We need your help now
Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
By continuing, you are indicating that you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
INDEPENDENT TD PETER Mathews has rejected suggestions that he is using his old party colours in his new election campaign posters.
Mathews has erected a poster at a bus stop on Ballinteer Avenue in Dublin 16, listing his areas of interest under a banner of “working for you”.
The poster uses a blue and yellow colour scheme, similar to how Mathews’ posters appeared when he was in Fine Gael.
He resigned from the party in October 2013, after previously being expelled from the parliamentary party for voting against the Protection of Life During Pregnancy legislation.
Mathews then joined other expelled TDs in the Reform Alliance, but did not later join Renua.
Fine Gael councillor and general election candidate Josepha Madigan has said members of the public in the Dublin-Rathdown constituency could be left scratching their heads over Mathews’ new poster. She told TheJournal.ie:
It’s very confusing for voters as he is not a Fine Gael candidate but an independent.
“I am not at all happy about it but I believe there is very little I can do at this stage. He has clearly used the design from 2011 election and substituted independent for Fine Gael.”
However, Mathews has rejected this accusation, describing it as a “totally new creation”:
The design is different, the construction and the assembly of colours. Anyone with an eye for art will see.
He told this website that the poster was defaced, with a line put through independent and “Fine Gael, don’t vote for this man” written in its place. Mathews has since removed the graffiti.
“It’s not quite the same yellow [used in the poster],” he continued, adding that the division between the colours is also different and that he “achieved a completely different poster”.
I was very good at those spot-the-difference competitions. I won a prize.
- additional reporting by Hugh O’Connell.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Endapendent.
HA! Dear Lord…that’s bloody daft. It is entirely different, apart from the actual bits which are the same. This, this is how this man hopes to win an election?
the same only different.
Why is he allowed to have the poster up before the election is called.?
Probably has notice of a fake meeting in tiny writing somewhere.
Have you guys never won a prize in spot the difference? It’s a totally different poster that so happens to look just like the original. I think someone got lazy with their poster design!
I found walley in 5 sec’s
@peadar. Absolutely correct. Its against the law to erect posters until the election is called.
It’s the lamppost posters that are restricted to election time; posters like this in regular billboard space are allowed at any time.
Yeah that’s entirely different alright Peter – even the clouds are a different shade of white!! Great to see you being so independent- really impressed!
You missed the irony there… #FAIL
Frankly, I don’t give a damn. People seem to forget this joker when he was on the Vincent Browne show week in, week out, defending the absolutely indefensible – when he was a good party man. AFTER he was kicked out of the party because of his right wing Catholic views (and his American funded trips in that regard) he suddenly started telling a tiny portion of the truth about his Government’s policies. He, therefore, has no actual scruples – Away with him.
Thats daft, he is making a fool of himself to try to claim there’s any difference, shoul have gone to specksavers!
“Anyone with an eye for art will see.”
Con-art, being an expert himself.
Voters are stupid. They can’t read the ballot paper which has him as an independent. Thank god Fine Gael pointed this out to the Intellectually Challenged Irish People.
Couldn’t afford a new suit shirt and tie in 5 years.
Hopefully he changed his undies in that time lol.
All those expenses to claim and he’s using 5 year old headshots! Cheapskate!!
Daisy, going for the youthful look?
Should people who find this “very confusing” even have a vote?!
Concentrate on the man’s politics, not his graphic designer’s poster!
Vincent browne makes an awful ejit out of this fella.
The only thing he stole was the idea from that Eddie Murphy movie, Distinguished Gentleman.
Ah Peter – I thought you were dead. Good to see you alive and looking a lot younger.
“Sure, we’re all going to end up dead anyway.” Isn’t that right, Petey?
I love the arrogance of Fianna Gael thinking someone would vote for him because they think he’s part of their band of crooks. Fianna Fail the same only a few weeks ago claiming Sinn Fein were saying they would form a coalition with them to make them look bad. A clear indication none of them have a fcuking clue when it comes to reality.
He’s a waste of space another one getting tax payers money
Why hasn’t he put down retaining the 8th amendment as one of his key issues. Really hope this ignoramus loses his seat
I’d say it’s FG copying Mathews as they really have no brain cells themselves, it’s copying America on this (taxes), copying Obama on that (criticising trump), copying Cameron on something else!
trump got the red carpet treatment from none other than the fat man noonan……soooooo embarrassing, they did omit the army band thankfully
Ciaran, I was alone when I saw the broadcast of that “welcome”. I still blushed.
Could the ones who made the posters having a laugh? Could be cheaper as professional photographs can be expensive but he seems to be wearing the same clothes in both?
His account got hacked
“Same Same but different”
He never really made the impact I had hoped in banking. Maybe he or party was part of the problem in this regard.
Not likely to re elected and not enough of a brown noser for seanad selection.
Same cloudy background, same font layout, same shirt & tie . . . same old bollox.
Completely different yet totally the same.
It just needs a few more rosary beads to frame it and give context to his relevance.
Snap.
Politicians spend years lying telling us black is white and white is black and expecting us to believe them,
Only the colour has changed because he is still lying
He is actually wearing the same shirt in both posters it’s so different…
The more things change, the more they stay the same
What constituency is he in? Wait a minute, he’s in mine apparently……not for long
Whatever you say about Enda, at least he got rid of the religious crazies (Creighton, Matthews, Wiffy) out of FG. For that, normal sane FG supporters will always be thankful.
The fake tan went a bit sceow in the new poster. You’ve been tangoed
Typical politician answer… Same sht , different poster
“Why would a man pretend to be that which he was not?”
Especially that.
The chaps colour arrangements are even the same. If he’s that original about his posters how original would he be as a politician?
I have been an Independent candidate on two occasions. On both, my slogan was “Listening to you. Working for you” Peter is a near neighbour. I suppose he just borrowed half of my words……. Caitriona
Arrogant fool. Get rid of him.
have your say