Sinn Fein pulling down opponents' posters.

Mailman

Yesterday, on my way in to work I noticed the PDs had a number of election posters on poles on the Snugborough Road.
I made a mental note of this because I really don't expect them to collect many votes in Corduff and they were wasted on that road.

Coming in today I see that every single PD poster has been removed and Sinn Fein posters have been put on every pole on both sides of the Snugborough road. Now while I wouldn't dream of voting for the PDs, I am outraged that Sinn Fein are denying the PDs the right to post posters freely.
I would expect that if elected to government, they would muzzle dissenters in a similar fashion.

I phoned Sinn Fein's constituency office and they said 'Sinn Fein really wouldn't do that sort thing'. The local Sinn Fein candidate isn't available for comment at the moment(i.e. phone is ringing out)

So I'm asking that you don't vote Sinn Fein as they don't really respect the political process and will walk over anyone in pursuit of their objectives.

I expect Sinn Fein activists to engage in personation on a large scale at this election.

Saruman

I would never vote for them and probably a lot of people feel the same way.. so since they know they cant win without cheating then they must cheat in order to try and win! They have never been very good at telling the truth in the past so why start now?

Hairy Homer

Originally posted by Mailman
Yesterday, on my way in to work I noticed the PDs had a number of election posters on poles on the Snugborough Road.
I made a mental note of this because I really don't expect them to collect many votes in Corduff and they were wasted on that road.

Coming in today I see that every single PD poster has been removed and Sinn Fein posters have been put on every pole on both sides of the Snugborough road. Now while I wouldn't dream of voting for the PDs, I am outraged that Sinn Fein are denying the PDs the right to post posters freely.
I would expect that if elected to government, they would muzzle dissenters in a similar fashion.

I phoned Sinn Fein's constituency office and they said 'Sinn Fein really wouldn't do that sort thing'. The local Sinn Fein candidate isn't available for comment at the moment(i.e. phone is ringing out)

So I'm asking that you don't vote Sinn Fein as they don't really respect the political process and will walk over anyone in pursuit of their objectives.

I expect Sinn Fein activists to engage in personation on a large scale at this election.

Posters stuck up on lamp posts have NO legal validity, to the best of my knowledge, and anybody is perfectly within their rights to remove them. In the case of licensed billboard hoardings , the parties have to pay good money to post their adverts there, but in the case of placards on lamp posts all of the parties are strictly speaking littering the countryside. to the best of my knowledge.

You are perfectly within your rights to rip down a Sinn Fein poster on a lamp post and do with it what you will. Burn it, take it home, scribble a Hitler moustache and forelock on it and hang it back up again (We used to do that when I was a Kid. Liam Cosgrave's poster looked a treat given the Hitler treatment). And if any thug Shinner wants to violate his own ceasefire by altercating with you physically, don't retaliate. Remember his mush, report him to the cops and have him banged up.

Mailman

Under the litter act of 1982 election posters are not considered litter until 7 days after the election.

No representative of any political party would condone the tearing down of opponents posters.
Defacing a poster is similarly unacceptable.
Shame on you Hairy Homer.

The local Sinn Fein candidate called back to say that all supporters who were postering in her area were instructed not to remove other candidates posters but couldn't explain the incident in question so I suppose we'll just have to keep a look out for step ladder carrying vandals\thugs.

Saruman

ok people carry one of them little digital cameras and if you see one doing it snap it!

gandalf

One thing is it actually legal to post election posters when the election hasn't been called yet ?

As regards the posters been pulled down I reckon that is just the beginning of a very dirty and personalised campaign by all the parties.

/sarcasm on

I am really looking forward to this election campaign.

/sarcasm off

Gandalf.

Hairy Homer

Originally posted by Mailman
Under the litter act of 1982 election posters are not considered litter until 7 days after the election.

No representative of any political party would condone the tearing down of opponents posters.
Defacing a poster is similarly unacceptable.
Shame on you Hairy Homer. .

Well, I was sticking Hitler moustaches on posters long before 1982 young man (as you might have gleaned had you understood the reference to Liam Cosgrave—stood down in 1977) so I was probably working under different rules. And I didn't discriminate: Cosgrave, Lynch, Corish...they all got the treatment.

Anyway, I don't see that there's anything wrong with having a bit of fun with the eyesores that ALL parties are inflicting on the Irish public.

