'Loyalty to this country informed every choice'

TAOISEACH'S SPEECH:IN EVERY decision he took as Taoiseach, the common good was his overriding concern, Brian Cowen told the Dáil. In his valedictory speech as Taoiseach and a TD, he said the election would define Ireland's economic future and whether the State moved forward or succumbed to the recession.

The choice “is that fundamental” he said, announcing that the 31st Dáil would start on Wednesday, March 9th.

As members of his family watched from the VIP gallery, Mr Cowen told a subdued Dáil: “I believe politics is about serving the interests of the people first and last. That was my motivation starting out in public life and I stayed true to it right to the end. In every decision I took as Taoiseach, I can honestly say the common good was my overriding concern and loyalty to this country and its people informed every choice I made.”

The public gallery was packed during Mr Cowen’s final address before he went to Áras an Uachtaráin to ask the President to formally dissolve the 30th Dáil.

When he finished speaking, quoting the poet Raiftearaí, all Mr Cowen’s Fianna Fáil colleagues, the Green Party and Independents Joe Behan and Jackie Healy-Rae gave him a standing ovation, while Fine Gael, Labour, Sinn Féin and Independent Michael Lowry applauded him.

In a sombre speech, he said: “Today is not a day for me to list achievements or engage in contentious debate. But I do want to simply say that while the past 2½ years since I was elected Taoiseach have been a time of great trial and test, I believe we have worked hard to correct past failures and to secure the future recovery of our country.”

He said: “I know some of the decisions my Government had to take were not popular. But they had to be taken. In making judgment, people should remember sometimes it is not just the content of policy that defines a political decision but its context too. And more than anything, it is the motivation that inspired that decision.”

He told the House that “this election will define our economic future and it will decide whether Ireland moves forward from this recession or whether we prolong it or indeed succumb to it”.

“The choice . . . is that fundamental. I urge the people to examine the policies being advanced by each of the parties and to cast their vote accordingly. This election should not be about personalities. It should be about serious debate, reflection and the solemn business of democracy.”

He said: “It has been a privilege to serve the people of Ireland in our Government. In every government department in which I served, my overriding objective was to do my best by the Irish people.”

Hitting out at those who derided politics, he said: “Politics is public service and it is an honourable profession. I say that with sincerity, with conviction and from experience. I have no time for the cynics who talk down or belittle people in public life.”

Mr Cowen said he made many great friends in Leinster House and those were “enduring friendships that go beyond politics and any debates of disagreements that we may have had about the issues of the day”.

He expressed his gratitude to the Laois-Offaly electorate and he paid tribute “to my late father who gave me a great grounding in the values of community service and a love of politics. I entered this parliament as a young man of 24 years of age. I have been privileged to learn a lot since then from many fine public representatives on all sides of this chamber”.

Speaking about the campaign, he said “all parties bear responsibility to be honest with the people about the solutions they propose to continue us on the pathway to recovery. And we all have a duty to give confidence to the people and not talk Ireland down for short-term political gain”.

Mr Cowen highlighted Ireland’s economic strengths including its position as “fifth best country in the world as measured by the UN Human Development Index”.

Ireland has “the highest proportion of graduates in the EU among the 25-34 age group” and Mr Cowen pointed to US investment, being greater in Ireland than in Brazil, Russia, India and China combined. He also said Ireland was “consistently in the world’s top 10 places in which to open a business”.

He said of the peace process that its achievement “has always been a collective, cross-party endeavour in this House. Peace is priceless and we must continue to work collectively to protect it”.

Offering advice to the Dáil and "particularly to those who will be in positions of leadership", he quoted a poem For a Leaderby the late poet and philosopher John O'Donohue, which included: "May you be hospitable to criticism. May you never put yourself at the centre of things. May you not act from arrogance but out of service."