Campaign Notebook - Feb 1982

YOU could tell that Charlie was feeling confident - he was making Arms Crisis jokes. He picked up a rifleemicrophone left on the table by a TV crew, cradled it in his arm and trained it on the gathered press, a wide grin on his face. Some of the journalists began laughing and Charlie joined in and there was a big ho-ho , nudge-nudge, wink-wink, until a couple of journalists raised their cameras.  By Gene Kerrigan
"Ho , noaa!", laughed Charlie and quickly put the microphone down.

Someone said that, be god, that was very good and Charlie asked, grinning, "Did you see who I was pointing it at?" More laughter. Fianna Fail's opening shot in the campaign would be enterrtaining if nothing else.

It wasn't so long ago, said Charlie as the press conference in the Shellbourne Hotel began, since we were all going down the highways and byways together on the last campaign trail. "Here we go again!"

Here we go again. First question (what are the main issues? Unemployyment, inflation.

What is the Fianna Fail attitude to borrowing for current spending?

Charlie took a long time not ansswering that one. Part of his economic development programme entailed borrrowing for investment - the important thing about phasing out a budget defiicit is to bear in mind the social reequirements, the human condition. When he finished one knew that he was in favour of borrowing for investtment and that he cares, sincerely, for his flock. The trick is to answer the question you haven't been asked.

The next couple of questions were gems of their type: what sort of majority did he think he'd need to provide stable government? And would he get it this time?

Few pens were poised to hang on the answer to that one. Would he say that, no, frankly he didn't think he had a chance in hell and that, gee folks, it looked like it was down-the-tubes time for good old Charlie and we wouldn't have Haughey to kick around any more?

Charlie didn't hesitate - in like a shot. Would he get a comfortable majority? "Yes!", he said, flexing his chin with confidence. A man who gives a straight answer to a straight question.

The press conference swung back and forth between hard questioning on Fianna Fail's proposals for the economy and soft balls lobbed gently onto Charlie's hurley.

There were three people at the top table, Charlie, Albert Reynolds and Fianna Fail's General Secretary, Frank Wall. Albert is directing Fianna Fail's campaign and he was pleased with himself. Jim Kemmy's heart had harddly had time to come down from his throat when the Fianna Fail election posters began rolling off the presses. Never mind that there weren't too many posters - there were enough to do the lamp-posts ill Mount Street and that was enough to bring the photographers running and to get the pictures into the papers. Albert was glowing under his tan.

Apart from that, there wasn't much for Albert to do at the press conferrence. He put his hand on his chin, then he nodded, then he folded his hands on the table, a little grin, then serious again and the hand goes up to the chin, nod - right, Charlie. Albert had an impressive looking folder on the table in front of him. He opened it and closed it a couple of times with great significance. Along the spine of the folder was written the legend, "Jacob's TV Awards".

Frank Wall got a little more to do.

How well was the party prepared for the election, Frank? Well prepared, says Frank. And was there any quesstion of the party being short of money?

"I'll answer that", cut in Charlie, raising a hand to cut off Wall's reply. And that was the end of Frank's conntribution.

As the questions returned again and again to the issue of what exactly Charlie would do with the economy if . he got back, the one-time Taoiseach grew visibly more angry and rude to his questioners.

"I'm not here to be cross-examined!" John Bowman of RTE cut in, quite politely - "Mr. Haughey, this is a press conference. You are here to be cross-examined. "

But Charlie wouldn't be moved.

"I've answered that question allready!"

"You didn't answer it."

Well, as far as Charlie was conncerned he had answered as much as he was going to answer.

On the issue of the budget deficit the word of the day was "hypnootised". Charlie used it five times during the press conference. The other parties and certain other people seemed to be hypnotised by deficits and borrowing. A questioner cut in with an aside that since the figure concerned is in the reegion of a billion pounds did Charlie not think it proper that a government should be hypnotised by such a sum?

Charlie didn't think so - but he didn't use the word again that afterrnoon.

There was one definite proposal in the broad area of the economy and one possibility. What's definite is that Knock Airport will be completed. "It's not Knock Airport", said Charlie, "it's Connacht Regional Airport, some miles from Knock". And it will be built for sound economic and infraastructural reasons. It shouldn't lose too many votes in Dublin and it cerrtainly ought to nail things down in Mayo.

The possibility was that food subbsidies might be introduced in a manner which would be "self-financing". Mind you, this was something he had been told by some economists and it was only a theory and "I have a basic and inherent distrust of theoriticians". It might be that Charlie hopes that if he was to give food subsidies the trade unions might agree to hold down wages. "You can save more than the subsidies cost". But, he said, it's only a possibility - further than that he wouldn't go.

The choice, said Charlie, is between a harsh budget and Fianna Fail. But if Fianna Fail was chosen, might they not bring in a harsh budget? That would be telling.

After a while there didn't seem to be very much more to say. Fianna Fail's opening shot had been fired. As the press conference disssolved, chairs being pushed aside, chatter, TV equipment being wrapped up, Charlie and Albert posed for photographers. "Thumbs up". And the two thumbs were held up for one photographer and then another and then Charlie and Albert shook hands for yet another photographer - and the raised thumbs and cheery faces appeared large in 'all the newspapers next day, their message of confidence dwarfing the stories of unease.

One photographer didn't wait to shoot Charlie's thumb. A woman, who had been taking head shots near the front. Charlie had singled her out from all the male photographers and simpered, "Do you want me smiling or will I put on my well known intiimidatory look?" The woman, blushhing, lowered her camera and muttered to a colleague, "That's the second time he's done that at a press conferrence."

As Charlie and Albert displayed their thumbs to the press, party lumiinaries Joe Kennedy and P.J. Mara stood at the end of the table solemnly discussing how much weight they would lose over the next three weeks. "I'd say three-q uarters of a stone", murmured Joe.

Friday happened under the blannkets. Strokes pulled here and there, lots of furious activity just out of sight, only the odd groan and moan to let you know that someone was on the job. Fianna Failers who publicly bemoaned the V AT on children's clothes and footwear privately beemoaned the announcement that it had been shifted from the proposed Buddget by the end of the day.

The echo from Fianna Fail's openning shot had long died away and the Coalition cannons hadn't yet been primed. Fine Gael, who had booked a room in the Shelbourne for a press conference in the afternoon, cancelled the booking as the Cabinet discussions continued in an effort to achieve a common platform with Labour.

Labour's Senator Michael Ferris, assigned to cope with press enquiries, announced that a Labour press conference was impending - then, as time ticked away, he brought the man from the Daily Telegraph down to the basement of the College of Art. There he presented a three page document, which the man from the Daily Teleegraph began to copy furiously into a notebook. The document was just the Labour Party intentions, containing such gems as "Labour will press for equal rights for women in all areas of life". Veritably Haughey-like in its generality and vagueness. Ferris casually mentioned that the Government would drop the V AT on children's clothes - the only hard information around. The man from the Daily Telegraph didn't bother waiting to copy down any more of Labour's good intentions. He had the De Lorean story to do.

Michael Ferris didn't really have very much to say, but had obviously felt that he should have a press connference anyway since there were some journalists hanging around.

The other Michaels, O'Leary and D. Higgins, worked their different sides of the Labour street, FitzGerald and O'Leary bargained - and just innside the main gate of Leinster House, two lads in denim were installing a radio-telephone in Charlie Haughey's car. Albert Reynolds has got one as well and the two can keep in touch within a forty mile radius. And, preesumably, exchange a verbal thumbssup every now and then. The show is on the road. •