Battle over ‘real Leinster Leader’

SO JUST who is the real Leinster Leader? The Labour Party would have you believe it’s none other than their East constituency Euro candidate Peter Cassells.

The party has invested in hundreds of billboards and posters all over the European East constituency in a bid to counter the Fine Gael blitz involving Avril Doyle and Mairéad McGuinness.

Labour’s striking campaign, costing in excess of €20,000, involves hundreds of ads right across the constituency, placed along roadsides, in garage forecourts and in train stations.

Each poster bears a photo of Mr Cassells along with the words “Leinster Leader” printed in bold lettering.

But there’s a snag.

Kildare-based newspaper, The Leinster Leader, has demanded that all posters be recalled, arguing they could convey the impression that the newspaper is endorsing Mr Cassells.

Editor Michael Sheeran said the prominent use of the words in posters displayed throughout the entire circulation area of the newspaper could lead to accusations of bias against the Leinster Leader. “Our impartiality is one of our trademarks. I accept that it may well have been inadvertent, but it’s very clear that they should have taken more care,” he said.

In a letter to Labour Party HQ, Mr Sheeran said the typeface on Labour’s posters was identical to that used by the newspaper several years ago and demanded the campaign be withdrawn to protect his newspaper’s impartiality.

“We value our impartiality as a newspaper, as a business, and as a trusted supplier of balanced news to all communities in Kildare is an essential element of our good standing with our readers and advertisers and we must ask that you respect our need not to be considered in any other light, however inadvertently.

“We would request, therefore, that the offending posters be withdrawn immediately,” the letter said.

However, Mr Cassells’ co-ordinator, Henry Haughton, defended the posters. “We think they are quite effective and we certainly don’t think people will think it’s being supported by the Leinster Leader, especially in somewhere like Dundalk,” he said.

Campaign press officer Michael McLoughlin said: “If we thought there was any copyright problem I think that would be a different thing, but the phrase is common parlance.”

Despite the Leinster Leader’s objections, Labour Party general secretary Mike Allen said the offending posters and billboards would not be coming down.