As for your point about posters not being litter until seven days after the election is over and somebody else's question about it not being legal to put up posters until the election is actually called: I think there's an interesting point here.

As I understand it, and do correct me if I'm wrong, there is now a legal cap on the amount of money parties can spend from the moment the election is called to the moment it takes place. So to get around this restriction they're starting their publicity drives now so they can spend what they like and then when the election is finally called (if it is at all) they will get all po-faced and waffle on about abiding by the spirit of the law.

Mailman

If you go to www.irlgov.ie you'll find details of how much a party can spend on a campaign in a constituency. The figure varies depending on whether it is a 3,4 or 5 seat constituency.
http://www.gov.ie/poc/266e_246.htm Failure to comply is a criminal offence.

Gandalf pointed out that the government hasn't called an election yet but doesn't mention that the government are busy electioneering themselves in advance with the other political parties waiting for the starting gun to fire. This was commented on in the Oireachtas, of course there was nobody from the governemnt there to hear except John O'Donoghue.

My mother was politically active and if my mother had caught me defacing an opponents poster I'd have had a very sore botty.

Saruman

I wonder when the greens post their own posters are they made from 100% recycled materials???

Victor

Originally posted by Mailman
Gandalf pointed out that the government hasn't called an election yet but doesn't mention that the government are busy electioneering themselves in advance with the other political parties waiting for the starting gun to fire.

The difference is they are not littering the streets with posters (wow, me defending FF!!).

Victor

Originally posted by Mailman
Under the litter act of 1982 election posters are not considered litter until 7 days after the election.

LITTER ACT, 1982 SECTION 7(6) http://193.120.124.98/ZZA11Y1982S7.html

I suspect this Act, when properly interpreted, would require an election to exist in the first place.

Victor

Originally posted by Saruman
I wonder when the greens post their own posters are they made from 100% recycled materials???

I actually got a leaflet from John Gormley (Green, Dublin SE) that was printed on card, not paper (I didn't check if it was recycled or not).

Mailman

I've seen loads of FF posters up already.

I was on a Green Party candidate's web site and he was talking about this. Gogarty in Dublin Mid-West.
He wanted all leafleting and postering to be outlawed and regretted that he had to use posters and leaflets but he said that all his materials use recycled paper.

I would be against abolition of postering and leafleting as it is the only way for the poorly financed campaigns to reach the people. If we abolish postering then only the largest parties would be able to reach the public and that wouldn't do much for democracy.

The guidelines mentioned in a previous post to this thread make it very difficult for independents to enter elections as the paperwork is overwhelming.

Mailman

I've maintained elsewhere that the PDs were in office but not power. Are you saying they are neither in power or office?
I mentioned a PD poster in my first post to this thread.

Bateman

Fair enough, SF are probably the party most likely to have supporters with a tendency to destroy other parties posters, but there is little or nowt the party can do about this.

mike65

I see that Fermoy UDC have banned all election posters from thier area, I be happy to see that become a national movement.
They serve little or no purpose beyond making your local dodgy printing house a bit richer. Even the most marginal canditate
gets coverage in the local media.

Mike.

Raskolnikov

Originally posted by Hairy Homer


Well, I was sticking Hitler moustaches on posters long before 1982 young man (as you might have gleaned had you understood the reference to Liam Cosgrave—stood down in 1977) so I was probably working under different rules. And I didn't discriminate: Cosgrave, Lynch, Corish...they all got the treatment.

Anyway, I don't see that there's anything wrong with having a bit of fun with the eyesores that ALL parties are inflicting on the Irish public.

Hehehe i remember those days fondly, i am in complete agreement with you over the defilement of political posters, just as long as you don't discriminate

gusto

Well I'd much rather see SF take down posters than take peoples lives.

Victor

Originally posted by gusto
Well I'd much rather see SF take down posters than take peoples lives.

Yes, fair enough comment, but I think the point is that people who rip down posters are also the types that soon resort to book burning, intimidation, knee-capping ....

gusto

Sure that's exactly what SF have been doing for the past 30 years & continue to do. So a taste of their own medicine will not harm them.

Most of their voters can probably be found in Glasnevin cemetry

utalkintame

You should read the posting under the subject heading "Leopards and Spots" on the electireland forum.