A chara, - I am anxious to respond to the comments by Mr Michael Delmonte (May 26th). He may be interested to know that the Green Party tabled numerous amendments to the Litter Pollution Act (1997) when it was going through the Dail. As a result of this legislation, more powers now exist to prevent litter and punish offenders.
Many Green Party members, including myself, are active in Tidy Towns groups and other conservation bodies. Sometimes being active rather than just talking about issues is no bad thing.
As to his confusion about the word "green", perhaps the Irish form "Comhaontas Glas" might be of help here, "Glas" is the Irish for natural green colour whereas "uaine" refers to green in the Irish tricolour.
I'm not sure what connection Mr Delmonte seeks to make between litter and the process of European integration, but certainly if the 40 per cent of the electorate who concur with the Green Party's sceptical attitude to the EU shared more broadly in our philosophy of creating all our actions a more wholesome, convivial and attractive environment, then the changes would be visible on our streets, rivers and public areas, and in respect of the outgoings currently incurred by our local authorities.
Given that we hold two out of 166 Dail seats, to blame the Greens for the litter problem seems a little like blaming Met Eireann for the weather, but I am confident that as the Green Party representation at Dail, local and EU level increases over the years ahead, so too will public consciousness of just how unacceptable the crime of littering really is - no matter who the perpetrator.
Finally, Mr Delmonte might be interested to know about the latest Green anti-litter initiative in Fingal to end indiscriminate postering at election time. We are asking the local authority to restrict the display of posters to certain designated areas, such as a section of a town square or a prominent corner in each town or townland. - Is mise, Trevor Sargent, TD, Green Party/Comhaontas Glas,
Dail Eireann,
Dublin 2.