Sydney Mayor Clover Moore has been cast as the Grinch who stole Christmas after decorating her city's town hall with just one meagre Christmas tree out of fear of offending non-Christians. Moore has been accused of political correctness gone mad after residents in Australia's largest city woke to newspaper headlines demanding "Where's Our Christmas?" and complaints the city had not done enough to celebrate the festive season. Sydney's The Daily Telegraph compared Sydney's Scrooge-like approach with opulent Christmas displays in major capitals like London, New York and Paris. It invited readers to send a cutout postcard, depicting Moore as children's author Dr Seuss' famous character, the Grinch, to the Town Hall in complaint."You're a mean one, Ms. Grinch."
"Christmas is a time of wonder, fun and festivities, for young and old. As the nation's premier city...surely we deserve better," the paper said. Talkback radio programmes were flooded with calls and even conservative Prime Minister John Howard joined in. "This is political correctness from central casting. It is unbelievable," Howard told Sydney radio 2UE. "This is the ridiculous thing about this blanding out of any kind of distinctive identity we might have. Christmas is not only a religious festival...it is also part of the history and culture of this country," he said.
Moore defended her approach to the holiday season, saying Sydney had this year spent A$300,000 ($NZ325,624.38) more on decorations around the city than in 2003. "Today, Christmas is a celebration for everyone and I'd like to encourage everyone to get out in the city and celebrate and I especially urge building owners and retailers throughout the city to get into the Christmas spirit," she said in a statement. Sydney is a multicultural city of some 4 million people, with about 200 separate ethnic groups represented, according to official figures.