Analysis: Irish Economy: Taoiseach Brian Cowen has passed the milestone of his first 100 days in office and at a time of crisis, he has failed to show credible political leadership. Simply, the Irish political system that produced Cowen is a broken one and is the biggest impediment to preparing Ireland for the challenges it faces in the post-Celtic Tiger period. When looking at the political landscape, it is striking that from the total of 216 members of the Oireachtas (Irish parliament - Lower and Upper Houses), there is no apparent Gulliver, amongst so many Lilliputians, who is prepared to challenge conventional wisdom and also dare confront an electorate on the choices that have to be made to engineer a sustainable Celtic Tiger economy.