A quick hat tip to
Personally I'd have thought that if councillors really wanted to meet the people in the High Street, they'd have been better of walking up and down and saying hello to them (but what do I know). It would certainly have been cheaper. My Tory friend informed me that these posters cost "nothing" as the poster company display them for free, in return for putting commercial advertising on the other side. Sadly, me being a swivel eyed Trot, I havea more business orientated view of the world than our local Tories. "Why don't they put commercial information on both sides and make a profit to keep tax down". He was ready for this question "Because this way we can get local information out to the people of Barnet for free".
Well this is the Barnet we live in.Earlier in the year, I detailed how Barnet Council had banned the addition of names of fallen servicemen to our local war memorials on cost grounds - read this blog -
http://barneteye.blogspot.com/2010/02/barnet-council-sticks-to-fingers-up-at.html
Barnet Council has got it so wrong. They will plaster the Borough with the names and pictures of local politicians, subsidised by advertising which could be spent on local community schemes or commemorating real heroes who have made real sacrifices. My local Tory friend also told me something else. He told me that they were rather pleased I lost at the council elections as they really didn't want me embarrassing them about crap like this in the Council chamber. A message to everyone who voted Tory in the Council elections - Happy Now?
3 comments:
Ah, the Dear Leaders ... thing is, though, if you want to try to impose a cult of personality on the hapless people of Barnet, it does require a personality of some sort to start with, doesn't it? An image that inspires admiration and affection in the hearts of grateful citizens, rather than derision and a vague sense of distaste?
BTW, looking at the Barnet Bugle site I found myself reading a story about Brian Coleman and Lynne Featherstone which has had me reaching for my smelling salts. Don't look, if you are of a nervous disposition.
Rog
On my travels around Barnet today I saw similar posters in Whetstone featuring Cllrs Coleman, Cornelius and Cornelius, West Finchley (Cllrs Houston, McGuirk and Tierney), Childs Hill (Cllrs Cohen, Palmer and Palmer) and East Barnet (Cllrs Evangeli, Rams, J Tambourides). East Barnet was particularly interesting because there were two poster sites a mere 100 yards apart. Even Kim Jong-il shows more restraint than this.
Clearly there is a cost to the taxpayer for the design, production and distribution of these posters. In these austere times, should our money really be used in this way?
I saw the ones in Edgware, it's interesting to see that there are some up for Labour councillors. I was wondering if they are in as good sites as the Tories!
On the poster I saw it says 'Edgware Conservative' which is surely a plug for a political party; what do they say where the ward is split - oh, yeah, it doesn't apply this time.
In general it would be good to advertise more widely how people can get hold of their councillors, but I don't think this is the way to do it.
Post a Comment