com/feature/2010/the-world-s-best-countries.html

Superbus

Wait, who's wrong, Newsweek or most Irish people?

Sanjuro

The line-up sounds like the world's most boring superhero team.

It's true though.. We're getting some international praise for taking corrective action over a year earlier than most places. We can't see it but we'd be more fooked without it.

aDeener

Deleted User wrote: »

It's true though.. We're getting some international praise for taking corrective action over a year earlier than most places. We can't see it but we'd be more fooked without it.

dear god delete that post quick before the boards vultures see it and rip you to pieces!!

do you not know the boards equation?

government = bad

Hank_Jones

Should probably be higher than 17th tbh.
Don't think anyone can really complain.
Thank your lucky stars we don't live in Paraguay (or pakistan).

rossie1977

george w won this award every year for 8 years

The_Kew_Tour

Jesus christ no wonder the country is fooked when you read ****e like this.

Next they be telling us Bertie was the greatest person to set foot on this planet.

LukeQuietus

Might as well be the first to reply.

Cowen isn't to blame. We are. We should have voted them out or gone out on the streets rioting (or at least protesting) if we didn't like the way things were done. Nobody did anything but grumble and whine all the time (me included) so nothing changed. The Greeks (who we're worse off than) went out on the streets and you know what they chanted? "We're not Irish, we won't take it!" And good for them. We're all sheep. Pathetic sheep

banquo

Not a FF voter myself by any means, but if you genuinely believe that FF caused the recession then you're an idiot.

Black Swan

NewsWEAK!

sesna

LukeQuietus wrote: »

Might as well be the first to reply.

Cowen isn't to blame. We are. We should have voted them out or gone out on the streets rioting (or at least protesting) if we didn't like the way things were done. Nobody did anything but grumble and whine all the time (me included) so nothing changed. The Greeks (who we're worse off than) went out on the streets and you know what they chanted? "We're not Irish, we won't take it!" And good for them. We're all sheep. Pathetic sheep

24 billion into Anglo Irish Bank alone (all part of the corrective action), yet Saint Lenihan can do no wrong, Cowen is a genius - master of his brief. It's true, we lap up complete government bull$hit like the poster below.

Deleted User wrote: »

I We're getting some international praise for taking corrective action over a year earlier than most places. We can't see it but we'd be more fooked without it.

Scuid Mhór

LookingFor wrote: »

This will go down well locally, I'm sure...

He's placed in their top 10 'head of the class' world leaders, labelling him 'The Fiscal Taskmaster'.

http://www.newsweek.com/2010/08/16/go-to-the-head-of-the-class/the-fiscal-taskmaster-brian-cowen.html



Elsewhere, they rank Ireland as the 17th best place in the world to live.

http://www.newsweek.com/feature/2010/the-world-s-best-countries.html

the word is newsweek. the synonym is propaganda

AnonoBoy

How to Troll real life by Newsweek.


Next week........ claiming Coldplay are the ultimate edgy indie band!

SEPT 23 1989

When the files are opened for the last ten years by the new government in 2012 and the truth finally comes out about Anglo ,then we will see what the world thinks of this corrupt little idiot:mad:

tony1kenobi

Christy Cowen....for Weak News.

Liam Byrne

Deleted User wrote: »

It's true though.. We're getting some international praise for taking corrective action over a year earlier than most places. We can't see it but we'd be more fooked without it.

That might be true, considering corrective action is required.

But there are 2 points that Newsweek are competely missing.

1) Better corrective action was possible (see reports on bailing out Anglo and the extent of the guarantee, if nothing else)

2) The review of Cowen's influence in CREATING the crisis

I could imagine how a zealous new magazine that only started investigating / reporting on Ireland since last year could get this so wrong, based on not having any facts prior to, say, 2009, but Newsweek ?

I'm stunned!

As for the poster that asked who's wrong - Ireland or Newsweek......well, enough of "us" voted FF the last time, so it's probably both.

brianthebard

Newsweek in support for the right wing option shocker!

aDeener

aDeener wrote: »

dear god delete that post quick before the boards vultures see it and rip you to pieces!!

do you not know the boards equation?

government = bad

I didn't say government was good.. i said they took corrective action quicker than other countries. I didn't mention the BS handling of the economy before that because it wasn't relevant.

sesna wrote: »

It's true, we lap up complete government bull$hit like the poster below.

