As the government returns to work after its summer recess the issues Brian Cowen and his ministers left behind as they packed their bags refuse to go away. For weeks on end the media has been splurging on stories of the imploding economy, searching for signs of life among the social partners, agonising over the outcome of last June’s referendum on the Lisbon treaty and obsessing about the weather.

There is a growing sense that having taken so many hits in such a short space of time the government is suffering the political equivalent of shell shock. That is understandable but no excuse for inaction.

There is no denying that Mr Cowen has had the worst of all possible starts to his leadership but it is hard to have much sympathy. As finance minister from 2004 to 2008 he bears a large measure of responsibility for the state of the nation’s finances. His intervention in the stalled pay negotiations between the social partners was ill-judged. And despite his proven ability to rally the Fianna Fail faithful at general elections, the taoiseach led a miserable campaign on Lisbon, even managing to fall out with other pro-Lisbon parties.

As it settles into a new term it is clear that the government has elevated Lisbon to the top of its to-do list. The rejection of the treaty in June was a shock to a political establishment that was out of touch with the people. So too was the angry reaction of senior European politicians. Our thin-skinned leaders are not used to being on the receiving end of criticism from France and Germany, the poor things. For ministers used to enjoying convivial meetings with their EU counterparts at meetings in Brussels and elsewhere, the cold shoulder is an unpleasant experience. Much more unpleasant, however, is the scant respect that other nations have shown for our democracy.

Mr Cowen cannot allow demands by Nicolas Sarkozy and others for a resolution to the Lisbon issue to dominate the government’s agenda. The Lisbon project is nothing more than a sideshow, an unwelcome distraction at a time when the cabinet needs to devote its full attention to the worsening crisis in the exchequer finances. As citizens worry about their job prospects, rising costs and the destruction of their pension funds, the government needs to restore confidence. Its first priority is to take control of the public finances. This week will provide yet another reminder of the fiscal challenges facing the coalition as the exchequer returns for August will continue the depressing trend witnessed since the start of the year.

Reports a few weeks ago that Mr Cowen intended to make a “state of the nation” address in September appear to be false. The story may have been a cynical “plant” to buy time for a beleaguered taoiseach but we would welcome a clear statement from Mr Cowen on where his government stands on the key issues. All we know so far is that public spending will be cut by ¤1 billion next year. It sounds like a lot but it doesn’t even begin to address the hole that has developed in the state’s finances.

The taoiseach needs to tell us if he intends to introduce deeper cuts in spending, and by how much. He must outline how he intends to deal with public-sector pay at a time when private-sector jobs are being shed at the rate of hundreds a week. We want to know where the government stands on EU borrowing limits and contributions to the National Pension Reserve Fund. Which projects identified as crucial under the National Development Plan have been downscaled or abandoned? And does he intend to introduce tax increases to pay for the profligacy of recent years or might he consider an American-style stimulus, offering tax rebates to stimulate spending?

We have already spent far too long discussing, agonising, and eventually deciding on Lisbon. It is time that this government started to address the issues that really matter to people in this country.

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