Today, for the fifth time in it's 83 year history, a leader of Ireland's Fianna Fáil party is facing a confidence vote. This is the first vote that does not involve Charles J Haughey, and there can be no honour in joining a political club that contains the disgraced Charles J Haughey as its sole member. Sadly for Mr Cowen, I believe his membership is entirely justified.

That any politician can have confidence in Mr Cowen is surprising, as Minister for Finance he ignored the warning signs in the Irish economy,  as Taoiseach he oversaw the disastrous bail out of the Irish Banks and it was Mr Cowen who welcomed the IMF to Leinster House. It is his competence we should be questioning, not the confidence his political colleagues have in him. At this point what we are watching today is simply political theater.

His talk of remaining in charge to make the tough decisions ignores the fact that had he made the right decisions in September 2008 there would be no tough decisions to be taken now. Unlike other European countries we did not suffer from a stagnant economy or mislead the ECB about our deficit, our crime was hubris, and while there are many whose over confidence contributed to that hubris, as leader, Mr Cowen must accept the blame.

This vote can have no effect upon the outcome of the impending general election. That Fianna Fáil will suffer a humiliating defeat is now beyond doubt. What is still in doubt is the magnitude of that defeat, and quite how Mr Cowen thinks the margin of that defeat can be lessened by his remaining in control of both party and country perhaps goes some way to explaining the mess the country is in. For the people of Ireland, the time for the TD from Laois-Offaly to step down, has long since passed.