Slow-motion Government is the style of current Taoiseach Brian Cowen and after 11 years in power, the Government on Wednesday confirmed its state as being clapped-out, drained of any evidence of political courage and bereft of ideas, as it launched what was bizarrely called an action plan for Irish public service reform. It published a report from a "Task Force" of senior civil servants and announced a new "Expert Group" that is tasked with finding public spending savings. "Festina lente" - make haste slowly - is said to have been the motto of the first Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus but amidst an economic crisis, Cowen brings to mind another Roman Emperor called Nero. The Taoiseach simply has no interest in supporting serious reform.

I wish to see Brian Cowen succeed. I have no desire to be a nattering nabob of negativism - to borrow some alliteration from Nixon administration speechwriter and later New York Times columnist, William Safire. I'm not angling for patronage from anyone and like everyone with a stake in the Irish economy, I have a self-interest in determined and wise political leadership, at this time of peril.

The term "hitting the ground running" is popular these times as the Obama administration-in waiting is being constructed. It was also very much in vogue in 1980 after the election of Ronald Reagan, which was also a time of crises in the US economy and in the Middle East. What comes to mind about the Cowen administration, is "hitting the ground," and on Wednesday, the big announcement on public service reform was about process and it's clear that there is no interest in fundamental reform to meet new challenges post the Celtic Tiger. Process of course is important too but as the Chinese say, a fish rots from the head down and when it's clear that the political leadership has no intention of reforming a governance system that dates from the era of the donkey and cart, a signal is given to others that there is only a half-hearted approach to change at best. Unless the current system of limited or no accountability is changed, beginning at a political level, there will not be significant change - - Click here for relevant article with access to related articles on this topic.

A grovelling piece of journalism on Wednesday in The Kilkenny People, under the title - - Minister vindicated as Government announces public sector reforms - - tells its own story.

"In September, I outlined my views on the reforms needed in the public service,"Minister of State John McGuinness told the newspaper.  "There is clearly a need to change the culture and systems within the public service to bring it more in line with the private sector. It is, to a large degree, inefficient, and is not serving the public as it should be. This is definitely the direction we need to go to create a public service that is fit for its purpose and is professional and efficient in these difficult times."

McGuinness is one of 20 junior ministers where most of them have non-jobs. He himself is one of 4 ministers in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and on Wednesday, Cowen gave no signal that the gravy train will be derailed. 

Green Party finance spokesman Senator Dan Boyle said on Wednesday:"Recognising that this represents more of a statement of intent than a detailed plan, the Greens, as a party of Government, are looking forward to fleshing out the details of many of these proposals, particularly in relation to legislation."

Looking forward to fleshing out the details?  - -  does he take people for absolute fools with this cant? What has the Green Party being doing up to now?

Fine Gael finance spokesman Richard Bruton said: "This Government is always just one more review away from action. This is the fifth review announced since the general election. In that time not a single red cent has been saved from public service reform."

In January 2007, former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern requested the OECD, the Paris-based think-tank for 30 mainly developed countries, to review the Irish public service with a view to propose reforms. On Wednesday, Finance Minister Brain Lenihan said an "Expert Group" under the chairmanship of economist Colm McCarthy, will be asked to report by June 2009 on areas of potential savings  in the public services. Lenihan plans to name other members of the group next week.

So 30 months after the OECD request, in June 2009, the Government will have some proposals to mull over and by then a mini-Budget will be necessary to address an expected further deterioration in the public finances. In 2009, the Irish economy is expected to lose at least 100,000 additional jobs.

If one was to read a report on an another developed country in the midst of a financial crisis and facing further huge job losses, where the government delays required remedial action and outsources a key aspect of its job, the thought of monumental incompetence would surely come to mind.