Tuesday, November 29, 2005

Traveller Rights

Travellers are a perfect example of how politically powerless minorities are (with the exception of the super-rich) and their plight illustrates the short-comings of our political system, at both National and Local levels.

Politicians thrive on clientelism and focus almost exclusively on their own constituency. This sustains a NIMBY mentality which has thwarted the provision of services to Travellers and other minorities. If your votes don’t count then you don’t count.

Both the settled community and Travellers have rights and attendant obligations. The current approach seems to be that when Travellers meet their civic obligations we, the settled community, might consider giving them the means to enjoy their rights.

Could it be time we tried this the other way round?

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