Election posters and boards

[Clark]

Where and for what party have you seen the most pre election window posters and boards? 

I remember visiting Peterhead and Fraserburgh in the early 90s and was amazed at the volume of SNP posters and vote salmond banners. Ironically enough, these communities were probably more Tory at the last election!

[Pete Whitehead]

Loads of Lib Dem boards in all the usual places in St Albans, also not a few in Watford and Bushey (North)
I mentioned on the Hartlepool by-election thread that I didn't see a single poster or board in the various parts of the town I drove around at the weekend. Also in Peterlee, Easington, Stockton, Thornaby, Middlesbrough, Eston, Grangetown etc.. Not one

[Dalek Prime]

I dont know if they still do it but back in the 80s / 90s when I still lived in Sandwell every election the lamp posts had name/party boards tied onto them. They were meant to come down straight afterwards but sometimes odd ones would be missed and up there for months. Back then was Cons and Labour posters chiefly

[Clark]

I know Guildford used to be a swamp of Lib Dem gold during election times

[swanarcadian]

Would the more seasoned election observers amongst us say there are more or fewer election posters and boards than there were in past decades, or has there been no noticeable difference?  

[No Offence Alan]

Apr 26, 2021 21:08:05 GMT swanarcadian said:

Would the more seasoned election observers amongst us say there are more or fewer election posters and boards than there were in past decades, or has there been no noticeable difference?  

Definitely fewer now I would say.
Because people are more fluid in their voting choice these days.
The number of people who voted for the same party in all 4 general elections 2010 through 2019 is probably a minority.

Edit: I can't recall seeing any posters or boards this election so far.

[Clark]

For Aberdeen I think it’s less. I remember 1997 and there was lots of red and yellow Anne begg for Labour posters here. Now there’s just a smattering of SNP nowadays

[Pete Whitehead]

Apr 26, 2021 20:42:15 GMT Dalek Prime said:

I dont know if they still do it but back in the 80s / 90s when I still lived in Sandwell every election the lamp posts had name/party boards tied onto them. They were meant to come down straight afterwards but sometimes odd ones would be missed and up there for months. Back then was Cons and Labour posters chiefly

Seems to be a Black Country thing as I remember the same thing in Wolverhampton (same time period) but haven't encountered that elsewhere

[carlton43]

Apr 26, 2021 20:14:48 GMT Clark said:

Where and for what party have you seen the most pre election window posters and boards? 

I remember visiting Peterhead and Fraserburgh in the early 90s and was amazed at the volume of SNP posters and vote salmond banners. Ironically enough, these communities were probably more Tory at the last election!

SHEFFIELD

LD

[syorkssocialist]

Apr 26, 2021 22:13:06 GMT Pete Whitehead said:

Apr 26, 2021 20:42:15 GMT Dalek Prime said:

I dont know if they still do it but back in the 80s / 90s when I still lived in Sandwell every election the lamp posts had name/party boards tied onto them. They were meant to come down straight afterwards but sometimes odd ones would be missed and up there for months. Back then was Cons and Labour posters chiefly

Seems to be a Black Country thing as I remember the same thing in Wolverhampton (same time period) but haven't encountered that elsewhere

That still happens in Kirklees and the Scottish Highlands too.

[edgbaston]

Apr 27, 2021 0:16:04 GMT syorkssocialist said:

Apr 26, 2021 22:13:06 GMT Pete Whitehead said:

Seems to be a Black Country thing as I remember the same thing in Wolverhampton (same time period) but haven't encountered that elsewhere

That still happens in Kirklees and the Scottish Highlands too.

In much of Kirklees you can tell when the ward boundary changes by the lampposts. Driving from Holme Valley North you will see a sea of Independent boards, before hitting Newsome where the Greens are dominant, before going round the ring road to Greenhead where Labour boards take over, and then up to Lindley where every lamppost is often adorned with the liberals orange diamonds.

[edgbaston]

In Birmingham however absolutely nothing, you would not know an election was on. Next week itself I might put a vote Labour board up in my window. I feel the campaign is so non-existent to most people that any more than that would be OTT.

[cibwr]

Apr 26, 2021 22:13:06 GMT Pete Whitehead said:

Apr 26, 2021 20:42:15 GMT Dalek Prime said:

I dont know if they still do it but back in the 80s / 90s when I still lived in Sandwell every election the lamp posts had name/party boards tied onto them. They were meant to come down straight afterwards but sometimes odd ones would be missed and up there for months. Back then was Cons and Labour posters chiefly

Seems to be a Black Country thing as I remember the same thing in Wolverhampton (same time period) but haven't encountered that elsewhere

First time I saw that was Plaid doing it the night before the election in Whitchurch - every lamp post on the main road that ran the whole length of the village - near on two miles of it. Result was the best Plaid had since the 1960s, - I think that may have been 1976

[Clark]

Had a walk around the Mastrick / Northfield ward of Aberdeen North this evening - saw 12 x SNP posters and 1 x Alba and none for any other party. This ward used to give Labour 80% of the vote 'back in the day'. They'd be lucky to get a fifth of the vote today

[wallington]

When I lived in Norwich there were always Labour and Green Party boards everywhere during the election period, this was only just over ten years ago. It was a bit of a culture shock at first, as where I grew up there were never really that many posters in windows let alone boards up in people's front gardens. Of course, posters and boards mean nothing, the Liberal Democrats went on to win in Norwich South in 2010 with less than 30% of the vote (and the Greens came a pretty far off 4th).

[Clark]

Yeah, in my experience the Tories tend not to put up posters. It's only in the rural areas do I see 'vote Conservative' boards in the fields

[syorkssocialist]

Seen some Labour posters while out today in Doncaster.

[johnloony]

Apr 26, 2021 21:08:05 GMT swanarcadian said:

Would the more seasoned election observers amongst us say there are more or fewer election posters and boards than there were in past decades, or has there been no noticeable difference?  

There used to be far more. In the 1987 general election, there were Conservative posters in windows of most houses in the street. I remember one journey when we were driving through London during the 1983 general election, when I was able to keep track of where we were because there were loads of posters in windows, often with the name of the incumbent MP standing for re-election. In 1997 there were loads of posters for the Referendum Party.

In 1998 one of my colleagues stood as a Local Resident candidate in the local election; most of the houses in his local few streets had his poster.

[Clark]

Apr 28, 2021 13:42:26 GMT syorkssocialist said:

Seen some Labour posters while out today in Doncaster.

Have you seen a lot less in recent years in your area? Do you think now that Brexit is done and Corbyn has been replaced that more of the traditional old Labour voters with socialist values will come back to the party?

Places like Conisbrough used have a Labour share in excess of 90% - they'd probably be lucky to get a majority of votes in places like that now...

[Merseymike]

Apr 28, 2021 14:29:27 GMT Clark said:

Apr 28, 2021 13:42:26 GMT syorkssocialist said:

Seen some Labour posters while out today in Doncaster.

Have you seen a lot less in recent years in your area? Do you think now that Brexit is done and Corbyn has been replaced that more of the traditional old Labour voters with socialist values will come back to the party?

Places like Conisbrough used have a Labour share in excess of 90% - they'd probably be lucky to get a majority of votes in places like that now...

Do you honestly think that voters who abandoned Labour because of either brexit or dislike of Corbyn have 'socialist values'?

Labour tribal affiliation at one time, but the loss of that caused them to cease voting for a party their right-wing views never really chimed with other than in terms of collective sentiment and tribal habit

They may well return to Labour voting, but socialist values - far from it.