You'd probably be none too pleased. Sadly for the shop, the Lib Dem deputy Mayor of Thame lives in the flat above. Since the poster has been put up, Whittals have experienced a rather dramatic dop off in trade, hence this rather strongly worded disclaimer on their front door.
By-elections, eh!
47 comments:
This must surely contravene some planning legislation or bye-laws ?
I'd be tempted to bung some hoodies £50 and a few cans of Special Brew to take it down, but would desist since I am of course a decent law-abiding citizen who would not encourage any form of law-breaking or incite any bad behaviour by the 'yoof' of today.
why shouldnt he put it up??
Talking of by-elections, what is all this stuff about 'legal action' in connection with the Henley by-election ? Sounds a bit 'handbags at dawn' to me - what is the s.p. ?
I'd just rip it down. It could fall off and hit someone on the head:)
It's his flat and he should be entitled to put up a poster. It strikes me that the shopkeepers' "offended" customers should perhaps chill out a little.
I saw very large signs used by the Lib Dems in 1997 (and ? 2001) General Election in my two local constituencies where they were the principal opposition to the Conservatives. It didn't do them any good then and all it does is alienate the electorate. Will they never learn
"Winning Here"
The Lib Dems put one of those signs up near me. They put it up during a Welsh Assembly election in which they came 3rd with 12% of the vote in the constituency (Cardiff North).
It then reappeared for a local election this year. In the ward in question (Rhiwbina)the LibDems got 2% combined share.
The public aren't idiots yet the LibDems treat them as such.
Anon 9:37
Put what up, and up what?
Definitely contravenes planning regulations, and I wouldn't be surprise, from the look of it, if that's a listed building - even more reason to get it down.
Quite apart from the fact that Liberal Democrats quite obviously aren't "winning here".
It doesn't contravene planning legislation.
In any case it's only for the duration of the campaign.
BTW when will the Tories desist in putting up stakeboards on council and highways land?
Or do they think they own the place?
I would certainly boycott any shop if I suspected the owner of being a LIBDEM on the principle of 'Don't give unpatriotic worms a living.'
Sue him for loss of trade.
Well, your non-story about Lib Dem posters is different to the one you tried to stir up at the start of Ealing Southall...
Anon 9.37:
Indeed, why not? Equally, the wine shop owner could put a large notice immediately under it saying
BUT LOSING DOWNSTAIRS
AND EVERYWHERE ELSE
which would be a bit more punchy than their present disclaimer.
tachybaptus said...
"which would be a bit more punchy than their present disclaimer."
Yes, but they make it clear that they wish to remain neutral.
I'm not actually sure that Iain said it shouldn't be put up, just that the shopkeeper is hacked off by it (which is proved by the retaliatory sign).
So, who will be first to ask if it is within 10 furlongs of the polling station (or whatever the myth about no posters within x yards of the polling station is)?
Truth is, the owner of the property can put up what they like as long as it does not incite hatred, constitute breach of lease etc. And rightly so, an Englishman's home being his castle and all that.
come on weve all tried it
best I did was above the SDP election office
oh the joy
Whittalls should get a ladder and take it down pending investigation of the upstairs tenant's lease, and in fact just for the hell of it.
Any such a sign would surely require an application under the TCPA ahead of display? The Council can surely tear it down immediately.
PS Does the tenat think they have a chance of a £500 prize?
PS Does this Fib Pleghm Deputy Mayor Own or Rent? Any lease worth its salt would prevent such a "Baby On Board" diamond being displayed in this way.
Yes I think he is allowed to put up anything as long as it's not an English flag!
Sour grapes?
Truth is, the owner of the property can put up what they like as long as it does not incite hatred, constitute breach of lease etc.
"Lib Dem's Winning here" doesn't incite hatred? Its offensive if you ask me.
John Pardoe's Silly Wig said: "I would certainly boycott any shop if I suspected the owner of being a LIBDEM on the principle of Don't give unpatriotic worms a living."
Yes, maybe we could paint some kind of symbol on the shop window of every LibDem shop owner.
"This must surely contravene some planning legislation or bye-laws ?"
Yes, at least there should be a law against other parties than the Conservatives putting up bilboards. But I'm sure that when the Conservatives will get to power, this is the first thing to be corrected.
"I'd just rip it down. It could fall off and hit someone on the head:)"
Yes, hopefully yourself while you're ripping it down.
John Pardoe's "silly wig" silly clearly being the operative word. Sir, you have every right to be a Tory and have a different political perspective from those of us who are Lib Dem, but I find it completely unacceptable that you would call us unpatriotic. As someone who has served this country all my life in public service, including active service in the army - I find that attitude infantile and insulting. How we serve our country and what we believe is best for us as a nation may differ from you, but frankly I find your attitude which besmirches 25% of the nation you clearly feel you are patiotic towards, contradictory in the extreme!!! As for the poster, please, get a life - if farmers are permitted to constuct giant posters all over their land, and people put up posters on public grass verges, it is silly to complain that someone exercising their democratic right to express their political views on their own property is out of order, and I thought Tories believed the Englishman's house was his castle?!
