A couple of days ago Craig Murray posters mysteriously started appearing on lamp posts and road signs around Norwich. As anyone with knowledge of politics in Norfolk would know, this is not acceptable as a legitimate means of campaigning. It might work in Scotland (somewhere Mr Murray has more experience of), but in Norfolk, indeed throughout most of the country, it is fly posting.
After some protests I gather Broadland District Council and Norwich City Council had to go around and remove Mr Murray's posters.
Now as someone who claims to be an "honest" man, will he reimburse the council tax payers in these areas for the costs of clearing his street litter ?
Mr Murray likes to attack political parties with a very broad brush approach intimating that all people in political parties are the same, but it ought to be noted that none of the political parties go out fly posting causing unnecessary expense to the taxpayer.
If campaigning and fly posting rules can be so easily flouted by Mr Murray it does make you wonder.
24 comments:
'From Norwich,For Norwich'
An honest campaign?
Don't mind about the moat by the way.
Angry voter
She is from Norwich and is working for Norwich. So explain what is dishonest ? Interesting that you as a green don't oppose your Tory allies describing their candidate from Kent (for that is where she was born) as "Norfolk through and through" even though they signed the green capsign pledge. If you equate the two as equal then it shows what a joke the green campaign pledge is.
No wonder the electorate can't be bothered to turn out to vote...
A plague on all your houses!
Who says they can't be bothered ? Most of my campaigning has been in North Norfolk in recent years and we had more than 70% turnout in the last general election.
This is the most dull-witted and petty post I have ever read on a blog.
Said the fool with the made up name.
If you really believed what you wrote you'd put your name to it. You total coward, sniping from the back of the room with a paper bag over your head. you are pathetic and you make yourself look stupid. No go back to your hole.
To be fair, as you say in your original post, the customs and implementation of the law do vary across the UK.
In my constituency (in Wales) the general rule is that you can attach posters to lamposts (but not road-signs)for the last week of the campaign, provided, that is, that the party involved removes them after polling day.
Mr Murray should have checked with the local authority but it's hardly a mortal sin.
Mr Murray is one of those 'special' people, who think laws are for the little people, and not for him.
I also saw that the rather cheekily named, Glen Tingle, has taken over BT telephone boxes and installed his image in them.
Do BT know about this?
Nich,
Totalitarian dictatorships are always extremely tidy places. Democracy is messy. Sorry it offends you.
Perfectly normal practice in much of the UK to attach posters to lampposts in elections, provided you take them down after the election.
You are no liberal.
Are BT aware that UKIP are paying them to advertise on their phone boxes? Yes.
Democrats follow rules. Dictators break them or make up their own. Don't lecture me on who is the democrat. As for being liberal, this does not mean that liberals ignore those who abuse the system.
In my own local authority they've not just taken them down, they've threatened to bill the candidate who put them up the cost of their removal, while pointing out it would count as an election expense (In practice, at this point the candidate resposible has always tended to go round and take them all down themself)
First, let me identify myself as i do not wish to hide behind a pseudonym,
David Mills b.08-08-1946, attended Wymondham College, retired teacher.
Mr Murray stood up for what he believes is right. Even If I didn't agree with him I would applaud him for that.
I had not realised that he is a Norfolk man until today (Sunday 12th July) that makes me, as a Norfolk man) doubly proud.
I can see noting that Mr Murray has done that is in the least bit morally wrong nor against the spirit of the law.
Interestingly my son is a Liberal democrat activist and is rather pleased with what Mr Murray is doing. I did bring him up to be far sighted,fair minded and critical.
I am fascinated that so many people feel it is not wrong to break local bye laws and conventions so that the streets are not littered with political paraphenalia.
If we want "less politics", as Mr Murray seems to want, then we can't have that by acted more politically than the political parties.
With everything else that's going on in the world I would expect a person who espouses to be part of the political establishment might have found things of more import to whinge about.
Perhaps the fact that Ladbrokes
are offering shorter odds on Mr Craig than the Lib Dems explains it?
Either way...it seems that many people are not as worried by these small matters as you.
Magpie, You thought you would look at the blgo of a political blogger living in Norwich North during a by-election and you expect me to blog about world issues like the crisis in Pakistan or nuclear issues in Iran instead of blogging about the Norwich North by-election.
Do you also tune in to Sky Sports News on a Saturday afternoon in the football season and get angry that they are reporting football results ?
I would have expected a person with a real interest in politics to be commenting on the real issues of the campaign... or the issues raised by Mr Craig. We do not have to look abroad for issues of major importance.
As for Sky..I don't have a use for it...and not even Norwich City could make me interested in soccer!
Craig Murray is absolutely wrong, it is not normal practice to put posters on lamp posts and political parties have been made aware of this by the authorities for the last few years. It is also a mess; if it obscures sightlines on highways it can be dangerous and it encourages other fly posters.
magpie 11, its called FOOTBALL !!!
(as in Norwich City Football Club)
Football? Soccer? Both in my Shorter Oxford Dictionary...soccer (socker) Association Football...very specific whereas Football has a variety of meanings. It matters not to me and using soccer usually annoys someone.
I'm sure Norwich City play neither Rugby Union Football nor Rugby League Football, nor for that matter any other version of the game than Association Football.
Having said all of that... it doesn't matter really as everyone understands what I mean.
Political posters most certainly are permitted during election campaigns so long as they are removed within 14 days after the election. Try reading the Town and Country Planning Act
The only thing sadder than your pettyness at getting excited over this, is my taking the trouble to look it up.
Sorry, Derek J, but the fact that political posters are allowed without planning permission does not mean candidates can put them up on other people's property without permission. The lampposts belong to the council.
Don't wate your breath Paul. Murray's lot are self deluded.
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