Councillors all aflutter online
Image: A war of words: Lord Mayor Clover Moore and Liberal councillor Christine Forster
SKETCH
The unending skirmish between City of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore and Liberal councillor Christine Forster has rekindled on the battlefield of Twitter.
It was prompted by an article in Sydney’s Daily Telegraph newspaper, in which Forster suggested that the pavement of well-trafficked Sydney streets could be replaced with a soft-fall material similar to that found in playgrounds, further cementing the characterisation of Sydney’s revelers as a bunch of irresponsible children.
Moore took umbrage with this particular proposal, tweeting that the soft-fall material was “not a solution” to the violence. For the time being Forster held her tongue.
The next day, Moore was back at the keyboard, calling for the installation of a permanent artwork at Taylor Square to mark the 40th anniversary of Mardi Gras.
Claiming and disputing credit for ideas is an official sport at the City of Sydney, and Forster struck back.
“With typically dishonest spin, misinformation and self-publicity @CloverMoore now claims the Taylor Sq rainbow symbol is her idea,” she tweeted.
Moore’s volley was as swift as it was compounded.
“I encourage [Forster] to support this great idea rather than politicise it. Here are the facts (1/4),” she replied, foreshadowing the multi-part onslaught, in which the Lord Mayor claimed that Forster voted against the rainbow crossing.
And on it went, before Forster returned fire.
“Yet more misinformation from @CloverMoore, who signed an agreement with the state govt that the rainbow crossing was a 30-day trial,” she wrote.
Of course, they can’t both be wrong! Actually, they can be. Cr Forster did vote against the famed crossing, citing the fact that it was temporary and too costly. But she supported the initiative in-principle when it was first announced and says she later lobbied the state government to have it made permanent.
Meanwhile, the media team of Christian Democrat leader Fred Nile was trying to broker a peace deal over the Mardi Gras artwork.
“Please don’t fight over who is to blame #teamnile,” they tweeted.
