"This Project Was Financed Under The NDP/EU" - A Blatant Case of Electioneering?

Slice

Is anyone else of the opinion that these hideous & unnecessary signs dotted all around the country on every little piece of new infrastructure is a blatant example of Government electioneering??

This is how they normally read:

This project was funded by the Irish Government's National Development Plan 2000-2006, and part financed by the European Union

It's the type of thing you'd expect to see in third-world countries with questionable democratic structures. What I find amazing is that they seem to stay up for years after a project is completed - they've even started to appear on every Luas shelter accross Dublin.

If a Minister's face adorns any Government public campaign it would be frowned upon, not to mention a violation of Government procedure. These signs are of a similar order yet there seems to be widespread indifference. It begs the question who else does the Government expected to deliver on infrastructure of national importance other than the Government itself? And more importantly where in Ireland is there an example of such investments being delievered by anyone other than the Government?

mike65

I belive its manditory for such a sign to indicate funding sources. I just wish they'd remember to take them down once the project is complete.

Mike.

bonkey

Slice wrote:

It begs the question who else does the Government expected to deliver on infrastructure of national importance other than the Government itself? And more importantly where in Ireland is there an example of such investments being delievered by anyone other than the Government?

I'm guessing if you look at the new toll roads being built, you won't see any government-praising signs.

I'd also say they're a good example of exactly the non-Governmental investments you're referring to.

bonkey

Also...I'm not sure whether or not normal road-maintenance would also qualify as being non-governmental.

At the very least, its not state controlled, as far as I remember.

We want to know about funding when it is hushed up, and we want less transparency when they stick it in our face...

constitutionus

doesnt bother me as much as the bloody EU wankatron adds that are going on ad nauseum on the radio. guess the government thinks if we keep hearing how great europe is we wont vote no to the EU constitution. still i know what you mean they are a blatant ego massaging exercise by the state, and not a million miles away from the "this motorway/by pass was opened by councillor/minister opertunist in such a year" mentality of our public representatives so you cant be surprised when they want to boast about it

gandalf

No its not electioneering. Its just there for information purposes and would be erected no matter who made up the government.

Slice

bonkey: I'm guessing if you look at the new toll roads being built, you won't see any government-praising signs.

I accept your point about toll roads but not all PPP projects are exclusively funded by the private sector - wasn't the Luas a PPP project??

bonkey: Also...I'm not sure whether or not normal road-maintenance would also qualify as being non-governmental.

I was mostly referring to capital investment.

mike65: I belive its manditory for such a sign to indicate funding sources. I just wish they'd remember to take them down once the project is complete.

Maybe it's mandatory but that in itself is not an explanation or a justification for them. What's incredible is not just the fact that they don't get taken down after a certain length of time but that in the case of Luas - they are put up two years after the project is finised.

In many respects it is electioneering because what other purpose does it serve but to remind us on what the Government is delivering on?

I think it's doubtful that local authorities would allow planning permission for a private property developer to erect huge signs everywhere they throw up a housing estate around the country. How is this any different?

Slice

Slice wrote:

what other purpose does it serve but to remind us on what the Government is delivering on?

Sort of like the opposite of Eddie Hobbs, only wittier?

A Dub in Glasgo

Should really read

'This project is being funded by taxpayers'

Akrasia

The E.U. are there to counter the kind of "what have the Romans ever done for us" attitude towards Europe that is pervasive amongst net contributors like the U.K.

The NDP parts of the sign are just pro government propaganda.
As someone already said, these projects are not funded by the NDP, they're funded by the tax payer.
We don't thank the newsagent for the content of our favourite periodicals, so we shouldn't thank the "NDP" for the money provided by the exchequer.

Gurgle

Slice wrote:

This project was funded by the Irish Government's National Development Plan 2000-2006, and part financed by the European Union

Maybe the sign is there to let you know that the project was funded by the Irish Government's National Development Plan 2000-2006 and the European Union?

Slice wrote:

It's the type of thing you'd expect to see in third-world countries with questionable democratic structures.

lol, have you ever been to a 3rd world country?
The billboard there would be a picture of the president and a sign saying 'President General Carlos Olantiti*, your glorious leader, built this road for you'.

Slice wrote:

If a Minister's face adorns any Government public campaign it would be frowned upon, not to mention a violation of Government procedure. These signs are of a similar order yet there seems to be widespread indifference.

They mention neither a person or a party. Whats the problem?

*Not a real person. I hope.

Slice

Gurgle: Maybe the sign is there to let you know that the project was funded by the Irish Government's National Development Plan 2000-2006 and the European Union?

That information is already in the public domain, anyone who really wanted to know or, more importantly who actually needed to know would be able to find that out without the necessity for a huge ugly sign telling them so.

Gurgle: They mention neither a person or a party. Whats the problem?

I would have thought it obvious that the party being refferred to, by implication are the parties in Government. If the point of these signs are to serve as an FYI then why don't we just put up FYI signs up everywhere? I would like to know who funded the Spire & how, I'd also like to know who funded the construction of the house that I live in, who built my local hospital and with what money. I want to know all these things without referring to my local planning office and local authority, I want to be able to tell just by looking at the huge sign next to it. Ultimately it's electioneering by stealth as there doesn't appear to be any other logical reason for it.

Zombrex

Slice wrote:

Is anyone else of the opinion that these hideous & unnecessary signs dotted all around the country on every little piece of new infrastructure is a blatant example of Government electioneering??

Welcome to modern western democracy.

The simple fact the government exists is "blatant example of government electioneering", since every single government will be constantly trying to impress its people enough so that they will be re-elected at the next general election. That is kinda that point.

Why do you think you cannot open a super market without a government minister turning up to cut the ribbon.

A government has two goals/purposes-

1 - Do a good job of running and managing the country.

2 - Convince/Impress the electoriate that they are doing a good job of running and managing the country, so they will be re-elected.

I will let you decide in what order those two goals play in the Dail.

Slice

Wicknight: Welcome to modern western democracy.

Most modern democracies also have rules against government electioneering

Zombrex

Slice wrote:

Most modern democracies also have rules against government electioneering

I'm not aware that putting up a sign saying "The government built this" breaks any of those rules, in Ireland or in most modern democracies.

You can't ban the government from communicating with the population. Everytime the government make an offical statement, announce an offical plan, anytime they say they have done, or plan to do, anything, that is government electioneerring. As I said, one of the major goals of a government is to impress the population so they are re-elected.

There are laws against them lying or mis-representing the truth, but as far as I know any road that has a NDP sign up was build under the NDP.

Gurgle

Slice wrote:

Ultimately it's electioneering by stealth as there doesn't appear to be any other logical reason for it.

Only if you think that building that particular road was a good idea, done well, and good value for money. If you disagree with the project or how it was done, you know who to blame.

oscarBravo

Slice wrote:

Maybe it's mandatory but that in itself is not an explanation or a justification for them.

Actually, it is. It's mandatory in the sense that a project won't be funded by the EU/NDP unless the publicity requirements are complied with.

Slice wrote:

What's incredible is not just the fact that they don't get taken down after a certain length of time but that in the case of Luas - they are put up two years after the project is finised.

I would speculate that it was brought to the developers' attention that they had not complied with the publicity requirements, and the signs had to be put up to qualify for the funding.