Brian Cowen

Brian Cowen TD
Tánaiste
Incumbent
Assumed office 14 June 2007
Taoiseach	Bertie Ahern
Preceded by	Michael McDowell
Minister for Finance
Incumbent
Assumed office 29 September 2004
Taoiseach	Bertie Ahern
Preceded by	Charlie McCreevy
Minister for Foreign Affairs
In office 27 January 2000 – 29 September 2004
Taoiseach	Bertie Ahern
Preceded by	David Andrews
Succeeded by	Dermot Ahern
Minister for Health & Children
In office 26 June 1997 – 27 January 2000
Taoiseach	Bertie Ahern
Preceded by	Michael Noonan
Succeeded by	Micheál Martin
Minister for Transport, Energy & Communications
In office 22 January 1993 – 15 December 1994
Taoiseach	Albert Reynolds
Preceded by	Charlie McCreevy
Succeeded by	Michael Lowry
Minister for Energy
In office 12 January 1993 – 22 January 1994
Taoiseach	Albert Reynolds
Preceded by	Albert Reynolds
Succeeded by	Charlie McCreevy
Minister for Labour
In office 11 February 1992 – 12 January 1993
Taoiseach	Albert Reynolds
Preceded by	Michael O'Kennedy
Succeeded by	Mervyn Taylor
Teachta Dála for Laois-Offaly
Incumbent
Assumed office 14 June 1984
Preceded by	Bernard Cowen
Personal details
Born	250px (1960-01-10) 10 January 1960 Tullamore, County Offaly Ireland.
Died	250px
Resting place	250px
Political party	Fianna Fáil
Spouse	Mary Molloy
Parent	250px

Brian Cowen (Irish: Brian Ó Comhain; born 10 January 1960) is an Irish politician, leader elect of the Fianna Fáil party, and the current Tánaiste of Ireland. He has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the constituency of Laois-Offaly since 1984. Since September 2004 he has served as Minister for Finance. He has previously served as Minister for Labour (1992–1993), Minister for Energy (1993), Minister for Transport, Energy & Communications (1993–1994), Minister for Health & Children (1997–2000) and Minister for Foreign Affairs (2000–2004). He was elected as leader of the Fianna Fáil Parliamentary Party on 9 April 2008. He is due to take up the position of leader of Fianna Fáil on 7 May 2008 immediately upon the resignation of Bertie Ahern taking effect. He is expected to be elected Taoiseach on 7 May 2008 when Dáil Éireann convenes for the first time following upon on the resignation of Bertie Ahern as Taoiseach on 6 May 2008.

Early and private life

Brian Cowen was born at Tullamore, Co. Offaly, on 10 January 1960. He grew up at the family home at Clara, Co. Offaly. He is the son of Bernard and May Cowen. His father, Bernard Cowen, was a former Fianna Fáil TD and Senator, who died in 1984, aged 52 years. The family owned a public house in the town, while his father also worked as an auctioneer. From an early age, Brian Cowen frequently worked as a barman in his father's pub. He has two brothers - Barry and Christopher. His brother, Barry, is also involved in politics and is a Fianna Fáil Councillor on Offaly County Council. Barry Cowen is also an auctioneer and director of “DNG Cowen”, which has offices in Tullamore and Portlaoise. His other brother, Christopher, is a publican.

Cowen was educated at Clara National School, Ard Scoil Naomh Chiaráin (St. Ciaran's High School), located at Clara, Co. Offaly, and the Cistercian College of Mount St. Joseph in Roscrea, Co. Tipperary. He was 12 years old when he entered Mount St Joseph College, as a boarder. After secondary school, he attended University College Dublin where he studied law (BCL). He subsequently qualified as a solicitor from the Incorporated Law Society of Ireland, Dublin.

Cowen is married to Mary Molloy and has two daughters. Their daughters' names are Sinéad (the eldest) and Maedhbh.

He is a member of the Gaelic Athletic Association and continues to serve as president of Clara GAA club. He also lined out with the Offaly Gaelic football team in the early 1980s. Cowen likes to socialise with his constituents in some of the local pubs in his native Offaly. In May 2003 he took part in a charity CD project organised by 'The Brewery Tap' pub in Tullamore. All proceeds from the CD went to charity and featured 28 songs, including Cowen singing the Phil Coulter song, "The Town I Loved So Well".

In May 2007, Cowen admitted during an interview with Jason O'Toole of Hot Press that, as a student, "there were a couple of occasions when marijuana was passed around and unlike President Clinton, I did inhale".

Early political life

Cowen was elected to Dáil Éireann in the Laois-Offaly by-election of 1984, caused by the death of his father. At the time Cowen, at the age of 24, became the youngest member of the 24th Dáil. He was also elected to Offaly County Council in the same year, taking over the seat vacated by his late father. He served on that authority until 1992.

Cowen remained on the backbenches of Dáil Éireann for the next seven years. Following the 1989 general election when Fianna Fáil entered into a coalition government with the Progressive Democrats for the first time, Cowen was one of a number of TDs who were vehemently opposed to the move. Two years later in November 1991 the then Minister for Finance, Albert Reynolds, challenged Charles Haughey for the leadership of the party. Cowen firmly aligned himself behind Reynolds and quickly became a member of the so-called Country & Western gang. Reynolds's supporters earned this nickname due to the fact that the vast majority were rural deputies and that Reynolds had made a lot of money in the dance hall business in the 1960s [1]. Reynolds became leader on his second attempt, when Haughey was forced to retire as Taoiseach in 1992.

