Election posters: Should they be banned outright?

Ghost Estate

I think so, on the basis that

1. No reasonable educated decision can be made based on them
2. They are an eyesore
3. More money = more posters for you!
4. They are wasteful; that plastic and ink could have been used for something useful.
5. They have in the past fallen down and damaged cars, people

doopa

Definitely.

Repeal the litter act!

If they want to advertise their wares let them do so through the normal channels at market prices.

String

yes

SBWife

Yes, they reduce the quality of any political debate to very close to zero.

johnnyskeleton

What I would like to see is no posters, no canvassers and no other invasive contact other than maybe an email from each candidate (you could supply it to the electoral register or leave it blank if you don't want to be contacted) and an invitation to a local debate.

It's all fine and dandy seeing Kenny, Martin, Gilmore etc slogging it out on the television, but most people aren't going to vote for any of them and Irish people seem to have a big disconnect between their local e.g. FF candidate (ah sure Mary, she's great for fixing potholes) and the wider FF party (ah jaysus they ruined the country and won't get my vote). I think having candidates stand up in local parish halls every night and setting out their policies etc would do a lot to make people realise that FF candidates are also members of FF.

carfiosaoorl

Yes they should be banned. They are completely pointless and wasteful. Not to mention the placement of a lot of them is down right dangerous to motorists:mad:

DeepBlue

Ideally yes.
While we're at it ban soundbites too.
Neither will happen though.

henryporter

Absolutely - even though it's proof that Elections certainly aren't beauty contests!

Einhard

No.

They're a tiny inconvenience in the grand scheme of things.

They provide a a welcome and timely boost to the printing sector, helping to save jobs around the country.

They add to the whole election season. Getting rid of them would make the whole thing a little bit more bland.

I really don't understand why people get so worked up about them.

JohnC.

They're helpful in that badly placed posters help me decide who not to vote for

bijapos

From what I understand the politicians are in favour of them as its the easiest way to get candidate recognition. As its up to the politicians to change the law I dont see them doing it soon.

So lets look at some alternatives. From my time in Germany I remember these:




They are posters put up on a frame that stands around a lamp post or tree, far more stable and far less annoying. I also understand (could be wrong) that the places are agreed in advance and are rotated every election. You get a minimum amount of spaces per party and some more based on your performance at the last election.

Posters on lamp posts like ours are also allowed in certain areas, it all depends on the local council.

You also see these being set up temporarily for elections, though I was never sure how space on them was regulated.




Incidentally I also heard some years ago that in Ireland each county council can ban posters in its own area. Does anyone know if this is true or not.

Gleisweiler

If the voters haven't made up their minds as to which party or candidate to vote for by now, the likelyhood of the rogues gallery of posters helping them to make a decision is minimal. They are an eyesore and don't usually carry any real message as to the policy of the parties. There is a lamp post outside my house and last election saw an ugly poster hanging facing inwards viewed only from my house. Although I was planning to cut it down the day after it was put up, I was beaten to it by the weather. In my opinion they are totally unnecessary.

yeehaw

Yes- I would ban the majority of posters on here for their views relating to this election. Mods should look at how people vote on that voting thingy they have, and issue paddlings accordingly.

footing

Please - yes. Why not send a booklet/email containing the election pitches of each candidate to each voter in a constituency?

Orion

Adopt the French model where there are designated hoardings for election crap posters and they are not allowed anywhere else.

fionny

They should definitely be banned they are an eye sore, dangerous to drivers and pedistrians especially with the high winds we just had.

They are a flagrant waste of money that could be better spent...

IIRC Passage West in Cork banned them for the last election and the politicians honoured this, it was a fantastic idea.

At the least there should be a charge on them like plastic bags to help combat the little they create.

Sulmac

Macros42 wrote: »

Adopt the French model where there are designated hoardings for election crap posters and they are not allowed anywhere else.

+1

Not only does this get rid of the mess on every lamppost, it also ensures all candidates are treated equally as every candidate gets a 'spot' on the board.

mb1725

If they are informative, what's the harm??

manta mad

shouldn't be allowed !
they make a mess of the place & they cost money which should be put in to local resources !!!!

how much do,s it cost the party's ? think of what that money could do for hard strapped families !!!!

wouldnt it be better spent on them !!!

well for these politicians that they have the money to spend on posters, after they taking it from us !!!!

this country and its politicians need to wake up and get their bloody priorities right !! :mad:

gandalf

Yes they should be banned.

I was over in Westport for the weekend and the amount of posters there and in the towns on the drive over there was minimal compared to Dublin where lamp posts have nearly been hidden by the amount of posters tied to them (badly!). I did note when I came back from Westport yesterday that a good proportion of those posters had blown down.

As a compromise I believe the French Solution where you have a designated information board for these kind of announcements would be best.

MadDogGreener

They should be banned outright on safety grounds alone.

This year in particular I've noticed a large number blocking the line of site to traffic lights.

Took these yesterday in Terenure:
http://imgur.com/a/oIqXK#rXFzY

Not sure who I should complain to about them. Any suggestions?

I also noticed a few around the Kylemore road today. Was driving, so didn't get any pics. One completely obscures the lights for a pedestrian crossing. Pure insanity.

On top of that, there were a good few loose ones flying around in the strong winds this morning just missing pedestrians and cyclists.

Viper_JB

carfiosaoorl wrote: »

Yes they should be banned. They are completely pointless and wasteful. Not to mention the placement of a lot of them is down right dangerous to motorists:mad:

Ya I agree I nearly had a flying effigy of Micheal Martin go through my windscreen while driving on the south link on friday.

fionny

Viper_JB wrote: »

Ya I agree I nearly had a flying effigy of Micheal Martin go through my windscreen while driving on the south link on friday.

Ah sure god ya driving down the south link you'd have an epileptic fit from all the mugshots of Martin, only a matter of time before one lands on a windscreen and causes a crash.