A RENUA TD’S general election posters are already up on lampposts in parts of north Dublin in violation of strict rules that they cannot be erected until the election is called.

Terence Flanangan has erected dozens of posters around the constituency of Dublin Bay North with a small advertisement for a public meeting this Wednesday in Howth.

While such posters are permitted, the adverse weather in recent days has in some cases washed off stickers with details of the meeting.

This has revealed that these are actually official election posters, urging people to ‘Vote No. 1′ for Terence Flanagan:

One of Flanagan's election posters at the junction of Thornville Road and Kilbarrack Road in Kilbarrack, North Dublin. Anonymous Anonymous

The erection of such posters is strictly forbidden until the polling order has been signed by the Minister for the Environment and the general election campaign officially gets under way.

A Renua spokesperson said that the Flanagan had permission to erect posters for the political meeting and said the former Fine Gael TD is “double-checking” in case there are any posters that do not comply with regulations.

“He is currently investigating posters that do not comply with the regulations,” the spokesperson said.

Flanagan did not respond to a request for comment. Some of his other posters have been almost completely blown away by the heavy winds:

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Candidates can face fines of between €100 and €150 from the local authority for illegally erecting posters outside the official election period.

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Dublin Bay North-based Labour councillor Brian McDonagh said the fact stickers had washed off was “no big deal” but said it was the “the danger of cheekily using election posters for meeting announcements”.

In view of Renua’s pronouncements some people might expect a different behaviour. The rules are there and vote no 1 posters shouldn’t really go up until the Dáil gets dissolved, not even if they have a meeting announcement over the vote message.

With the general election expected to be announced as early as tomorrow, candidates up and down the country have been tweeting pictures of posters being readied for erection:

Others have already put their posters up but stayed inside the rules by using constituents’ gardens and frontyards:

2014: Here’s how candidates have been getting around the law on posters

Read: Fine Gael councillor’s posters defaced with swastikas

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