Reynolds appointed Cowen as Minister for Labour. In spite of being a member of the cabinet his attitude to his coalition partners, the Progressive Democrats, was hostile. This was evident at the Fianna Fáil party's Ardfheis in March 1992. In the main warm-up to the leader's address, Cowen was even more blunt regarding his attitude to coalition, making the statement, What about the PDs? When in doubt leave them out.

The 1992 general election produced a hung Dáil and resulted in negotiations getting underway between all the main parties. Cowen, along with Noel Dempsey and Bertie Ahern, negotiated on behalf of Fianna Fáil in an attempt to form a government with the Labour Party. A deal was reached between the two parties, and Cowen was again appointed Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications. In that role he implemented the controversial decision to relax the so-called stopover at Shannon Airport, which allowed limited direct trans-Atlantic flights from Dublin Airport. The decision proved divisive and saw one Fianna Fáil TD, Síle de Valera, resign from the party in protest.

In October 1994 it was revealed that Cowen had 1,000 shares in Arcon, a company to which he was in the process of awarding a mining licence. He quickly sold the shares and apologised in the Dáil for causing himself and his colleagues "some embarrassment".

Later in 1994 Albert Reynolds resigned as Taoiseach and leader of Fianna Fáil. Bertie Ahern became the new leader; however the party was now in opposition. Cowen was appointed to the front bench, first as spokesperson on Agriculture, Food and Forestry (1994) and later as spokesperson on Health (1997).

Cabinet career: 1997–present

Minister for Health & Children

When Fianna Fáil returned to power following the 1997 general election, Cowen was appointed to the newly-expanded position of Minister for Health & Children. Cowen himself described his period there as like being in Angola because landmines can go off without any warning. During his tenure he had to deal with problems of bed shortages and overcrowding in hospitals, as well as a prolonged nurses strike in 1999. It came as a relief to Cowen when he vacated the Ministry for Health & Children on being appointed Minister for Foreign Affairs in January 2000.

Minister for Foreign Affairs

Cowen's tenure as Foreign Minister saw extensive negotiations continue regarding the Northern Ireland peace process and other international activities, particularly when Ireland gained a place on the United Nations Security Council. In 2003 Cowen, as Minister for Foreign Affairs, was the victim of a bizarre personal attack by the leader of Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party, Ian Paisley, a former outspoken critic of the Republic of Ireland and its government. In front of a crowd of party supporters and in the presence of television cameras and radio reporters, Paisley launched into a diatribe about Cowen's personal appearance before also insulting his mother. In 2004 Cowen played a key role during Ireland's Presidency of the European Council and the simultaneous expansion of the European Union.

Minister for Finance

Following the departure of Charlie McCreevy in September 2004 Cowen became Minister for Finance. On 1 December 2004 Cowen announced his first budget, a budget that was generally seen as a give-away budget in which spending was increased by 9%. In an Irish Independent poll asking people how they rated Cowen's first Budget, 48 per cent said that 'overall he got the balance just about right', 26 per cent said 'Not bad, he should have done more for the underprivileged' and the other 26 per cent said 'Same old stuff, just presented differently'.[2]

Cowen's second budget in 2005 was dominated by a new childcare package, and measures to take 'tax-free millionaires' back into the tax net from 2007 by restricting tax breaks. A readjustment of income-tax measures were designed to take 52,000 low earners out of the tax net and remove 90,000 middle earners from the higher tax band.

Cowen's third budget in 2007, in anticipation of the 2007 general election, was regarded as one of the biggest spending sprees in the history of the state. The €3.7 billion package included increases in pension and social welfare allowances, a marked green agenda, as well as a reduction in the top rate of income tax from 42% to 41%. Cowen has been criticised for being alledgedly complacent during the economic turmoil in January 2008.

Leader of Fianna Fáil

During his ministerial career, Cowen was often touted in the media as the front-runner to succeed Bertie Ahern as leader of Fianna Fáil. Cowen's position was strengthened when he succeeded Mary O'Rourke as deputy-leader of the party in 2002. Subsequently he was appointed Minister for Finance, seen as an almost mandatory position for any aspiring Taoiseach.

Cowen was confirmed as the sole nominee for the position of Leader of Fianna Fáil on 5 April, having been nominated by Brian Lenihan and by Mary Coughlan on 4 April. He was elected as the seventh leader of Fianna Fáil on 9 April, 2008.

Public Image

Mr Cowen is often referred to in the Irish satirical and tabloid media as 'BIFFO'. This is based on the fact that he is from the midlands county of Offaly.

It is said to be an acronym for "Big Ignorant Fucker From Offaly". .It is also said to mean "Big Ignorant Fellow From Offaly"

Brian Cowen has said that 'BIFFO' stands for for "Big Intelligent Fellow From Offaly'.

External links

• Brian Cowen's page on the Fianna Fáil website
• Brian Cowen's electoral history (ElectionsIreland.org)