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
-
Observations of an Expat: NATO Irony (Tom Arms)
-
What really happened? (Simon Banks)
-
Why community politics matters (Mark Corner)
-
A Federal Britain: 1. Renewing democracy through fair representation (Iain Donaldson)
-
A roadmap to Queer Equality (Tara Foster)
-
From Norman settlement to a civic square
-
Northern Ireland debates the future of its railways in 1957
-
"The old savage England": D.H. Lawrence visits the Stiperstones
-
Church Green video
-
Doing my bit at Whickham Church Green
-
Have a goat day tomorrow!
-
Pride inside instead
-
Replacing a one party state with another
-
Thinking of standing for election or re-election next year? Helpful questions to consider
-
The Joy of Six 1528
Recent Comments
Peter Martin
The term "devolving power", as in the title of this piece, is often used when what is really meant is the devolution of responsibility. Many in Westminster w...
expats
@Jeff 5th Jun '26 - 10:27pm... Any description of Nick Tyrone as, ‘I’m a liberal, metropolitan Remainer. So why am I warming to Reform?’ is laughable.....
Alison C
@Iain Donaldson There is clearly a strong diversity of opinion on this topic. "These state governments would oversee health, education, transport, housing, in...
David Raw
Some info and stats about Barrow : Child Poverty: Overall, over 20% of children in Barrow live in poverty, with some central neighbourhoods reporting child ...
David Raw
@ Kira Collins Given that Barrow-in-Furness used to have its own Council, Town Hall and Mayor it's not too surprising that nearly three quarters of the electo...


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. […]