Tom Tabart, Bellarine Greens
In The Echo editorial (26 February) which I totally support, it was mentioned that the Byron Greens lacked any policies on local issues
This is correct but I would like to point out that there have been strenuous attempts to formulate policy in the past – they died on the floor of Byron Greens meetings or were just ignored.
In my final years with the Byron group, myself, Jan Barham, Chris Harris, Duncan Dey and others wrote detailed policies on planning, water and sewage, rubbish management, festivals and other matters. Not only did we fail to have them properly circulated to the membership but were strenuously resisted when we attempted to have them discussed.
The rationale for the standard negative fillibuster appeared to be that a policy either affected one of the mayor’s pet interests (like festivals) or was likely to upset council staff. There was virtually no input or reaction from the wider membership which, as now, remains largely ignorant of the detail of local issues.
It would appear that this situation still obtains with Simon (presumably supported by the three blind mice) vigourously resisting a Byron Greens resolution to oppose the Business and Industrial Lands Strategy.
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. 
