Outgoing Green Party MP Benjamin Doyle has launched a scathing attack on Parliament during their valedictory speech this afternoon.
Doyle, who uses they/them pronouns, announced they would be resigning from Parliament earlier this month following controversy over their social media posts. They had used the term “bussy” – a slang term used by some in the rainbow community.
Speaking in the House this afternoon, Doyle said: “This place is hostile and toxic, especially if you are not a cis straight white man with a blue suit and a briefcase, but most of all it is not fit for purpose.
“As a nation we must reckon with this reality. A political system imposed upon this land and its people from a colonial empire which sought to name, claim, and maim is never going to honour Te Tiriti. It will never recognise the dignity of all life or seek justice for the poor and oppressed.”
They said the decision to leave was a choice to put their child first.
“If our tamariki are the reason for being here, how could they not be our reason for leaving? Nothing is more important and precious than those we love most, for them we must live, and fight, and at times choose to leave.
“This place was not built for people like me, which is precisely the point. It was built on the basis of exclusion and control, on taking, hoarding, and guarding power. The colonisers’ tools will never dismantle the colonisers’ house.
“It’s taken me 10 months to truly comprehend what that means. And while I do not accept that change is impossible from the inside, I have come to learn that it comes with a price, of violence and hate towards my people. This is a price I am no longer willing to pay.”
Doyle outlines decision to leave
The outgoing Greens MP resigned earlier this month. (Source: Other)
Doyle said the decision to leave Parliament became clear during a regular phone call with their whānau about a month ago.
“I asked my kid ‘if you had three wishes what would they be?’ And they answered ‘pāpā, no weapons, no war, and that you come home and live with me again’… In that moment my decision became so easy.”
Doyle also said he had also seen the “unbelievable impact” being in Parliament can have on a person and those they love.
“I have seen that play out in violent, toxic, and real-world ways. No person should have to remove their child from school due to threats to their life, no person should have to avoid going to the supermarket or the letterbox because they have been advised that doing so could expose them to violence.
“No person should have to tell their parents that they can’t attend the next family event to ensure their safety and privacy is not compromised.”
Intense scrutiny
Doyle came under intense scrutiny earlier this year for their social media history after New Zealand First leader Winston Peters drew attention to “language and innuendo” on a private Instagram account operated by them.
Screenshots from the account, with the handle Biblebeltbussy, showed they had used the phrase “bussy galore” to caption a slideshow of at least 10 photos, one of which included their child sitting on their lap.
The word “bussy” is commonly understood to refer to a male anus. The post had been made in October 2023 — a year before Doyle become a member of Parliament.
In April, after spending a week away from Parliament, Doyle said the posts never had a sexual meaning and that they did not believe they had done anything wrong, describing the allegations as “baseless and cruel”.
After their resignation in September, Doyle said he made the decision to resign after a period of intense personal pressure, along with “baseless and violent” accusations. They added their child had asked them to step away from politics.
Former Christchurch city councillor Mike Davidson was next on the Green Party list to replace Doyle. Earlier this month, Davidson told 1News he was unsure if he wanted the role.
