When I attended the Beach Hotel for breakfast this morning (as I do most mornings), a person – who made apparent his support for the Belongil Beach rock wall – remarked: ‘If you don’t like Byron Bay or Council – you should get out of town’.
Rather irrational suggestion – if you don’t like the actions of a minority group and/or outcome of a Council vote, leave your home, family and friends.
This was not the first time that I have been falsely accused of not liking Byron Bay (the entire town) and/or it has ‘suggested’ that I ‘get out of town’ – simply because I voiced objections to the practices of Council and/or minority political interest groups (such as tourism lobbyists).
Obviously, if I did not like Byron Bay, I would not have moved to Byron Bay or continue residing in Byron Bay – despite being subjected to bullying by a minority.
While I ‘do not like’ some of the voting patterns of councillors, it is inaccurate to state or infer that I ‘do not like’ the councillors who vote in a manner that they believe represents the desires of the citizens who elected them into office – rather than vote in a manner that represents the desires of this individual who did not vote for them.
Democracy is not about what I “do not like”, it is about citizens feeling free to express differing political points of view – without fear of being subjected to false allegations and/or other forms of bullying.
Becoming a resident of Byron Bay has been a ‘unique experience’. No person in any other town in Australia has reacted to my exercising the democratic right to express political opinions with the suggestion that I ‘get out of town’.
I was raised to believe that if you ‘do not like’ the politics of your home town, you do not ‘leave town’, that is, desert your family, friends and fellow citizens – you attempt to implement change via lawful means; such as writing letters to the editor of the local newspaper and participating in council meetings – respecting the rights of others to hold differing political views.
Morgan, Byron Bay
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
