Irish Prime Minister refuses to step down

Brian Cowen dares critics to unseat him

PATRICK COOPER,

IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Sunday, January 16, 2011, 12:27 PM

Updated Sunday, January 16, 2011, 12:49 PM

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Prime Minister Brian Cowen

Irish prime Minister Brian Cowen has announced that he is not quitting his position as party leader and prime minister despite major internal dissension in the Fianna Fail party that he leads.

He stated he would put his leadership to a vote of the parliamentary party on Tuesday.

Cowen was speaking at a special Sunday afternoon press conference in a Dublin hotel amid fevered speculation that he will resign.

His statement means that he will very likely be leading the Fianna Fail party into the next election, expected in March, unless his main challenger, Micheal Martin, manages to secure a vote of no confidence on Tuesday.

By staying in power despite very poor opinion poll numbers, Cowen has put it up to his opponents within the party to back him or sack him.

It now remains to be seen if Foreign Minisier Martin will decide on a high risk strategy to try and replace Cowen before the election.

Weekend reports stated that Martin had told Cowen he would give him a week to resign from last Monday or he would challenge him. Cowen has now thrown down the gauntlet and dared Martin to try.

Nster.com

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Towngate | Jan 16, 2011, 09:58 PM EST

MON: Has the only non-american recipient of the lands highest honour had his Bust restored to it's proper place in the Oval Office yet? (From where it was removed in a fit of anti-British petulance by the current questionable incumbent!)Barry will have no luck 'till he puts it back!

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Dublinjas | Jan 16, 2011, 09:32 PM EST

This Pig has brought dishonor to the office of the Taoiseach and the wider nation, he has left a filthy stain on this Nation that will take many's a shower to erase. He should be taken to a prison and Shot

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sirpeter | Jan 16, 2011, 07:44 PM EST

plasticpaddy..He's An Taoiseach!!I have said this many times,but it is falling on deaf ears. I think i will start calling the American president...SAHIB and see how Americans like it!!..For those who don't know what Sahib means..It denotes an Islamic leader.

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jacersagain | Jan 16, 2011, 05:08 PM EST

Roll on next Tuesday! Cowen says he's staying on, Michael Martin says he should go. Tuesday's vote on the position of the two appears to be a foregone conclusion. Should be interesting!

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plasticpaddy | Jan 16, 2011, 04:23 PM EST

Hes the Taoiseach, in fairness this is supposedly an irish-American website lets afford the proper title to the inept fool leading our country.

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LoyalCitizen | Jan 16, 2011, 01:39 PM EST

At least he has the interests of the country at heart. Although i am not sure how he has the interests of the country at heart if he is a traitor and bankrupt the dam thing.

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sirpeter | Jan 16, 2011, 01:13 PM EST

He will be gone soon enough.

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Monsoonman | Jan 16, 2011, 01:01 PM EST

Shades of bill clinton when he was exposed as the perjurer in chief. The only way the clintons would be removed from the whitehouse would be forcibly, (which would have left hillary claw marks on everything) or be term limited out. As it was, much of the whitehouse china and silver went missing when they left.....I know this may sound a bit inflammatory, even blasphemous to the Kool Aid imbibers on here but, at least Nixon had the decency and respect for our country to resign when he knew he had been caught, rather than put the country through an impeachment process. He felt the circus of impeachment would be too damaging to the office of president and the fabric of our government.

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