Martin Will Not Topple Cowen, for Now

Foreign Minister Micheal Martin indicated that the Fianna Fail party would not unseat Brian Cowen, after Fianna Fail scored disappointing results in local and European elections this weekend. Martin is tipped as an ambitious party member with considerable experience and gravitas, despite questionable positions he has taken on EU policy and, as we have reported,  on Irish relations with Cuba. In the climate in which both reporting on and critical analysis of foreign policy are limited, Martin’s Cuba policy will not register at all if he runs for leadership.