THE furore over John Donnellon's consultation document on Lancaster's cultural services is a chance to step back for a moment and think more generally about the role of the arts and culture in the philosophy of the various political parties as we approach a General Election.

It's clear from everything their spokespeople say that for Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberal-Democrats human beings are consumers first and foremost.

In their view, the more we shop and the more we own, the happier we will be, and their overall philosophy can be summed up in the phrase: "I shop, therefore I am".

It is left to the Green Party to speak up for those other aspects of humanity that are excluded by the old political parties. Green philosophy puts the caring and creative sides of our humanity at the centre of politics, and wants to see consumerism, which is so rampant in our society, subordinated to these more important aspects of our being.

The local Green Party will therefore be taking a strong and principled position in the defence and further development of arts and culture in Lancaster.

Heritage, art, creativity and culture are, for us, what define our humanity - not the number of hours of shopping we put in every weekend.

Cllr Tony Pinkney, Green Party Group, Lancaster Council