Political and Official Green Spin
Spin from the State Sector
One of the biggest impediments to becoming a more sustainabile society is the emissions of politically motivated green wash, green spin and other hot air coming from the State sector. The worse the performance of the State, the more its incoherent environmental and energy policies are described in glowing terms by those responsible for implementing them.
Distant and usually totally unattainable targets are held up as 'examples' of Government commitment to sustainability. Typically, the targets dates are well into the future so that any failure to achieve them can be blamed on future administrations. Detailed strategies for attaining these targets are usually conspicuous by their absense.
Here in Ireland, Green TDs John Gormley and Eamon Ryan have important ministerial posts in the new administration. Might this herald in a new era of openness and honesty about the unacceptably high environmental and social cost of maintaining modern day Ireland on its current trajectory? Will anything change for the better? We can only wait and see.
State cynicism is by no means restricted to Ireland. One only has to turn to the UK and the United States to witness the deception which is routinely practised at all levels of Government.
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