Lap up what exactly? I know more about this shlt than you, I hate Fianna Fail more than you, I guaranteed know more about the economics of this country than you and my post at the start of the thread is 100% correct.

Rubik.

Deleted User wrote: »

It's true though.. We're getting some international praise for taking corrective action over a year earlier than most places. We can't see it but we'd be more fooked without it.

Cowen & Co. kept telling us it wasn't their fault, we are a small open economy being dragged down by a global economic crises. Then a report they commissioned ,to look at the causes of the crises, concluded that only 25% of our our problems are related to outside factors, the remaining 75% was created domestically.

Their latest mantra is - "we are unpopular because we are making difficult decisions". Conveniently ignoring their role in creating the need to make these "difficult" decisions in the first place.

Red Hand

We are a nation of donkeys led by donkeys.

Owwmykneecap

banquo wrote: »

Not a FF voter myself by any means, but if you genuinely believe that FF caused the recession then you're an idiot.

Wait you mean they didn't inflate a property bubble, they weren't in thrall to the developers, they didn't ignore all the many many warnings of the credit crunch.

Phew, good to know!

Dudess

LukeQuietus wrote: »

Cowen isn't to blame.

Agreed he isn't totally to blame, Fianna Fáil voters and people who didn't vote are also. But not "we" as in all of us.

We are. We should have voted them out or gone out on the streets rioting (or at least protesting) if we didn't like the way things were done. Nobody did anything but grumble and whine all the time (me included) so nothing changed. The Greeks (who we're worse off than) went out on the streets and you know what they chanted? "We're not Irish, we won't take it!" And good for them. We're all sheep. Pathetic sheep

Terry

Nobody wants to hear it, but PAYE needs to rise.
Slate me all you want, but most of you will only be down about a tenner a week. It needs to be done.

The Agogo

Terry wrote: »

Nobody wants to hear it, but PAYE needs to rise.
Slate me all you want, but most of you will only be down about a tenner a week. It needs to be done.

I agree. Also, even though I earn minimum wage, I think this should also drop. Regardless of who made what mistakes (I'm willing to forgive and forget - and no I'm not an FFer), I'd pay whatever extra taxes it takes to get this country out of debt.

Even if Corporation tax went up by .01% we'd be all good.

sesna

Deleted User wrote: »

I didn't say government was good.. i said they took corrective action quicker than other countries. I didn't mention the BS handling of the economy before that because it wasn't relevant.

Corrective action which they are receiving praise for? You mean they cut social welfare, crippled us with taxes, cut essential frontline health services, punished the most vulnerable in society all so they could partially finance a ridiculous blanket bank guarantee which the banks themselves manipulated Lenihan into providing, by withholding information on their dire predicament until the last minute, and which most experts now agree was one of the worst financial decisions in the history of the state. Not to mention consecutive downgrading by all credit rating agencies and highest GDP debt ratio in the EU.

I suppose Nama is going to make a profit too.

doctorwu

Why are they getting congralutions for taking " the hard decisions " for trying to get us out of crap they put us into in the first place. They wont. I despair. I am also very afraid of whats coming down the tracks.

Liam Byrne

Terry wrote: »

Nobody wants to hear it, but PAYE needs to rise.
Slate me all you want, but most of you will only be down about a tenner a week. It needs to be done.

€42 quid a month, eh ? €520 a year that I have to break my balls to earn ?

Tell you what, the day that Callely & Co stop claiming stuff they didn't spend explicitly for work, and the day the Government promises not to piss that away on Anglo or paying off incompetent idiots to keep their mouths shut while disappearing into the sunset with half a million, and the day the con-men in Dáil Eireann don't get more wages than heads of similar-sized countries for 8 months' work petty squabbling, THEN I'll consider it.

Until then, no way. They're wasting enough as it is without giving them more.

The Agogo

Liam Byrne wrote: »

€42 quid a month, eh ? €520 a year that I have to break my balls to earn ?

Tell you what, the day that Callely & Co stop claiming stuff they didn't spend explicitly for work, and the day the Government promises not to piss that away on Anglo or paying off incompetent idiots to keep their mouths shut while disappearing into the sunset with half a million, and the day the con-men in Dáil Eireann don't get more wages than heads of similar-sized countries for 8 months' work petty squabbling, THEN I'll consider it.

