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Greens just love a scrap
• AFTER the letters in the Tribune in the last few weeks accusing us first of inconsistency and then hypocrisy, all of us in the Islington Greens thought we’d finally made it as a real political party. But then “name and address supplied” pops up to tell us we still haven’t got enough “sheer hatred” (Greens out of touch, June 13). Damn! Back to the drawing board, guys...
Let me reassure your correspondent. We Greens love a scrap. Frankly, with only one councillor, and no unions, big business or wealthy peerage hunters bankrolling us, the only way we can make our voice heard is by fighting tooth and nail for the genuine alternative we offer. And we have fought, inside and outside the Town Hall, on everything from road safety to the Arsenal redevelopment.
What the Green Party won’t engage in, however, is the posturing, the trivialisation and the weary predictability of the Punch and Judy politics beloved of the two parties with whom we share the council chamber.
“Name and address supplied” believes this nonsense is “how democratic politics actually works”. The problem, I’m afraid, is that it isn’t working – turnout in elections is in freefall, MPs are rock bottom in the public trust stakes and we are about to be treated to a by-election with only one candidate.
If anyone’s being naive, it’s “name and address supplied” and the other parties for believing the public will continue to put up with this. It’s ironic that your correspondent’s dewy-eyed admiration of political rough and tumble doesn’t extend to putting their name on the letter so we can debate the problem rationally – maybe they’re just scared we might end up agreeing... the horror!
MICHAEL COFFEY
Campaigns manager,
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