GREEN PARTY councillor for Clare Brian Meaney is a sensitive soul. He dashed off an anguished missive to a large number of political correspondents this week complaining about a dreadful sign he saw on top of petrol pumps at a filling station in Abbeyfeale, Limerick.

We don’t know why, but his cri de coeur was ignored.

It began: “If I was a shop owner and put a sign on the window displaying a photo of the pope with a red line across his face telling Catholics to “feck” off, or a photo of a Traveller or a member of the gay community telling them to feck off, I would be quite correctly liable to prosecution, the press would rip me apart, and I doubt if the shop would do a lot of business.”

Well, indeed. Brian had our attention.

“It appears that there are some groups that can be publicly vilified without any fear of prosecution or media reprimand. The members of the Green Party are one such group, as the photograph shows.

“If a similar advert with a picture of Gerry Adams and telling SF to feck off were put on a petrol pump it probably would invalidate the fire insurance cover for the garage.”

Meaney goes into greater detail. Much greater detail.

“Two months ago I was driving through Abbeyfeale in west Limerick and had to stop at a filling station for diesel. I started filling the tank, which was almost empty and after 30 seconds or so I noticed a poster on the top of the fuel pump. I was shocked. It showed a photo of a man I have great regard for, a friend, with a red line gashed across his face. It also told me to feck off. I took the fuel nozzle out of the car and put it back on the receiver, walked in to the shop and asked to see the owner.

“Unfortunately the owner wasn’t around and, while I am prone to rash actions, I was not going to vent my anger on the young person behind the counter. I paid for the €7 worth of diesel and did as the sign asked me to do, I fecked off.”

Fascinating.

“But not before I took a photo of the advert which someone had gone to the trouble of producing and placing on the top of every fuel pump in the forecourt.”

There’s more.

“Having given the matter some thought I have changed my attitude a little. I am not satisfied that for Greens or environmentalists it appears to be open season and that it is possible to direct comments at us that others are protected from. I have to accept that we did make enemies while in government but rather than being angry about it I am delighted. We have enemies. Good. That means we’ve stood up for something important.

“Drove through Abbeyfeale two weeks ago and the signs are still on the fuel pumps. I didn’t stop.”

Good for you, Cllr Meaney.

Wouldn’t you miss the Greens, all the same? No?