We’re in the run-up to a general election here in Ireland, and I live in Bertie’s constituency. For the past year or so, things have been pretty quiet, but in the last week there’s been a sudden flurry of activity and direct postal mail from Bertie’s office — and from many departments of local government, too:
Mon Apr 23:
Fianna Fail: “Fianna Fail delivers on education in Dublin Central”, tabloid newspaper.
direct from the office of Bertie: a photocopied letter from the Environmental Health Officers of Dublin City Council about the standards of rented houses “in my area”.
Tues Apr 24:
HSE: “Parents Who Listen, Protect” leaflet, a full-colour glossy handbook “on building good communication in families and communities” “as part of a national initiative on child protection”.
Dept of Environment: a leaflet on the “National Climate Change Strategy, 2007-2012, Main Points”. Printed on recycled paper, naturally ;)
Fri Apr 27:
Fianna Fail Senator Cyprian Brady: “dear resident, please vote for me” — one-page full-colour glossy.
Spring 2007 “Central News”, “Official Voice of Fianna Fail in Dublin Central”, a 16-page tabloid newspaper, featuring stories like “Smithfield: the Temple Bar of the Northside” (like Temple Bar, but with more winos and Children’s Court, and less stuff!)
Mon Apr 30:
HSE: “Need a doctor urgently? Call D-DOC out-of-hours GP service”, full-colour glossy leaflet.
from Bertie: Evening of Election Letter. “Good evening constituents” etc.
It’s a veritable flood of full-colour glossies! Could be worse, I suppose — I hear the PDs have been blanketing selected Dublin constituencies in free books. However I suspect grimy Dublin 7 is a little off their list (see “winos”, above).
It’s worth noting that a good half of this flood (which I’ve coined Bertiespam to describe) isn’t from Bertie’s constituency office — it’s from government departments like the HSE and the Department of Environment. It’s funny that we hadn’t heard a peep from them all year, then once an election looms — “here come the voters! look busy!” ;)
What bertiespam have you been getting?