News / Politics
Former lord mayor resigns from Green group at City Hall
Paula O’Rourke has resigned from the Green group at City Hall after disagreeing with the recent walk-outs and placard waving from her former colleagues during public meetings.
O’Rourke said that she “cannot continue within a group that chooses symbolic protest over democratic responsibility”.
It means that the Greens now hold 34 out of the 70 council seats and throws into confusion the recent discussions on which party representatives would chair the council’s policy committees.
The Clifton councillor and former lord mayor, who will now sit as an independent, said that she can “no longer support the recent actions” which have seen Green councillors holding up handwritten signs in the council chamber and leaving when members of the public are speaking.
O’Rourke said that rather than walk-outs and placards, different views should be approached “through engagement, debate and careful policy-making”.
The Irish-born former teacher added: “The current debate around sex and gender has become reductive, binary and hostile. I reject the notion that one must stand in one camp or the other.
“We can, and must, hold two principles at once: that trans people deserve full equality and respect, and that women who fear the erosion of their rights deserve to be heard – not caricatured, dismissed or shouted down.”
Several Green councillors held handmade banners during the most recent full council meeting – photo: Green Party
In a lengthy statement released on Wednesday morning, O’Rourke said: “I am resigning the Green Party whip on Bristol City Council because I can no longer support the recent actions taken by some of my Green colleagues: walking out of the council chamber or holding up placards when people with gender-critical views come to speak.
“These actions are not, in my view, compatible with the duties of elected representatives. I am taking this step to defend free speech, to uphold the democratic process, and to reaffirm that councillors must be able to hear from all citizens – not only those whose views are comfortable or convenient.
“I do not deny, diminish or question the validity of transgender identities. I believe strongly that trans people should be able to live their lives safely, openly and with dignity.
“But I also uphold the right of those with gender-critical beliefs to express their views to their elected representatives. These rights coexist. As Shakespeare wrote in King Lear: ‘This too is true.’
“The law is clear that gender-critical beliefs – that sex is immutable – constitute a protected philosophical belief (‘Forstater v CGD Europe’). The Supreme Court ruled in its ‘For Women Scotland Ltd’ judgment that the use of the terms ‘man’ and ‘woman’ in the Equality Act 2010 refer to biological sex; but also, that trans people have the protected characteristic of gender reassignment.
“Therefore, the Act protects both women and those with transgender identities, but both sets of rights are qualified. One does not erase the other.
“As the Supreme Court said in its judgment, at paragraph 151:
‘Accordingly, it is clear from the above that the EA 2010 gives important legal rights to individuals and groups who are vulnerable to unlawful discrimination because of a particular or shared protected characteristic, and both protects against unlawful discrimination and seeks to advance equal treatment. In doing so, it seeks to strike a balance between the rights of one group and another, rights that can conflict with or contradict one another in some circumstances’. (My emphasis)
“Our task, therefore, is not to silence whichever group one disagrees with, but to balance these rights with fairness and care.
“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.
“The council’s constitution sets out clear protections: the Monitoring Officer prevents the publication of any statement that could incite hatred, while the Lord Mayor manages debate to ensure that no contributor crosses that line.
“These safeguards already exist – there is no justification for councillors staging walkouts or brandishing placards to signal disapproval of views they disagree with.
“Such behaviour is not harmless. Walking out is a refusal of democratic duty. Holding placards in the face of members of the public is intimidating. It risks deterring citizens – particularly women – from ever raising concerns with their elected representatives again. The chilling effect is real, and it is corrosive.”
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O’Rourke added: “The current debate around sex and gender has become reductive, binary and hostile. I reject the notion that one must stand in one camp or the other.
“We can, and must, hold two principles at once: that trans people deserve full equality and respect, and that women who fear the erosion of their rights deserve to be heard – not caricatured, dismissed or shouted down. I repeat Shakespeare’s wise words from King Lear, ‘This too is true.’
“We should be able to find a way through these questions together, not through walkouts and placards but through engagement, debate and careful policy-making.
“That includes grappling with practical issues (from language used in service provision, to public toilets) in ways that respect everyone’s dignity and safety.
“I remain committed to environmental justice, to social fairness, and to the values that led me to stand as a Green councillor in the first place.
“I am grateful for the support that I have had over the years, especially from the Clifton Greens, but I cannot continue within a group that chooses symbolic protest over democratic responsibility.
“My hope is that by standing apart, I can help to restore a more honest, plural and respectful political culture – one in which we face disagreement, rather than flee from it.”
Paula O’Rourke was Bristol’s lord mayor from 2022 to 2023 – photo: Green Party
Responding to O’Rourke’s resignation, a Green Party spokesperson said: “We would like to thank Cllr O’Rourke for her time representing the people of Clifton for the Green Party, and are disappointed that she has chosen to see out the rest of her term as an independent.
“While we agree that members of the public have every right to make statements to their elected representatives, we also believe that councillors have every right to feel safe in their place of work.
“Expressing a point of view does not mean ignoring the impact words have on people.
“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 Green Party stands firmly in support of trans people and will continue to fight for all those most marginalised in our community.”
Main photo: Green Party
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