The above leaflet (you can view it in full here) produced by or on behalf of the Conservative candidate for London mayor, Shaun Bailey, is a considerable help to us and to others. It provides the perfect example of why new rules must urgently be introduced to prevent this kind of shabby manipulation of the existing inadequate regulatory regime.
The leaflet makes a series of material claims related to TFL expenditure without providing any substance or attributing any source to the numbers. If this wasn’t ‘electoral material’ that would not be permitted. Additionally, while the leaflet is clearly (to those more initiated in the dark arts) election material, it doesn’t properly identify itself as such. The requirement in printed material from PPERA/ The Electoral Commission is (cynically) delivered by the promoter’s, and the ‘person on whose behalf the material is published’, statement of their joint address, without the helpful addition of the tenant’s name – Conservative Campaign HQ.
While this example is more grist to the mill for ourselves and the 87% of voters who want to see proper regulation of electoral advertising, it is also and more importantly continuing to reduce standards in the electoral process at voters’ and democracy’s expense. Despite rather more practice, London doesn’t seem to deliver to its voters any better than Washington.
Many thanks to @vauxhallwoman for sending the leaflet on to us.
The Coalition For Reform In Political Advertising
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