Take a look at this. To you it may be a smudge, but to the eagled-eyed politico it’s Google Street View showing a political campaign poster (for the Burnley Liberal Democrats’ campaign to save the local hospital). Is this the first time a political campaign poster has been caught on Google Street View?
Subscribe
-
Follow @libdemvoice.org on Bluesky
-
Like us on Facebook
-
Subscribe to our feed
-
Sign-up for our daily email digest
Most Read
Search
Op-eds
-
Mathew on Monday: “We need to be bold” (Mathew Hulbert)
-
As a party we must be better defined for the 2029 general election (Chris Bowers)
-
From national averages to local realities: inequality in our communities (Tom Walker)
-
We do have a two tier system, Part 2 (Neil Hickman)
-
A Federal Britain: 3. Fiscal Federalism and a complete constitutional settlement (Iain Donaldson)
-
Should Labour reconsider the Brexit red lines?
-
Raising a flap about letterboxes
-
Arriving at one of East Finchley's ghost platforms
-
Matt Sanders selected by Lib Dems for South West Hertfordshire
-
In which D.H. Lawrence visits Snailbeach
-
Lib Dem energy guarantee would cut prices for all households
-
Restrained
-
Chase Park fair photos
-
Green and Lib Dem Southwark brings government closer to voters
-
A swamp of lies and disinformation
Recent Comments
expats
@theakes 8th Jun '26 - 12:20pm... We simple have to accept there will always be a level of inequality, it is in the human psyche.... Most families DON'T have...
Peter Davies
@Peter Wrigley: You will be glad to know that the wealth ratio between the richest and poorest is already much lower than 10:1. It is in fact negative. There wi...
Nigel Jones
@Mick Taylor, I agree we must be concerned about income inequality in current circumstances, though overcoming this is about taxing the rich, better public serv...
Nigel Jones
@Mick Taylor, you are right to focus on strategy since we have plenty of policy, but i think we also need a vision and better messaging. It is easy to have stro...
Nigel Jones
The New Deal graphic is very helpful but of course not perfect. As to preventing Reform from winning, we need to be an anti-establishment party as Chris Bowers ...


9 Comments
No… this one in Liverpool has been on for a while. It’s promoting the Liverpool Liberal Democrats…
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=seddon+road,+liverpool&sll=53.098138,-1.116861&sspn=0.001701,0.004549&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Seddon+Rd,+Liverpool,+Merseyside+L19,+United+Kingdom&ll=53.35684,-2.902193&spn=0,359.97365&t=h&z=16&layer=c&cbll=53.356944,-2.902108&panoid=CTU-EAsCxA34STWJgRHHWw&cbp=12,287.38,,3,7.32
David, LOL! But let’s see … how about a prize for MOST political campaign posters caught on Google Street View?
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=1+walpole+street&sll=53.791408,-2.282603&sspn=0.001513,0.003028&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=1+Walpole+St,+Burnley,+Lancashire+BB10+1,+United+Kingdom&ll=53.805831,-2.23201&spn=0.000753,0.001514&t=h&z=20&layer=c&cbll=53.805862,-2.23206&panoid=6oOdHb_vs5pTFXN_F3Crlw&cbp=12,178.29,,3,7.3
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&q=266+Barden+Ln,+Burnley,+Lancashire+BB10+1,+United+Kingdom&sll=53.80557,-2.231515&sspn=0.000756,0.001514&ie=UTF8&cd=1&geocode=FaMKNQMdrtDd_w&split=0&hq=&hnear=266+Barden+Ln,+Burnley,+Lancashire+BB10+1,+United+Kingdom&ll=53.807716,-2.240223&spn=0.000753,0.001514&t=h&z=20&layer=c&cbll=53.807623,-2.24009&panoid=IlOIB-49C_Q9_iyfRaW0HA&cbp=12,231.74,,2,9.35
Did I win the prize yet?
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=188+Briercliffe+Road&sll=53.807623,-2.24009&sspn=0.000756,0.001514&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=188+Briercliffe+Rd,+Burnley,+Lancashire+BB10+2,+United+Kingdom&ll=53.808385,-2.224122&spn=0.000753,0.001514&t=h&z=20&layer=c&cbll=53.808385,-2.224122&panoid=78oyZgWvBmQB5_VizdQ4Tg&cbp=12,294.02,,3,6.51
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=1+fraser+st&sll=53.808385,-2.224122&sspn=0.000756,0.001514&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=1+Fraser+St,+Burnley,+Lancashire+BB10+3,+United+Kingdom&ll=53.806084,-2.230463&spn=0.000753,0.001514&t=h&z=20&layer=c&cbll=53.806199,-2.230282&panoid=ktb8PLGWkDuSYzcxOYTpBw&cbp=12,139.16,,3,14.75
What – nobody got their superstakes up yet then? 🙂
Forget posters, has anyone seen a Lib Dem on Google Maps?
I’m on it, so try and find me!
Darren, be honest, finding pictures of houses with Gordon’s “save the hospital” posters up in Burnley isn’t exactly difficult, they’re everywhere.
And I’m pretty sure I’ve delivered to a couple of those addresses, not sure though, done nearby, certainly.
Your political view is “sensitive personal data”.
For Google to place this in a indexed database is illegal under the data protection act.
Since you identity is “likely” to be found using the voter registration register at the local library.
Why has this happened? Because all the main parties are using google for their research and hosting. Even the ICO who should be policing this area, are a customers of Google.
Even under the escalation argument they should not be allowed to create even a blank database where information can be pinned. Soon there will be a new outbreak of “intimidation by Google”. This is where neighbours use the site to post pictures of their enemies. Be it their property or the person themselves. Allowing a database to be populated by information is receiving and processing of personal information.
Google needs shutting down now. As for this site, that is listing the houses having sensitive personal data, you are also against the DPA. But do not worry as ICO would have to stop Google first before they stopped you. You can carry on with your illegal activity because the government seems to what a spy network.
Local Police confirmed on Tuesday that they had interviewed the first criminal that admitted to planning the crime with Google.
Neil, I’m sorry, but your statement is factually wrong. The people involved have taken actions relevant to paragraph 5 of Schedule 3 to the Act (i.e. putting the posters in their windows) and thus Google’s use of the information is lawful.
It might be an interesting point though as time goes by if the street cameras aren’t updated.
Suppose person puts a poster for the BNP up in 2009 when it is captured by Street View. Soon afterwards they sell their house to someone else. That new owner applies for a job. Their potential employer does some (dubious) google searching on their name and address and sees the BNP poster and as a result doesn’t offer them the job.
One Trackback
[…] First we brought you a smudge. […]