Party posters defaced
Monday 19th April 2010, 10:26AM BST.
Telford Conservative candidate Tom Biggins, looking at his election posters in Horsehay, which have been defaced
The election campaign has turned dirty in Shropshire with both Conservative and Labour posters being targeted by thieves and vandals.
In the latest incident arsonists destroyed a Tory election sign in Bromfield Road, Ludlow, by setting it ablaze. The huge sign opposite the veterinary practice in Coronation Avenue was completely destroyed.
In Telford, a string of incidents have seen Tory posters on lampposts either stolen or defaced.
Labour posters have also gone missing the day after they were put up.
Tom Biggins, the Tory candidate for the Telford constituency, said several of his campaign posters had been spray-painted with the word “Labour” since the date of the General Election was announced.
He said: “Such a practice is simply underhand and does nothing to help clear up politics, or give any credibility to Labour’s campaign in Telford. This is turning into a very dirty campaign.”
Mr Biggins said residents had been telephoning the Conservative Association office to report vandalism or theft of party posters in Ketley, Oakengates, St Georges, parts of south Telford and in the town centre.
Telford Labour candidate David Wright said his election posters had also been stolen. He added: “I am confident that what has happened to the posters is absolutely nothing to do with party members on either side.”
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Taking the mickey out of Tory campaign posters is happening all over the country. It seems a lot of people still do not trust them.
This website has some quality material.
mydavidcameron.com
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Though I do not support this type of vandalism, But Why should we have the posters up anyway, surley people are not that stupid and need telling, what parties is running. I was driving down to a meeting in Ludlow the other week, enjoying the drive, weather and scenery, until I was met with these large unsightly posters. Surly the money spent on these could have been spent somewhere else, somewhere more needy.
May be the next government could ban them, from using them in any future election to save money.
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Surely attaching these posters to lamp posts is fly-posting and littering anyway. Anyone removing them is doing a public service.
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A crazy amount of money will be spent on these by the end of the election but will they really influence anyone? Surely not right…
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If parties are going to deface our neigbourhoods with their pointless signs then those signs are fair game. Pulling down a sign is as valid a political act as putting one up. I’d have thought that in the run-up to the general election, the MP would have better things to concentrate on than a few signs, which I’m guessing weren’t put up by him personally anyway.
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yes it is happening in devon as well, particularly the tory posters, as most of their retiring mp’s were on the make with moats, duck houses and flipping of houses, it is only to be expected.
i have also noticed the tories and ukip do not mind where they put their posters. they are supposed to be put on private land not on highway verges or council property, highways division of councils need to be strict about this.
notice how the tory press are dishing the dirt on the lib dems. i hope cameron comes last and retires to his moat. come on cleggy sort em out tonight
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It’s always the trots who resort to vandalism
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Come on.
Defacing Conservative posters is probably the most exciting thing your average dole-wallah, Labour-supporting, chavvy benefit thief has done in months!
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In an earlier edition, the Star ran an article about a company in Whitchurch who had their illegal fly posts removed. Yes GB you are right, they must be illegal as they are no different from the ones removed in Whitchurch, advertising posters put up without permission. Double standards from local authorities???, never.
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I hope he can up his work rate if he wants to be taken seriously as a politician (no oxymoron intended…but heavily implied now I think of it) – He’s obviously requires a *very* good at the poster(s), or needs a lot of thinking time, as the photographer has had time to take 2 shots of him.
Perhaps in the interest of political balance, we can have 2 photos of a labour candidate looking (equally gormless-ly) at the empty space where his posters once were.
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Defacing of posters is a criminal offence – and I hope that those who know who is responsible will realise that a failure to report those responsible for these acts of vandalism could be charged with obstruction of justice.
Labour have destroyed the UK economy (yet again – they do it every time they are in office); have completely lost the political argument; and are heading for third place in the coming election – their death-nell.
Even the illiterate products of Bliar’s ‘Education, Education, Education’ must be aware of this but it will be our grandchildren who will still be paying the price in the 22nd century on current projections.
We need £200 BILLION of tax rises or spending cuts – each and every year for a whole DECADE, if we are to get back to economic stability.
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