Exile Alison Teal

Lovely Exile Alison Teal smiling

I joined the Green Party in Sheffield in 2014 and immediately began working on the local elections. In September 2015 I was encouraged by the local party Chair to stand as a candidate to be a councillor which resulted in me becoming the first Green councillor for the Nether Edge & Sharrow ward in May 2016, winning a two-year term by 8 votes.

In 2018 I won a four-year term by nearly 1,500 votes. In 2019 I stood as a representative for Yorkshire & Humber in the European Parliament elections and as the PPC for Sheffield Central in the General Election. In May 2021 I became a member of the cabinet of Sheffield City Council and brokered an agreement to hold an Independent Inquiry into the Street Tree debacle, and in May 2022 I stood down. In August I stood to be the next PPC for Sheffield Central and was selected as the candidate in September 2022. 

The press launch for the selected PPC was intended to take place a couple of days after the votes were tallied but Natalie Bennett refused to attend and the event was cancelled. The Sheffield Green Party never put out a press release about my selection. On 10th October five Green councillors: Martin Phipps, Brian Holmshaw, Alexi Diamond, Angela Argenzio and Ruth Mersereau tweeted: “I am a member of Sheffield Green Party and I support trans rights. I will not campaign for any candidate who discriminates against trans people”. This was perceived as an allegation that I discriminate against trans people, which I do not, however, my former colleagues made this deeply distressing claim and it was widely understood to be about me.

“I received a formal complaint from the Green Party on 20th October from Cllr Martin Phipps alleging that I had made transphobic tweets. On 25th October I was told by the party that GPRC had imposed a No-Fault Suspension on me but eight months passed before I was given a reason why. The reasons were just as spurious as the complaint. “

The facts are that none of my tweets are transphobic and I have never discriminated against a transgender person. I have been expressing concern about the impact of gender identity ideology since 2017, starting with a critique of Self-ID and the potential unintended consequences this practice could have (illustrated by the incident of double rapist, self-identifying woman Isla Bryson being sent to a women’s prison in Scotland). 

Multiple failures in the disciplinary and governance process, mostly the result of the flagrant practices of GPRC, led to the continuation of my NFS through to the time that the next GE was called on 22nd May 2024. Because of my NFS status, I could not be removed, according to the constitution, by any means other than a deselection process. This did not take place. However, GPRC saw fit to tell the Sheffield Green Party to go ahead and select a new candidate for Sheffield Central.

I learned about the process of selecting a new candidate from a member emailing me to ask if I minded them standing! No one had the courtesy to formally tell me this decision had been made. I was devastated. I picketed the meeting with friends and supporters but the hustings went ahead and Angela Argenzio, one of the councillors who smeared my reputation, was selected by fewer than 50 votes. 

After working very hard for the party over the past ten years it was extremely difficult to come to terms with how disrespectfully I was being treated. I made the painful decision to resign for the sake of my dignity and with the encouragement of many people I submitted my nomination papers to stand as an Independent candidate on 7th June 2024. 

Miscarriages of justice have continued in my name with 15 members of the Green Party being accused of campaigning for me who have now been expelled unconstitutionally by GPRC. 

The body intended to protect the reputation of the Green Party, GPRC, continues to be responsible for bringing the party into disrepute by its own malicious actions. 

I have suffered vexatious complaints  from six named complainants and some anonymous, since 2021. The disciplinary system has created an opportunity for members with strong opinions on gender identity ideology to harass and bully members who understand the vital importance of women’s sex-based rights and also child safeguarding and the way that proposed Self-ID can negatively impact women and children. 

All I have ever asked is for the party to host discussions which recognise the potential conflicts of rights and responsibilities of oppressed groups and for conversations about how to reconcile issues for the benefit of everyone affected. Unfortunately, the party continues to ride roughshod over those of us who believe that sex is immutable and important. 

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