Bristol Greens councillor quits over trans protests

[gopaula]

Bristol Greens' ridiculous hostile anti-GC behaviour costs them dear in the council chamber...well done, that woman! Shero of the day.

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/bristol-councillor-resigns-greens-over-10654149

Great to see a (former) Green councillor with some principles and a commitment to democratic duty. Can only hope others still with the Greens see how ridiculous it is to claim women talking about the reality of sex cause others to feel "under attack for their very existence". It's a council chamber, not a primary school playground.

Does she realize that she is as genocidally anti-trans as literal mass-murderers like JKR with words like that?

Does she really think there is any middle ground at all between "women have rights" and "women don't have rights"?

Wow, fab statement. If only all the Green councillors in Bristol could be as reasonable as her. Pathetic response from them, talking about needing to feel "safe" 🙄. It really is TRAs' magic word when they want to shut down debate.

It's fine for people to need to feel safe if they have a gender identity. It's not fine to need to feel safe if you are a woman

Well done.
I actually think that even if you are wholeheartedly into the notion of your sex being whatever you say it is, you still do your job and engage properly with the issues that are pointed out to you as consequences of your really kind and lovely belief.

There's no excuse for this behaviour and it shows exactly how poorly it stands up to any form of scrutiny.

Bloody well done that woman, that really can't have been easy

the transperbolic response by the Green Party is exactly what I'd expect 🙄

Wow, her statement is direct and admirable. The response from the Greens is pathetic and shows they did not engage with the points she raised about their democratic responsibilities.

It comes across as the only adult in the room finally having enough of being forced to work with stroppy teenagers.

She made valid points, and made them well, they made rude noises and stuck their tongues out. 😒

"can't feel safe ... when people are denying their very existence" - but no one is, no one is threatening them. When are the next council elections?

She is admirable and her statements could not be more reasonable.

As for this …
In response, a spokesperson for the Green group of councillors at City Hall thanked Cllr O'Rourke for her service, but defended the councillors actions over the trans issue at City Hall in the past couple of months. …. this is why the Greens are too shallow thinking and fascistic to be worthy of being elected.

Also, now in the Times:
https://www.thetimes.com/article/c95f825a-a461-44b1-8e72-93375083452a?shareToken=c46d5ba50433e71747a1ef275b9497eb

“Local politicians everywhere cannot be expected to stay in a room if they feel under attack for their very existence or for the existence of their colleagues.”
The hyperbole!

Frankly, whoever wrote / made /agrees with that statement is not fit to be in council. It translates to 'I will flounce if you don't agree with my every word'. One step short of 'I'll shcweam and shcweam until I'm shick!'

I hope every last one of them, barring the principled Councillor Paula O’Rourke, gets their arse handed to them at the next election. Their flouncing out amounts to a refusal to do the damned job. Fine. Then they need to get somebody else in to do it.

In line with our policy to help keep meetings respectful and safe for everyone, small signs (A4 size or smaller) are allowed in the public gallery and chamber, unless they are defamatory or offensive.

So presumably women will be welcome to sit in the public gallery holding A4 signs saying "transwomen are men" etc?

You could have 16 women each holding an A4 sheet with one of the letters to spell it out.

Yes, in BLACK BOLD CAPITAL LETTERS. 😂

On radio 4 today, Zack Polanski was a panel member but had nothing substantial or informed to say on taxation and tried to make sweeping hyperbolic comments about inequity in the UK and Nick Robinson cut him off mid rant to say that might be a topic for another day but todays was specifically on taxation.

So Zack was quiet and had virtually nothing to add because he is so bloody uninformed on key political matters (like taxation) and can only resort to soundbites (tax the rich! Nationalise the water companies!) without explaining how the Greens are going to implement such policies.

Seems like stroppy teenagers are leading and running the party. It’s an utter crime when the UK desperately needs an effective environmental party.

Isn't it worrying that this level of "toddler politics" is what's offered by men like Zack. In contrast to Paula O'Rourke's adult and responsible views of the duties of local politicians.

"Does she really think there is any middle ground at all between "women have rights" and "women don't have rights"?"

Maybe she does, it sounds like she'd be open to listening to GC women at least. It's clear the Green party members there are keen to avoid and shut down those women's voices at all costs. She made an excellent point in her statement about what the purpose of a representative is and how she feels the other Green party representatives are not meeting that totally reasonable expectation and standard.

She sounds like a brave and principled woman, we need more of those types of people in politics and less of the idiots who were waving signs and walking out.

👏 Abiding by the rules but with characteristic feminist creativity in the face of idiocy.

Well done her. She's showing backbone and integrity.

As an aside the Green party have as loose a grasp on size as they do on what is a woman. Some of those signs are clearly larger than A4.

Trans A4 signs are A4 signs!

It's ok, they probably identify as A4 signs.

Brava! 👏👏👏

“Councillors, unlike private citizens, do not have a right to be protected from offence. We are elected precisely to listen to those we represent, including when what we hear is difficult.”

"Green Party councillors who held placards stating “trans women are women” in a council meeting did not breach their code of conduct because it was not “racist, homophobic or offensive”, according to officials."
I find their placards sexist and offensive.

If a twaw placard is ok then a trans women are men placard is ok. Very simple.