Could Zack Polanski be any more of an obnoxious twat?

Zack Polanski is Jewish, he defines himself as culturally Jewish.

To diminish/discredit/minimise someone’s Jewishness is the very essence of anti semitism.

The Greens have become the home of the rump of the Corbynite Labour Party. The sorts of people expelled by Starmer for being antisemitic.

And Polanski is a self satisfied wazzock, I can’t stand him.

Sorry what’s the outrageous part of that? I expect as a Jewish person he has a better understanding of antisemitism than the majority of people getting het up about something or other on here.

Just seen him saying this:

'I am concerned about the rise in antisemitism and we know Jewish communities are saying they feel unsafe. There is a conversation to be had over whether it's a perception that they feel unsafe or whether they are actually unsafe.'

WTAF? Can you imagine if a politician said that to Muslims after a series of absolutely awful targeted attacks where people have died?

Well that doesn’t work with just “any politician”.

I don’t think any politician could say that about Muslims but equally I don’t think any politician could say what Polanski did.

He’s Jewish which is actually important as to whether he gets any pushback on this. People get away with saying stuff about their “own community” that outsiders don’t.

And your Reform comment doesn’t work for that reason. You cannot simply brush Polanski’s ethnicity. I think a Muslim politician could easily absolutely say this about Muslims and not get as much backlash as a non-muslim saying the same thing.

He may be an obnoxious twat, but he is one of the best tit whispers this country has ever produced and he’s due acknowledgment for that.

Yes exactly. Thats the ironic thing about people saying I am antisemitic for saying that.

The only people who would look at our family and consider us Jewish are literally the anti semites.

And it’s not antisemitism because I am applying the rules for identity I apply across the board in all other scenarios.

So to spell it out for the last time.

1. Religion

If you practice or grew up in a household of religion then I think it’s legitimate to call yourself x.

Neither apply here

2. Nationality

If you are third generation then it’s pretty racist to say someone with call someone who for example has Kenyan grandparents who was born and raised in Britain - Kenyan. I would see them as British.

3. Ethnicity

My mother is Scottish. My father half English, half Welsh but born and raised in England so his weighting comes down on English imo.

Whikst technically my ethnicity weighting is more Scottish than anything else (half). I was born and raised in England. And so if I decided to run for office and declare myself the first Scottish leader that would be pretty odd imo.

So look, I don’t know him. But my reading of this situation is that at best he’s a rather odd individual and at worst it’s appropriation. I don’t know but that’s my view of the situation. And if I turned up in Scotland and started declaring my views on independence as a Scot then I wouldn’t be surprised if a few people had something to say about that.

Yes, I can imagine it because Muslims are consistently given the message to suck it up.

The government won't even acknowledge Islamophobia, that's how bad the situation is.

As David Baddiel (another atheist Jew) has said, the nazis also sent non-practising Jews to the gas chambers. Being Jewish is a religion and an ethnicity. Whether or not you agree with him, Zack Polanski is Jewish

Nonsense.

If it’s impossible for him to be antisemitism because he’s proclaimed himself Jewish. Then by the same vein I have the same right as Polanski to claim protection of anti semitism because by yours and Polanski standards my partners also Jewish. And my children half Jewish.

To non religious people he is of Jewish heritage. He’s only Jewish because you are Jewish by birthright on the maternal line. But if you don’t practice Judaism as a religion then why are following this principle.

Thats what I am saying. It’s different imo. My partner has the same story. His grandparents came over in the war. His mother did not practice and he grew up in a non Jewish house. He does not practice. Neither does Polanski apparently. So whilst technically he is ‘Jewish’, my partner does not identify as Jewish - because that’s quite a stretch or in his words ‘nonsense’. And it’s not his place to make statement or judge levels of antisemitism because that is not something he has ever experienced in the U.K. due to not being actively Jewish.

Yes, I can imagine it because Muslims are consistently given the message to suck it up.

The government won't even acknowledge Islamophobia, that's how bad the situation is.

Sadly, it’s not just the young people falling for the slogans.
I know people in their forties/ fifties who regard the Green party and Zack Polanski as some sort of beacon of hope.
People who would otherwise describe themselves as woke and anti racist, yet they seem to have a blind spot when it comes to antisemitism.

No, I mean any politician. But since he's anti-zionist, let's use a Reform politican as a comparison. Can you imagine a Reform politician suggesting to Muslims that it's basically their imagination that they feel unsafe, after a series of stabbings, firebombings and other targeted attacks aimed very specifically at mosques and at innocent Muslims, just going about their business?

Lots of young people are disenchanted with Labour and Conservative parties because that's all they know and the country is in a mess. They want change.

And have not researched how the Greens propose to do anything practicable about housing and jobs and the cost of living. They hear the slogans about "hope" and naively think that's enough. They probably think that someone will work out how to make it all better once the Greens get into power.

Exactly this. Hence Polanski can spout the most ludicrous economic policies imaginable, that would bring chaos and disaster to the country if he ever got the chance to enact them.

The trouble is, an awful lot of voters won't necessarily have the economic/financial literacy skills to spot that the policies are dangerous pie in the sky.

Lots of young people are disenchanted with Labour and Conservative parties because that's all they know and the country is in a mess. They want change.

Twas ever thus. I remember in 2010 when Nick Clegg was able to capitalise on this and promote the Lib Dems as the exciting shiny alternative to the Tories and Labour.

Because when you’ve never been in power, and have no realistic chance of forming a government, you can say exactly what people want to hear. As it’s not like you’re going to have to implement it.

(Until an unexpected coalition and pledges on tuition fees come back to haunt you!)

Lots of young people are disenchanted with Labour and Conservative parties because that's all they know and the country is in a mess. They want change.

Twas ever thus. I remember in 2010 when Nick Clegg was able to capitalise on this and promote the Lib Dems as the exciting shiny alternative to the Tories and Labour.

Because when you’ve never been in power, and have no realistic chance of forming a government, you can say exactly what people want to hear. As it’s not like you’re going to have to implement it.

(Until an unexpected coalition and pledges on tuition fees come back to haunt you!)

Assuming you're talking to me, yes I believe he does think that.

What can I say? He's politically naïve not old and jaded like me.

Lots of young people are disenchanted with Labour and Conservative parties because that's all they know and the country is in a mess. They want change.