Is sticking up party posters on lamp posts fly posting?

[Dave2002]

Could it be, uh … SNP, I wonder? . The imprint will be in tiny lettering, possibly vertically, upside down, back to front or yellow on yellow .

It seems that councils have the right to decide whether to allow election posters on lampposts. I was thinking of 'sticking' literally but if it's tied on it may be allowable, in which case you're on your own if you try to remove it where it's allowed.

This is the situation in Glasgow.

"Glasgow City Council gives its permission to attach election posters to lampposts during the course of election campaigns, so it is perfectly legal to do so. However, permission is granted on the understanding that the posters are backed with card, are not stuck on with glue, and are all removed within 48 hours of election day. "

Thanks for that.

Presumably it is then allowable for other parties to put up posters on the same lamp posts.

I have queried this with the local returning officers/election officials.

If I can't remove the offending poster, maybe I'll ask all the other parties to come and put posters on the lamp post.

The local authorities mainly seem concerned with the road safety issues due to obscuring lines of site and other signage, and don't seem to have considered that they are in a way promoting political parties by making it possible.

[french frank]

Presumably it is then allowable for other parties to put up posters on the same lamp posts.

Each candidate has a limit on the amount they can spend on items like posters. Other parties may prefer to get real voters to put the posters up in their own windows.

If I can't remove the offending poster, maybe I'll ask all the other parties to come and put posters on the lamp post.

I think most people would assume that if YOU supported that party, you would put the poster up in your window, not on the nearest lamppost. I'm not sure why you consider the poster so offensive. Parties often pay for huge advertising hoardings, which you can't fail to see, in public places.

The local authorities mainly seem concerned with the road safety issues due to obscuring lines of site and other signage, and don't seem to have considered that they are in a way promoting political parties by making it possible.

Unless specifically forbidden for all parties,a single poster would probably be allowed under the Representation of the People Act. That wouldn't mean you couldn't put up a poster unless all the other parties agreed to put up posters on the same lamppost.

[Dave2002]

I think most people would assume that if YOU supported that party, you would put the poster up in your window, not on the nearest lamppost. I'm not sure why you consider the poster so offensive. Parties often pay for huge advertising hoardings, which you can't fail to see, in public places.

I have few objections to that party other than the duplicitous way they put out their messages.

Before (as in some previous elections): “This election is not about independence.”
After :”This is a clear mandate for independence”

Re outside our garden ... trickier. It is generally assumed that some associations aren’t helpful. For example, if a search for For3.org always came up next to adverts of strip clubs in search engines - whereas if the same search came up next to pages about serious subjects some of us might not object.

I don’t want to get into a poster war. I shall vote for whichever party has the strongest chance of beating the SNP on this occasion - even though I don’t dislike the SNP candidate(s) and I may very well have serious concerns about the others. On this occasion I wonder if the “None of the above” option would be the most appropriate. The election is more complicated than I thought it would be, and I hope we get to see a sample voting slip in advance

[french frank]

The election is more complicated than I thought it would be, and I hope we get to see a sample voting slip in advance

I don't know what it's like up with you: we have a Metropolitan mayor, a city mayor, a Police and Crime Commissioner and two councillors to vote for. I doubt we'll be sent a sample voting slip to explain (though I have had my polling card already, which I thought very early).

[Dave2002]

I don't know what it's like up with you: we have a Metropolitan mayor, a city mayor, a Police and Crime Commissioner and two councillors to vote for. I doubt we'll be sent a sample voting slip to explain (though I have had my polling card already, which I thought very early).

We had a generic "How to vote" leaflet a week or two back. At first I thought it was going to be like the "How to eat" instructions - Pick up fork - pick up food with fork - lift fork to mouth - insert - eat! Then I read it and there is a sort of generic example inside, but it doesn't really make things very clear. There are going to be two votes per voter. One is for a person - either a party representative or an independent candidate. The other is going to be for one of (I assume) several lists - which appear to be party affiliated. We had thought there might be a list of candidates, with a preference order, so that something like STV or MTV could be used, but no - it's not a form of transferable voting. I don't know what algorithm is being used.

I expect most voters won't know either, or even care that much, which is going to make interpreting the outcome difficult.

Doubtless whichever candidates and parties "win" will have something to say about this after the election.

That could be made much clearer.

Probably "Democracy via Obscurity and Ignorance!"

[Dave2002]

We've now had our voting papers. I'm amused that at the top of the list there is the Abolish the Scottish Parliament party.

The BBC has provided some details of parties standing in the Scottish elections, but the lists aren't complete as the actual ballot papers show.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-56510773

[oddoneout]

We've now had our voting papers. I'm amused that at the top of the list there is the Abolish the Scottish Parliament party.

The BBC has provided some details of parties standing in the Scottish elections, but the lists aren't complete as the actual ballot papers show.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotla...itics-56510773

Is that a Tory Party pseudonym? Wonder how many expense claim dinners it took to come up with something that would get them at the top of the list.

[Anastasius]

Thanks for that.

Presumably it is then allowable for other parties to put up posters on the same lamp posts.

I have queried this with the local returning officers/election officials.

If I can't remove the offending poster, maybe I'll ask all the other parties to come and put posters on the lamp post.

The local authorities mainly seem concerned with the road safety issues due to obscuring lines of site and other signage, and don't seem to have considered that they are in a way promoting political parties by making it possible.

Are you really that bored with life ? Surely there are a million more worthy/valuable/interesting things to get concerned about ?