Satire is often considered best applied in a delicate fashion; a little dig here, a little dig there.

Newton Emerson doesn’t seem to agree. Back in his days doing the Portadown News, he specialised in very short, to the point, articles showing just how stupid most mindsets in Norn Iron were.

And he wastes no time in doing just the same thing in longer articles in grown up newspapers now.

NEWTON’S OPTIC: RESIDENTS OF Rush, Co Dublin, are right to be concerned by Eirgrid’s proposed new high-voltage underground power cable. But are they also aware of the high-pressure water main running directly beneath the town?

Water poses a variety of serious health risks, especially to children, vulnerable adults and unwanted kittens. It is a known carrier of diseases such as cholera and dysentery, while prolonged exposure can lead to chronic conditions such as trench foot and wrinkly finger.

Subtle? No. Delicate? No. In fact, it satire as applied with a heavy sledgehammer but sometimes, sometimes, it just works better that way…