Seize the day Brian.

It was as damning a report on the state of a countries finance's as one could imagine. The aptly named An Bord snip nua delivered a withering view on the state of our economy. The cuts proposed were devastating. Up to seventeen thousand public sector jobs to be culled. Five billion worth of savings to be procured mostly from the social services, health and education. But while the report was savage in its findings and recommendations the reality is the majority of the recommendations cannot be implemented. It has now gone beyond a annus horribus for Fianna Fail. The party is dishevelled and rudderless and implementing these findings would not only destroy the party in the short term but would sound the political knell in the long term.

Recently I began reading "Team of Rivals" a story about Abraham Lincoln's cabinet. The circumstances around this cabinet were uniquely treacherous and it took uncommon political savvy to assemble and than delegate this cabinet but Lincoln achieved this because essentially despite all his other gifts he was a leader of men. Now some would say its nearly blasphemous to compare Brian Cowen and Lincoln( Am I breaking the law Dermot) but leadership is exactly what our Taiseach has failed to demonstrate on countless occasions in the past year. He continually talks about making tough decisions and counteracts that by saying nobody is complacent. He must take this report on the chin. He must find ways to preserve the already drastically cut social service. The HSE must be rebuilt. Special needs education cannot be abandoned. Banks have to start lending again. NAMA must work. Often its the circumstances that demand the leader. Right now I would just settle for our leader grasping the circumstances.