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Brighton and Hove council workers told not to say "green"

12:51pm Sunday 22nd November 2009 in


Council workers claim they are being told not to use the word green over fears it is increasing support for the Green Party.

Officers at Brighton and Hove City Council say they are instead being asked to replace the word with "sustainable" or "environmentally-friendly."

A council contractor said: "There's no official policy but since the Tory administration came into power there has been increasing talk about not using the word green because of its association with the Green Party."

However, council bosses have denied the claims.

A spokesman said: "There is absolutely no advice, official or otherwise, being given to council staffnot to use the word green."

Council leader Mary Mears said the claims were nonsense and added: "I have better things to be doing with my time than worrying about what words staff are using."

Green councillor Paul Steedman said councillors had heard from officers there was a general culture of them being discouraged from using the word green .

He added that it was the "height of absurdity" that the word was being shunned for fear of giving his party a poll boost.

Comments(14)

E Bygumm says...
12:58pm Sun 22 Nov 09

Presumably they won't be able to talk about mums being in labour as well as the council finance staff preparing conservative estimates? The words raving and looney do spring to mind but I guess you can't say those either?

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Granny says...
2:14pm Sun 22 Nov 09

What a load of hollyhocks. We do not vote in the councillors to waste time over petty matters like this. Why don't the council just supply their staff with sticky tape to put over their mouths, then they can offend no-one. The only ones left then to cause offence are the council!!

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Alison Smith says...
2:19pm Sun 22 Nov 09

"A council contractor said"......that proves it then Emily????

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Murgatroyd says...
2:22pm Sun 22 Nov 09

It must cause Mary Mears problems considering she's from a family of g***ngrocers.

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Thumper Hove says...
2:23pm Sun 22 Nov 09

I see the Green Party has started electioneering early with another 'non-story' on this website.

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Gentleman Jim says...
2:52pm Sun 22 Nov 09

No wonder the council cannot find the time to run our town,just about every statement/document has to be checked for PC.
One word can be used for them all, PLONKERS

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NotGreen says...
2:56pm Sun 22 Nov 09

The Green Party have no credibility. Trust me, at the next General Elections, we all know the number of seats they will win.

I'll give you a clue, it begins with Z and ends in O.


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pbbrighton says...
3:09pm Sun 22 Nov 09

Another party political broadcast from the gXXXn party who will make a story (or non story) out of anything.
We all know the gxxxns are watermelons - gxxxn on the outside and deepest red on the inside.
Well done Mary Mears for telling it as it is!

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CeeBee says...
3:38pm Sun 22 Nov 09

Some people have really vivid imaginations, and clearly too much time on their hands.

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Hovesage says...
4:09pm Sun 22 Nov 09

Who cares, they are all corrupt to the core....they have all had a hand in running this city into the ground.

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strange fish says...
5:43pm Sun 22 Nov 09

Mary mears from a familly of g***ngrocers?
Thats not what I heard!

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Beethoven says...
11:52am Mon 23 Nov 09

Both a "spokesman" and the Council Leader have denied the truth of your story....But The Argus still writes a headline that presents it as a fact !

No wonder we do not trust the papers any more

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clearbluesky says...
11:56am Mon 23 Nov 09

Why do the Argus support the Green Party with non-stories like this. This is a story based on a false rumour that was clearly taken to The Argus by a Green Party councillor, the Conservative council leader says it is preposterous, and yet The Argus still makes news of it? It's not even a clever or shrewd political move by the Green Party, it's just cheap and thoughtless and yet our local paper is, as ever, happy to indulge.

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Andre Spooner says...
1:37pm Tue 24 Nov 09

You couldn't make it up!

Here are some other words that should be banned from council office:

"Labour" (as someone said above, for hard work or giving birth - something the current Labour government are famous for)

"Conservative" (or even "conservative with a small c")

"Conservatory" (Obvious fusion of Conservative and Tory. Dangerous.)

"Liberal" or "Liberal Democrats" or "Charles Kennedy smoking on a train" (Highly inflamma*ory)

"Geoffrey Theobald" (avoid mention at all costs. The council office walls are very thin, as we hear)

"Mighty Horse" (might sound like Margaret Hodge, the Labour MP for Barking)

"Mary Mears" (might sound like "party political smears" or "council leader". Do not make this mistake.)

"I'm going to fix the door. I think it needs a neater handle on" (might sound like Peter Mandelson)

Can you think of any more?

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