What is your view on Election Posters?

Andy From Sligo

What are your views on Election posters in Towns and villages? - I personally are against them. I dont think they influence people to vote for the party either one way or another. I dont think they are environmentally friendly, I think they are unsightly, cause obstructions for drivers and pedestrians, they fall down in High winds.

RobertKK

I never changed my vote based on an election poster.

I don't know anyone who. They should be banned.

The J Stands for Jay

I have no idea why they all think a picture of their head will make anyone vote for them. And I thing it's a disgrace that they're allowed to put up the posters at all, no-one else is allowed to. I know there's a recent enough law that they have to remove the posters, but they still stay up for months and nothing seems to come off it.

Zaph

They're an abomination and anyone who's stupid enough to have their vote influenced by a mugshot on a lamppost really should have the vote taken away from them.

Fr Tod Umptious

Really don't have a problem with them.

They are only up for a few weeks and most take them down within the one week grace period post election.

But since the introduction of pictures on ballot papers I think there may be a lot more posters up than there used to be.

Visual recognition is a big deal in any ad campaign and I'm sure elections are no different.

Woodville56

I agree with most of the posts so far on this thread - election posters should be banned, there's enough election literature dumped in our letterboxes to make facial recognition on the ballot paper possible. I dunno if it was ever tried here but I know that in the UK some communities got agreement with candidates that no posters would be put up - I doubt such concensus would be achieved here ? What really bugs me as well is that when removing the posters, they just tear them down, leaving the cable ties in place, which are in themselves unsightly. If we are to have postering, at least leave no trace when the election is over, take the lot away, including the ties!

c_meth

I don't like them. But they do work. Recognition is a huge factor in influencing votes. The candidates aren't spending € 000's on them just for $hits and giggles...

Fr Tod Umptious

Woodville56 wrote: »

I agree with most of the posts so far on this thread - election posters should be banned, there's enough election literature dumped in our letterboxes to make facial recognition on the ballot paper possible. I dunno if it was ever tried here but I know that in the UK some communities got agreement with candidates that no posters would be put up - I doubt such concensus would be achieved here ? What really bugs me as well is that when removing the posters, they just tear them down, leaving the cable ties in place, which are in themselves unsightly. If we are to have postering, at least leave no trace when the election is over, take the lot away, including the ties!

Such consensus has been achieved, Killarney being one example.

http://www.radiokerry.ie/news/business-man-reminds-election-candidates-that-killarney-is-a-poster-free-zone/

222233

I have heard that they aren't even being printed in Ireland, not sure if this is confirmed... I don't agree with them they are littered everywhere what a waste a poster isn't going to change anything.

Red Alert

Just ban them. Is any other commercial or other organisation allowed to indiscriminately hang litter from public lamp posts?

Fiskar

Fully agree with you OP, and with the other poster as they have never influenced my opinion. I do however object to have Endas and Moany Joanys mugshot on a pole at the end of my estate when they are not in the constituency.

Fiskar

Many of them are airbrushed and photos are from years earlier, trying to make them look younger.

Hopefully we won't see Moany Joany ugly mug again after this election is done.

intheclouds

222233 wrote: »

I have heard that they aren't even being printed in Ireland, not sure if this is confirmed... I don't agree with them they are littered everywhere what a waste a poster isn't going to change anything.

I can assure you that some are certainly being printed in Ireland as a friend of mine is the designer of a few of them (I wont say which ones).

Cant see much point in printing them outside the country generally, as there would be a large cost involved in shipping pallets of posters in.

222233

intheclouds wrote: »

I can assure you that some are certainly being printed in Ireland as a friend of mine is the designer of a few of them (I wont say which ones).

Cant see much point in printing them outside the country generally, as there would be a large cost involved in shipping pallets of posters in.

Oh well that's good to hear that some are printed here, costs of printing in Ireland are ridiculously expensive I guess thats why I assumed it was true when they were saying they had been printed in China, I simply heard it on the radio, have no proof etc,

It's very aesthetically displeasing to see them everywhere, and I'm assuming they cost a fortune to dispose of.

aujopimur

I have 2 large ones of Joan Burton, they'll be very handy when I'm working under my car.

