Time for real poster restrictions – Noone

Senator Catherine Noone has called for poster restrictions of 400 per candidate, per constituency, to be imposed ahead of the next General Election. Her comments come on foot of revelations that €19,000 was the average cost per candidate for the 2011 General Election campaign.

“This morning, it was emphasised once again how increasingly expensive and inaccessible politics is becoming for people. The average candidate spent almost €19,000 on General Election campaigns in 2011 – much of which would have gone on posters. That is why I am calling for a limit on these, as I believe it would level the playing field and, ultimately, be in line with what people are always calling for: less posters.

“In the next election, with two new parties having launched in the last two months, and more independent candidates than ever, you are realistically looking at ten different party groupings that will be competing in a number of constituencies. This will bring huge competition, pressure to spend and – also – a lot of posters. With a conservative estimate of 1,000 posters per candidate, you could be looking at 10,000 posters per constituency, without including multiple candidates from the same party.
 

“You have to wonder, in many cases, if the spending does make a difference, or if the spending is being done in the most effective way possible. When all is said and done, how much does each supplementary one hundred posters add to your first preference vote? Very few, I would argue, yet we will engage in it – even though constituents hate it, politicians hate putting them up, they damage the environment and they cost a lot.

“As such, I believe a limit of 400 posters per candidate per constituency would be ample, and would serve the purpose of making the electorate aware that an election is forthcoming, while also bringing us closer in line with many of our European neighbours, who simply erect temporary billboards and allocate spaces to each candidate – foregoing the need for posters altogether. I believe this is worth approaching as soon as possible”.