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The Pope’s Poster Children
Read more about: Environment, Irish Election, Irish Election 2007, Irish Politics, Parties
I sincerely hope David McCleverclogs won’t mind my adapting his turn of phrase for my title.
I also hope Paige A Harrison won’t mind my sharing her bemused reaction to the country’s sudden cardboard infestation.
Just what are these posters saying to you? The following is what I hear.
“Hello. I want to influence you, provided of course that you have gone through the unnecessarily complicated rigmarole that is the registration process for elections. I want you to close your eyes when you enter that polling booth, see my face and decide to put the number one beside my name, not that of the others. I have decided the best way to do this is stick a larger than life picture of my mug high on lamp posts as far as the eye can see. Never mind policies. Never mind issues. Never mind what a government does or fails to do when in office to make you sit up and take notice. I just want you to remember my face, because that is what I believe you will base your decision on.”
I don’t care what a candidate looks like after a jolly good airbrushing.
I don’t care what clever three word soundbite their party choose to stick beneath their image.
I certainly don’t care which party has managed to out-poster the other.
What I would care about would be a streamlined method of registration which virtually guarantees everyone over 18 and with a PPS number a vote.
What I would care about would be a live television debate between Bertie and Enda, or between Harney and Twomey, or between Sargeant and McDowell.
These posters are annoying, extravagant, pointless eyesores. Until someone steps up to the plate and regulates their use, they will only get worse.
Maybe its time to vote for the Greens, they will surely do something about it?
According to this they intend to:
http://www.greenparty.ie/en/news/latest_news/gormley_calls_for_halt_to_excessive_postering
Everyone knows posters don’t win elections. All they do is give a presence. If you don’t have them up people begin to think you don’t have a campaign together at all. Damned if you, damned if you don’t it seems.
What I would like to see instead of a debate would be a head to head bicycle race between the leaders of the various parties. To make it ‘fair’ any likely coalition partnership could go on a tandem.
The site of Bertie and McDowell in dayglo lycra on a tandem wheezing around Stephen’s Green would settle this election with few casualties.
“If you don’t have them up people begin to think you don’t have a campaign together at all.”
I can’t see in the post where I suggest parties don’t have any posters.
As for the Greens, I refer you to my own blog where I have a picture of the Greens failing miserably to practice what they preach. The “if you can’t beat ‘em join ‘em” argument doesn’t cut it for me, particularly with the Greens. Surely they would impress more environmentally-conscious floating voters by using other public channes to get across the message that fewer posters are better.