We need to curb election posters

Election posters again became a topic of discussion during the recent local and European elections, as an aside to political issues such as water charges, medical cards and the economy.

And rightly so, for it was impossible to travel in many areas without encountering myriads of beaming portraits on lamps, poles, and every available vantage point. This blanket coverage, haphazardly and sometimes dangerously placed, with many posters bearing no selling points other than cliches and party affiliations, was unappealing to the majority of the electorate, and an unwelcome distraction.

It is understandable that posters are a means of gaining recognition, particularly for relatively unknown candidates. It is also understandable that candidates will try to copy or better others, and the number of posters simply increase. What is not understandable is why it is not more strictly regulated.