Brian Cowen admits “I never saw the financial crisis coming”

Brian Cowen has given his first full interview since leaving office and claims he never saw the financial crisis coming.
The interview with TG4 is reported on in the Irish Independent in it, the former Taoiseach says his party did not believe those who were warning of danger at the time of collapse and that his government did not have a plan B in place.
He also told the TG4 ‘Comhra’ programme that he still stands over the controversial decision to guarantee the failing Irish banks.
Daniel McConnell is political correspondent with the Sunday Independent. He says some of Brian Cowen’s admissions in the programme are astonishing.
“To say that he never saw the crash coming – or that they had no Plan B – is a most remarkable admission from a man who was in finance for four years, or before he became Taoiseach” he said.
“This is the context we know of warnings from within his own Department being suppressed and being sort-of ignored and dismissed by more senior officials”.
“The line obviously (to) keep the party going for as long as we can” he added.