Exactly the wrong way to do modern print design

WE OCCASIONALLY dip our toes into to the world of newspaper and magazine design, usually the great redesigns of US newspapers.
However my local prospective Lib Dem candidate Richard Clein, a former journalist and now successful PR man is the mastermind behind this A3 'local freesheet style newspaper leaflet which came through the door.
a) How in the modern age of inexpensive DTP and sophisticated campaigning did this pass the quality control? It's appalling. And,
b) the back page looks like it was designed by whoever puts together Sovereign Nation, Saoirse or one of the other dissenting Republican newspapers. In fact it makes their design sensibility seem like Wallpaper* or Vice magazine.

Click on each to have a look at how bad they are, apologies for the poor pics but scanner is out here at GM Towers.

I especially like the weekly newspaper circa 1990 picture of the bloke pointing at a sign in the top left hand corner of Irish Republican-styled back page.

BTW: With those stylings shouldn't there be some War News on that page?