Andy From Sligo

222233 wrote: »

Oh well that's good to hear that some are printed here, costs of printing in Ireland are ridiculously expensive I guess thats why I assumed it was true when they were saying they had been printed in China, I simply heard it on the radio, have no proof etc,

It's very aesthetically displeasing to see them everywhere, and I'm assuming they cost a fortune to dispose of.

Are they Recyclable?

Andy From Sligo

Growing up in UK when there was a general election on people displayed a preference of candidate/party by sellotaping up a leaflet of the candidate on the front door or inside of front-room window - never remember any posters on lamp-posts

gandalf

aujopimur wrote: »

I have 2 large ones of Joan Burton, they'll be very handy when I'm working under my car.

So you are saying that you are willingly getting on top of Joan Burton yes

Election Posters are an abomination and should be banned outright. Like another contributor here I have never made a voting decision based on which gormless twit is looking down on me from a lamppost. Anyone who does should have their vote taken away from them.

Manach

They are perhaps a tad unfair - in that independents and small party candidates do not seem to have the organisation to blanket the key spots like mainstream parties. As well, posters do not engage. They are a 19thC form a communication and fail to make any 1:1 connection to the voter as would at least a poster directing people to a candidates site or God forbid a political meeting where one can actually met and question the candidate.

schemingbohemia

I thought it was illegal to use TD on the posters as the Dail is dissolved so at present there are no TDs. Saw posters for Lucinda Creighton and Peter Matthews with TD on them. Can these be reported? To whom? Local Authority presumably?

What's the story then with Senator and Councillor, can they be used on posters?

oscarBravo

schemingbohemia wrote: »

I thought it was illegal to use TD on the posters as the Dail is dissolved so at present there are no TDs.

Nope. They're still TDs until the election.

endacl

The continued existence of election posters demonstrates the total lack of imagination and lateral thinking on the part of those who run for political office.

Which is why we always end up with 'the government'.

Huntergonzo

I hate election posters and I like to think they don't work, I've certainly never voted for anyone based up looking at a poxy poster. But then again when I drive past a poster with a burger on it I get hungry and when I drive past a poster with tits on it I get horny so you never know, maybe they do work :-)

rubadub

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

Really don't have a problem with them.

People have grown up with them so many just shrug and say stuff similar to this.

The more telling question is to first imagine if there had never ever been any election posters, anywhere, no tradition whatsoever. Now imagine if some political party suggested the introduction of them today, and wanted it as an option on the voting forum, and gave a genuine artist impression of what the posters and streets would look like, which is shown below.





So if this did happen, and you got to vote for them to be allowed or not would you vote yes or no? if you are voting no then I would say you do have a problem with them, or at least should have.


This one below is illegal.



FG have ones similar to this out now and I would urge everybody to email your local garda station to report any you see, and state the relevant law. You do not have to leave your name, number or even an email address using their online form.
http://www.garda.ie/stations/Default.aspx

Road Traffic Act 1961, Section 95, Subsection 14 (a)

(14) A person shall not provide any such sign, device, notice or light as is not a traffic sign if, on provision thereof, it is visible from a public road and—

(a) it is capable of being confused with a traffic sign,

(b) it makes a traffic sign provided in accordance with this section less visible to road users, or

(c) it obstructs the view of public road users so as to render the road dangerous to them

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1961/act/24/section/95/enacted/en/html

many others are illegal due to the other 2, but they blame this on the wind, vandals or incompetent workers. None of which are a reasonable excuse in my mind. But there is absolutely no possible excuse for these premeditated deliberate attempts to confuse motorists.

Any on a pole with electrics is also a fire hazard, as stated several times by the ESB in public warnings. If you see a poster on one of these poles they are just advertisting they they do not give a damn about the welfare of people.

Andy From Sligo

Big shout out and well done to sensible independant Candidate Marie Casserly in Sligo:

drake70

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

Such consensus has been achieved, Killarney being one example.

http://www.radiokerry.ie/news/business-man-reminds-election-candidates-that-killarney-is-a-poster-free-zone/

A lot of villages in Co. Wicklow (including where I live) are poster free.