Co-leader Adrian Ramsay and newly elected Green MP for Waveley Valley made his views clear in this interview on BBC 5 live on the 6th september, the first day of the party’s Conference. He supports the right of members of the party to have an open and respectful discussion over the complex issue of sex and gender.
In response to a question from Stephen Nolan about the “Greens in Exile” ( go to 1.16) he stated: “It is a long held green value that we have freedom of speech in society, in politics; I think it is a fundamental part of democracy” and stressed: “I want to see a situation where society as a whole can discuss complex and sensitive matters in a respectful way, but recognising that there is a need for an open discussion on difficult issues “.
The “difficult issues” are, of course, not simply about finding practical solutions to ensure that trans rights do not erradicate women’s sex-based rights – Ramsay has always been keen to explore such solutions – but whether members should have the freedom to hold the view that sex is biological without any fear of being in breach of the code of conduct and kicked out of the party.
Asked point blank by Stephen Nolan if, as Leader of the party, he held the view expressed by the now suspended Health Spokesperson and close colleague Pallivi Devulapalli that a born biological male will always be a male, Ramsay fumbled and failed to give a clear “yes” or “no”.
“Are you worried about being kicked out yourself ?” asked Nolan. Ramsay laughed and confidently replied: “No, I am not”.
Adrian is one of the Party’s four MPs, and a supporter of freedom of speech in the party. There is an ongoing purge being conducted in the party by an identinarian trans extremist faction anchored within its key governance bodies: the Disciplinary Committe, the Green Party Regional Council, the Standing Orders committee and the Exective. In order to end this, Adrian is pinning his hopes on a review of the disciplinary process.
“The Party Executive has agreed to carry out a review of how we run our disciplinary processes and policies”, he confirmed, and added “to make sure they are robust and being applied in line with the law and good practice”.
What he sadly seems to have forgotten is that the implementation of Green Party Policy on Trans Rights – which deliberately confounds sex and gender – has already been deemed to be legally discriminatory in court. For good measure, he nevertheless reitirated his mantra: ” it is also a matter of green values that people of different views can work together “, and optimistically declares that ” as co-leader, that is something I want to encourage”.
What our somewhat naive co-leader does not seem to have much of a clue about is how and why the party has been so easily captured over the years since he became an active member by an un-green, unscientific ideology and successive cohorts of hyperactive authoritarian zealots.
The Green Light team has tracked the history of the “capture” of the Green Party in Three Parts from 2010, starting here.
As amply evidenced at this 2024 Autumn Conference in Manchester, the Green Party has now become a haven for identinarian ideologues working their way round and into the party from their Special Interest Groups bunkers, beefed up by cohorts after cohorts of “social justice warriors” from universities and now joined by disillusioned Corbyn’s supporters.
Contrary to his belief and no doubt sincere wishes, it is not yet another “review” of the disciplinary processes that will detoxify the party, but the immediate withdrawal of the “Guide to Queerphobia ” from the Code of Conduct, the recall of the majority of trans gender zealots from the Green Party Regional Council by their own Regions followed by an equally immediate Amnesty of all our “Greens in Exile”.
The process of detoxification will be long and hard, but it may yet save our party from a hugely damaging split, and/or implosion.
Adrian Ramsay may emerge as the leader who will guide the party through that detoxification process, but he will need to swiftly and methodically seek to harness the support of the thousands of hard working local party activists and councillors who have been afraid to stick their necks out for fear of “causing harm” and be purged for daring to speaking up, or have chosen to bury their heads in the sand, hoping all the “nastiness” will just blow away.
As observed across the land and on university campuses in particular where Freedom of Speech has been severely curtailed, “witches” de-platformed, bullied and sacked, that will simply not happen with encouragements ” to work together “. A serious and necessary battle of ideas now seems inevitable and there will be a few bruised egoes in the process.
For co-leader Adrian Ramsay to take the time to speak to Greens in Exile outside of the conference venue, such as Sheffield tree campaigner Alison Teal, the former chair of Green Party Women Emma Bateman, former Bristol Councillor Jude English , former Executive member Dawn Furness, members of the Seniors Greens, the chair of Green Party Women and Lancashire anti-facking campaigner Tina Rothery and many others was a good start.
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