Until then, no way. They're wasting enough as it is without giving them more.

They're politicians. What do you expect? You're seriously living in lala land if you think there are politicians out there that wouldn't try getting their own in first.

The Highwayman

LookingFor wrote: »

This will go down well locally, I'm sure...

He's placed in their top 10 'head of the class' world leaders, labelling him 'The Fiscal Taskmaster'.

http://www.newsweek.com/2010/08/16/go-to-the-head-of-the-class/the-fiscal-taskmaster-brian-cowen.html



Elsewhere, they rank Ireland as the 17th best place in the world to live.

http://www.newsweek.com/feature/2010/the-world-s-best-countries.html

Time magazine made Hitler 'Man of the year'

Liam Byrne

The Agogo wrote: »

They're politicians. What do you expect? You're seriously living in lala land if you think there are politicians out there that wouldn't try getting their own in first.

Well then we need to show them it's not acceptable by not even giving them a single vote.

The Agogo

The Highwayman wrote: »

Time magazine made Hitler 'Man of the year'

Don't forget Putin

The Agogo

Liam Byrne wrote: »

Well then we need to show them it's not acceptable by not even giving them a single vote.

Unfortunately, there are too many idiots for this to happen

Plebs

The international bankers said jump and Cowen asked how high. He, his mates and the FF party will be rewarded with some crumbs.

Cowen, Taoiseach and former Minister for Finance, is a traitor who gave up this country's economic sovereignty. He's a thick lump of **** who is easily manipulated and knows how to get simple minded GAA supporters and farmers to vote for him.

aDeener

Plebs wrote: »

The international bankers said jump and Cowen asked how high. He, his mates and the FF party will be rewarded with some crumbs.

Cowen, Taoiseach and former Minister for Finance, is a traitor who gave up this country's economic sovereignty. He's a thick lump of **** who is easily manipulated and knows how to get simple minded GAA supporters and farmers to vote for him.

what an apt username :rolleyes:

sesna

Plebs wrote: »

The international bankers said jump and Cowen asked how high. He, his mates and the FF party will be rewarded with some crumbs.

Cowen, Taoiseach and former Minister for Finance, is a traitor who gave up this country's economic sovereignty. He's a thick lump of **** who is easily manipulated and knows how to get simple minded GAA supporters and farmers to vote for him.

The man is an intellectual powerhouse, master of his brief and economics genius.
He and St Lenihan will guide us out of this mess.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-j8F-9nmZ5I

amacachi

Terry wrote: »

Nobody wants to hear it, but PAYE needs to rise.
Slate me all you want, but most of you will only be down about a tenner a week. It needs to be done.

No! The government should supply all services but I shouldn't have to pay for it, no-one should! There should be no money, we should just barter and ****.

Blarney92

Deleted User wrote: »

It's true though.. We're getting some international praise for taking corrective action over a year earlier than most places. We can't see it but we'd be more fooked without it.

We're getting a lot of international praise. In fact chatting to some guys at work today who reckoned we'd have defaulted if we hadn't put in such tough policies when we did.

Still along way to go but if our banking sector can recover then we should be ok.

Think the government made the right calls overall and while no doubt painful are absolutely critical for our financial survival

My name is URL

If the Cookie Monster was in charge and decided to cut down on his cookie consumption the rest of the world would see it as a success story.. that's how bad Ireland seems on an international scale atm

Cowen does get a hard time, but quantifying the drop in public support to not being able to understand the current situation is asinine

dsmythy

The Highwayman wrote: »

Time magazine made Hitler 'Man of the year'

The award isn't 'best man of the year' it's the 'most influential man of the year'.

starbelgrade

Where did Bono come on the list?

mikemac

Terry wrote: »

Nobody wants to hear it, but PAYE needs to rise.
Slate me all you want, but most of you will only be down about a tenner a week. It needs to be done.

Maybe.
In some places like my own you have the option of overtime.
But with higher tax, PRSI and levies a lot turn it down.

Strangely, some straddle the cut-off between lower rate and higher rate of PAYE
So some months you can work longer hours and end up with little or nothing extra.
So why even bother is what people say

Diminishing returns I believe it's called

Liam Byrne

Blarney92 wrote: »

Think the government made the right calls overall and while no doubt painful are absolutely critical for our financial survival

Those "right calls" started far, far too late, though......they should have started when Ahern told the so-called pessimists to, well......

