2 May 2012
Anti-Treaty Diary, May 2nd – 'Napalm Noonan' goes ballistic
'This might just blow up in their faces as the people of Ireland decide that enough is enough – and vote No-Fecking-Way'
Napalm Noonan’s ‘Apocalypse Soon’ bombs
OVER at the Irish Daily Star, they still call him ‘Baldy Noonan’ but the Finance Minister’s Budget bombshell threat on Day 2 of the campaign earned him the nickname ‘Napalm Noonan’ from Irish Independent star Lise Hand.
Napalm Noonan had “ignited an early conflagration”, Lise reported from the campaign frontline, by declaring:
“If there’s a ‘NO’ vote, the Budget I’ll be planning for later in the year will be dramatically more difficult than if there’s a ‘Yes’ vote.”
The Indo’s ‘Yes’ men on the top floor of
William Martin Murphy House in downtown Talbot Street sounded the air raid
warning sirens to the Government through its editorial:
“This is already looking like an ill-advised piece of scare-mongering that has the potential to inflict further damage on the already faltering ‘Yes’ campaign.”
‘High Noonan’ at the Star
“NOONAN turns economic terrorist” screamed the Star headline (top), illustrated with some poor Taliban fighter having to suffer even more ignominy by having the Fine Gaeler’s fizzog superimposed on his body, complete with a mujahideen-style beard.
Inside, the Star Comment headline shelled the ‘Yes’ camp’s HQ in retaliation for its “verbal terrorism”.
“This is nothing short of verbal terrorism towards the people of Ireland,” the Star salvo echoed, “a people who are absolutely exhausted and burnt-out after four long, painful years of recession, austerity, uncertainty, unemployment, emigration and colossal financial sacrifice.
“This is the last thing we need to hear – a Government minister placing a gun to our heads and making naked threats about even more grim belt-tightening, more attacks on family incomes and more poverty.”
Star big gun Terry McGeehan fired back at the Government trenches from his flying column. The doom-laden warning that voters would “trigger a Budget from hell” met with stiff resistance.
“Baldy Noonan can stick his revenge threat,” blasted McGeehan (below), adding:
“Are we living in a democracy where we are guaranteed certain liberties – such as the freedom to vote the way we wish without threats, menaces, warnings and ultimatums?”
And what might be the fall-out from Napalm Noonan’s bombshell?
“It might just blow up in their faces as the people of Ireland decide that enough is enough – and vote No-Fecking-Way.”
