A Grand Day Out
I undertook a circular trip from Nottingham to Manchester today, travelling out and back via different routes. I have a low boredom threshold, so when a closed road took me off the A50 and onto the A34 North from Stoke, I grasped the opportunity to meander through some of England's finest countryside. It also afforded me a chance to assess the impact made by the election thusfar since Tuesday.
This route into Manchester takes you through three safe Tory seats: Congleton, Macclesfield, and Tatton (dear to John Harris' heart). The A34 is a main road and as such you would expect that it would be a natural poster site. I spied not a single poster or stakeboard of any party.
I had a quick tour round my former stamping grounds in South Manchester: Didsbury and Withington. Two very prominent Lib Dem advertising hoardings in this target seat. They feature Charles Kennedy prominently, and one of the party's ten promises. Very clearly an election poster.
My trip home took me out via East Manchester, through the Gorton constituency, where the Lib Dems now have a strong council presence. More Lib Dem advertising hoardings. However I have seen no stakeboards or window posters of any party yet. And nor did I driving through Hazel Grove, which I recalled as having been a sea of yellow diamonds in 1997, although I finally saw a Tory hoarding. Eventually.
The poster is black text on a white background, and does not immediately strike you as being an election poster. Perhaps this is intentional. This particular example carried the "It's not racist to want limits to immigration." tagline, with the subtext "Are you thinking what we're thinking?" At a reasonable speed you don't have time to pick this message up (which, to be honest, is a good thing - I find this campaign disturbing). I hope they're wasting their money.
The sun finally broke through as I took myself back via Hope (a portent?). Dropping off the Penines into Chesterfield I finally saw two stakeboards, both for Paul Holmes (the Lib Dem MP for the town).
It looks like the nation is yet to wake up to the election.
This route into Manchester takes you through three safe Tory seats: Congleton, Macclesfield, and Tatton (dear to John Harris' heart). The A34 is a main road and as such you would expect that it would be a natural poster site. I spied not a single poster or stakeboard of any party.
I had a quick tour round my former stamping grounds in South Manchester: Didsbury and Withington. Two very prominent Lib Dem advertising hoardings in this target seat. They feature Charles Kennedy prominently, and one of the party's ten promises. Very clearly an election poster.
My trip home took me out via East Manchester, through the Gorton constituency, where the Lib Dems now have a strong council presence. More Lib Dem advertising hoardings. However I have seen no stakeboards or window posters of any party yet. And nor did I driving through Hazel Grove, which I recalled as having been a sea of yellow diamonds in 1997, although I finally saw a Tory hoarding. Eventually.
The poster is black text on a white background, and does not immediately strike you as being an election poster. Perhaps this is intentional. This particular example carried the "It's not racist to want limits to immigration." tagline, with the subtext "Are you thinking what we're thinking?" At a reasonable speed you don't have time to pick this message up (which, to be honest, is a good thing - I find this campaign disturbing). I hope they're wasting their money.
The sun finally broke through as I took myself back via Hope (a portent?). Dropping off the Penines into Chesterfield I finally saw two stakeboards, both for Paul Holmes (the Lib Dem MP for the town).
It looks like the nation is yet to wake up to the election.
posted by Apollo Project at 9:52 PM
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