Bypass PR and Greens’ principles

Paul Jones, Byron Bay

How truly extraordinary to see a full double page public relations campaign by the Byron Council across both local papers, complete with cutesy snail graphic and its little road tunnel.

This is significant public funds being utilised to gloss over the environmental crime that has occurred in our midst.

This is the power of our local government, attempting to rewrite and control the story.

The fact is, Byron Shire Council has rammed a motorway straight through a highly viable, highly populated, critically endangered natural habitat by claiming that no snails were evident in the patch.

They sent in ecologists to relocate 150 odd snails and their egg clusters off to the sides of the road, and then proceeded to destroy their habitat and forever pollute and degrade the surroundings.

Those in power control the agenda and the narrative. Right from the outset Council has lied and manipulated the story to get their way.

Do you recall the claim that the first $10 million of State funding for the road was dependent on a Butler Street route?

That was fake news to coerce councillors and the community. I could go on.

There is growing mistrust of The Greens locally. How could this happen in our place, where most of the community are consciously engaged with green issues and principles?

Are we that easily manipulated?

Right now, the Byron Greens party is engaged in a preselection ballot for a new round of candidates for both the mayoral and councillor tickets. Our Butler Street Community urge all local Greens Party members to consider carefully all candidates.

We need to ensure the Byron Greens return to their founding principles. Voting is your most powerful action, and as is only too evident, the history and philosophy of the movement and the democracy and fairness of the political system requires constant vigilance.