Two hours into the new leader’s reign and the BBC wasn’t quite sure who he was. “Jack Polanski elected Green Party leader” announced the banner on the bottom of the News channel (could have been worse, could have said Roman Polanski), while the presenter of the lunchtime news described Zack as an “ego-populist – I mean, eco-populist”.
The former is a tautology. Populists are not noted for their modesty. The latter is perhaps a contradiction. There had been talk of a “Polanski surge” since he launched his leadership bid in May, with party membership up by 8 per cent, but they seemingly weren’t joining up to vote. Polanski may have romped home far ahead of the joint ticket of two of the party’s four MPs, which says little for the job they have done in Parliament, but the turnout was under 38 per cent.
This was, to be fair, a more enthusiastic participation in the selection of their leader than Greens normally show – only 15 per cent of them could be bothered to vote when Sian Berry and Jonathan Bartley, those Pointless answers, won the co-leadership in 2020 – but compare that with the 63 per cent of Labour members who took part in the elevation of Sir Keir Starmer the same year (a slump from the “Oh, Jeremy Corbyn” elections) or the 87 per cent Tory turnout in 2019. It’s almost like it doesn’t matter.
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The tribe’s underwhelming participation did not stop Polanski from speaking bullishly, or whatever the vegan option is (quornily?), about enthusing the wider public. “I promise you, nothing will make you feel more inspired than joining the Green Party,” he said, though perhaps he meant to say “insipid”. He added that he will offer a home to the hopeless. That’s those who are bereft of hope, I assume, not the Cabinet.
There is something of the modern BBC executive about Polanski’s appearance, though his dentistry is old-fashioned gappy English. With his wide open collar, close-cropped hair, designer stubble and fixed smile, he has the look of someone with one of those job titles like director of cohesion or head of future, who spews out visions about “the lake of content” and “the bubble of opportunity”.
Slap with wet celery
Perhaps if he had stayed in the Lib Dems, that would have been his verbiage. Polanski is at least savvy enough to know that banality won’t get him much airtime as a Green, so he reached for more punchy soundbites. He said he “detests” Nigel Farage, who once voted Green when Polanski had just started at primary school because they were then even more anti-Brussels than Thatcher, and branded the Reform UK leader a “charlatan”. That slap with the wet celery will not give Farage, a true ego-populist, sleepless nights, even if he and Polanski command the same number of MPs.
Harsher judgment came for Starmer, whom he called “despicable” for not being Left-wing enough. He ruled out working with the Prime Minister in the event of a hung parliament unless he were to have a “brain transfusion”. While Farage might be a “fascist”, he went on, what is far worse is being a Labour prime minister who doesn’t make the rich pips squeak.
Peeling votes away from Starmer will be his main focus as leader. “We’re not here to be disappointed in you,” Polanski said. “We’re not here to be concerned by you. We are here to replace you.” Happy birthday, Prime Minister. Though since he then put the ceiling of his ambitions at 40 MPs and said he can’t work with anyone in politics but Corbyn (everyone else wants to stay in Nato), it’s hard to see how anyone but Farage gains.