I suspect that the owner of the shop has got some flak for the sign, after all, it does give the impression of an endorsement.
That said, I'm more than happy to let the Liberals put up these signs. The results speak for themselves.
Mixed bag for them here in Cardiff, but I'm a little confused as to why in Gabalfa Ward we have got no 'thank you' after returning 2 Liberal Councillors, while Heath got a big 'Thank You' from the Liberals after two of their councillors were ejected, the third only being returned after a recount. Maybe they wanted people to reject them?
And they were a moody lot in Cardiff West, too, despite winning in Llandaff. Came bottom of the poll in Ely Ward, with only half the Tory votes in a very working-class ward.
I really don't see what the shopkeeper has to apologise for. He's made it clear the thing's nothing to do with him.
A few years ago, a householder in Pershore put up the same LD poster on his front garden fence. Unfortunately, it was right next to the rather unusual street name where he lived. The name of the street? ... "No Gains".
The Conservative posts about this are hilarious.
Regardless of whether the poster leads to any votes, the annoyance it's causing you is well worth it.
As Cpl Jones might say, "they don't like it up 'em"
Barnaby,is quite right.if it had been the English St. George flag
The council would have been round like a shot,telling him to remove it
Shame the shop keeper is so neutral. In 2001 GE, in Conwy, we had libdem office as near neighbours. They were installed over a business who were so enraged by their posters that they asked us for some even bigger Conservative ones, all over shared entrance.
One of the few highlights of a pretty grim year.
If you don't want your cash going to fund the Lib Dems, avoid shopping at Ryness, a small chain of electrical stores. For it is owned by Lynne Featherstone, MP.
Considering some councils will actively get individuals to pull down 'unlicenses/illegal' signs ( do discourage fly-posting) i'm surprised the bloody thing is still up.
Limp Dim support is Whittalling away.
Alcoholics Anon should request Limp Dim signs be placed above all retail premises purveying acoholic beverages.
More effective than government health warnings, is to remind people that 'This stuff destroyed a political party'.
It happened in Crewe as well.
I saw a 'Vote Timpson' poster proudly on display above Gwyneth's Constituency office during the run in.
Funny enough, it was the only Tory Poster I saw that day.
The poor sod
It probably contravenes some regulation or other.
Suggest painting over "Demo" with "Hypo".
The poor sod
Some of the Conservatives' comments here are ridiculous.
What a bunch of precious petals some of you are if you object to this.
Now let's try to reverse it.
If a Conservative had put this up in a similar situation in a LibDem constituency would you be cheering/smiling about it?
And as for 'John Pardoe's silly wig' saying that LibDems are unpatriotic, well I've been visiting various literate political sites for just over a year and that is the most stupid comment I've ever seen.
If it was serious then the poster is Not Very Bright and if it was meant to be a joke then the poster needs to remenber that the most important feature of a joke is that it should be funny.
Kevyn Bodman
Do you get it. It is a wine shop and has poster saying Lib dems wining here. It should have said wineing here.
A LibDem living above a off-licence - are you sure it's not Charles Kennedy?
"It should have said wineing here."
Or "Whining"
Political parties go crazy for by-elections. They throw time and money and big name politicians at the poor unfortunate electors, already abandoned (in one way or another) by their MP. Why? Because a by-election is an over-sized poll, the sort of poll that is so big that no can help but listen to. But it is a poll with one other crucial difference: the politicians can cheat. The politicians know who the sample is and there is nothing – no laws, no conventions, no scruples – stopping them from using all available means to change their minds. So: armies of button-men, volunteer fodder and big beasts descend on the electors of the constituency and bully, wheedle, bore and pulverize them into submission. The prize if you do it well? A boost in this quasi-opinion poll even if you’re not performing better, even if you haven’t gotten more popular. The by-election is a chance to win just by being dirtier, meaner and more resourceful than your opponents. The Lib Dems have been doing it for years…
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I think it's worse when Tories put posters in field after field. Cows don't vote, people do.
Interesting story...
The shop did the right thing under the (admittedly unusual) circumstances. Interesting that it was a LibDem poster that negatively impacted their trade -- that tells a story in itself.
Just for the record: I, as a Conservative, have no quibble with the LibDems putting up posters anywhere that is legitimate for them to be located.
As others have said, though, it doesn't generally do them any good; and the "winning here" line is so stupid. The voting public immediately sense desperation and dishonesty, and bang go a whole chunk of votes as a result. There's no intelligence in this "winning here" line whatsoever, nor in any of the other LibDem trickery such as their deliberately misleading vote share bar-charts.
How on earth did Thame get a Lib Dem deputy mayor ? I would have thought it was rock solid Tory territory.
I remember seeing shops in Southall with both LibDem and Tory posters.
This is nothing new. I saw a shoe repair shop in Crewe with a big banner saying "Timpson" over the door.
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