And they even the "right calls" wrong, as proven by the banking guarantee report.

And NAMA is a massive gamble, while Anglo, well......the less said about that cesspit the better; it definitely doesn't fall into the "critical" description, unless we're talking about its medical condition.

Terry

feelingstressed wrote: »

Maybe.
In some places like my own you have the option of overtime.
But with higher tax, PRSI and levies a lot turn it down.

Strangely, some straddle the cut-off between lower rate and higher rate of PAYE
So some months you can work longer hours and end up with little or nothing extra.
So why even bother is what people say

Diminishing returns I believe it's called

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that an increase in PAYE is going to solve everything. I know that this alone will not solve anything. However, it's a start.

The entire system needs to be reformed, but that is never going to happen due to the apathy of the Irish people.
We really should be storming the Dail, but we're afraid of what our neighbours will say if they see us on the telly.

More to come in my upcoming youtube series "Two drunk dudes trying to fix the world". That's just a working title for now.

mikom

Newsweak.
That is all.

some_dose

LookingFor wrote: »

This will go down well locally, I'm sure...

He's placed in their top 10 'head of the class' world leaders, labelling him 'The Fiscal Taskmaster'.

http://www.newsweek.com/2010/08/16/go-to-the-head-of-the-class/the-fiscal-taskmaster-brian-cowen.html



Elsewhere, they rank Ireland as the 17th best place in the world to live.

http://www.newsweek.com/feature/2010/the-world-s-best-countries.html

We are also the 6th most 'peaceful' country in the world

http://www.visionofhumanity.org/gpi-data/#/2010/scor/GB

mikemac

The Highwayman wrote: »

Time magazine made Hitler 'Man of the year'

Everyone misunderstand this.

The criteria is:

profiles a person, couple, group, idea, place, or machine that "for better or for worse, ...has done the most to influence the events of the year.

And in 1938, Hitler was certainly doing this.
Such as the Munich Conference where all the main European countries attended. So definitely influential

heyjude

Terry wrote: »

Nobody wants to hear it, but PAYE needs to rise.
Slate me all you want, but most of you will only be down about a tenner a week. It needs to be done.

PAYE to rise by a tenner a week, an unpleasant but manageable problem, the real problem is that then they'll say Property Tax, oh lets say a tenner a week and Water Charges, a tenner a week sounds reasonable. So now a household with one PAYE worker is looking at 30 Euro a week(1560 Euro a year) and then there's the other little stealth charges, levies etc that are sure to be introduced(such as tolls on national roads, motor tax increases, 'green taxes' on fuel etc), not to mention price increases for profitable semi state companies. A PAYE increase would only be the tip of the iceberg.

It may be only drip drip here and there and a tenner a week may not sound too much, but when its all added up the total household cost could be well into four figures.

Plebs

heyjude wrote: »

PAYE to rise by a tenner a week, an unpleasant but manageable problem, the real problem is that then they'll say Property Tax, oh lets say a tenner a week and Water Charges, a tenner a week sounds reasonable. So now a household with one PAYE worker is looking at 30 Euro a week(1560 Euro a year) and then there's the other little stealth charges, levies etc that are sure to be introduced(such as tolls on national roads, motor tax increases, 'green taxes' on fuel etc), not to mention price increases for profitable semi state companies. A PAYE increase would only be the tip of the iceberg.

It may be only drip drip here and there and a tenner a week may not sound too much, but when its all added up the total household cost could be well into four figures.

Dole for single people should be cut 20% this year and a further 20% next year. No diminishing returns problem there. It's far too generous.

KnifeWRENCH

LukeQuietus wrote: »

The Greeks (who we're worse off than) went out on the streets and you know what they chanted? "We're not Irish, we won't take it!" And good for them.

Yeah, rioting worked real well for them; let's all go out and fix stuff by trashing the place and looting what we can. Good for them indeed.

I don't rate Cowen as a leader, and almost certainly won't vote FF in 2012, but I can't really disagree with what Newsweek say about him; he knows the harsh measures that the Government have taken are unpopular but if it will fix the mess we're in (albeit, one that he and Bertie Ahern are mostly responsible for) I'll be grateful for it. And Lenihan is the one FF minister that's actually doing a good job imo.

NoHornJan

Brain Cowan...

Smartest jewman in the world...