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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Sexism/other issues in the Green party England & Wales - Discussion Thread 2

962 replies

fromorbit · 08/12/2025 14:07

Zack Polanski is making things bigger again.

We need a new thread to discuss all his antics and the ongoing situation in the Green party which is getting more ever more bizarre. While it is getting ever strident in denying biology it also has Mothin Ali as deputy Leader who clearly doesn't believe in trans thinking, but cleverly sidesteps round talking about it.

The fight back from Green Women's Declaration,(https://www.greenwomensdeclaration.uk/ ) continues and the court cases against GPEW from Emma Bateman and Shahrar Ali are developing.

In Bristol the Women of Wessex are causing panic amongst the ruling Green council just by turning up and asking questions. This may result in another court case.
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5455053-bristol-council-is-about-to-be-sued

With local elections in May and elections in Wales incoming lots more to discuss and call out.

First thread - where you can follow the rise of Hypno Boobs:
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5328986-greens-internal-drama-warms-up

Note the Scottish Greens which are a separate party to the Green Party England/Wales have their own thread for all their drama. They split off because GPEW didn't hate biology enough at the time.
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5313420-scottish-greens-being-sexist-again?page=1

Green Women's Declaration | Support Women's Rights Now

Learn about the Green Women’s Declaration advocating for sex-based rights within Green politics, supporting women, and promoting ecofeminism and free speech.

https://www.greenwomensdeclaration.uk

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Lalgarh · 29/04/2026 11:24

The Economist have noticed as well

https://www.economist.com/britain/2026/04/28/the-prickly-side-of-zack-polanski-green-party-leader

Archive version here doesn't seem to be showing any more. Sorry.

https://archive.ph/9YzQ9

SionnachRuadh · 29/04/2026 11:34

The more prickly he is about it, the more he'll get asked about it. The party comms team should tell him this, but I suppose they're only just emerging from a period of only speaking to friendly journos.

Rupert Lowe is going to face the same problem, if his handlers ever let him out of the attic and allow him to talk to less friendly interviewers than David Starkey or Jake Mogg. Sit him in front of Beth Rigby or Andrew Neil or Laura Kuenssberg and they will ask him over and over again about his organisation being full of white nationalists, and I don't think Rupert has the temperament to deal with that smoothly.

You may not like Farage, but he's been in this game a long time and learned some things. He does multiple press conferences a week, where he spends an hour or more taking questions from hostile journos, and yes, sometimes he deflects, but journos like him because he answers their questions most of the time and he understands how the game works and is pretty good humoured about it. If Zack is observing Farage, there are lessons to learn from him but I think Zack is learning the wrong ones.

ArabellaSaurus · 29/04/2026 15:29

SwirlyGates · 28/04/2026 20:32

@fromorbit Green Councils in power doing crazy stuff - like declaring peace in Gaza while failing to collect the bins and booting women out for asking questions.

I just don't get the whole Gaza obsession. Whichever side you're on, there's not much the UK government can do, other than condemn atrocities, and it's completely irrelevant to UK councils and trade unions. I can just see it, Hamas/IDF saying to themselves, "Oh, Brighton council doesn't like what we're doing, let's stop."

Cynics might say that is the point.

Much as many thought empty signalling about 'trans' people was a cost-free way to advertise one's holy and beneficent goodness, they think that handwringing/demonstrating about a country that we're not really involved in gives great opportunities for accusations, denouncements, vicarious righteousness, self flagellation, anger, and so on.

War is hell, and nobody with any sense thinks its a good thing or something to be celebrated.

But the palestine cult has turned into a weekend opportunity to march about and act like a prick while indulging in politics that are at such a great distance there is little risk of them affecting this country.

I suppose it might be called politics of the Burkean sublime - that which inspires big emotions, but at a safe remove - something that many can indulge without real risk.

SionnachRuadh · 29/04/2026 15:38

It's easy to broadcast these signals if there's nothing at stake for you personally. I'm very cynical about Hollywood actors sounding off on politics, but I will always respect Richard Gere for being willing to nuke his career rather than give up his Tibet activism. Outspoken actors are almost never outspoken about China, I notice.

Literally the only time I can remember this kind of posturing having any sort of personal expense for left wing local councillors is back in the 1980s, when Ken Livingstone insisted on the GLC only serving Nicaraguan coffee, and lots of councillors got a bad case of the runs.

ArabellaSaurus · 29/04/2026 15:52

😂

fromorbit · 29/04/2026 21:45

Mothin in trouble.

The deputy leader of the Greens has encouraged legal action against his own party over dismissal of local election candidates accused of antisemitism.

https://archive.is/D0SeO

I think he is going to lose his relection bid when it comes up. Then the Gaza faction will kick off.

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CassOle · 29/04/2026 21:48

Lalgarh · 29/04/2026 11:24

The Economist have noticed as well

https://www.economist.com/britain/2026/04/28/the-prickly-side-of-zack-polanski-green-party-leader

Archive version here doesn't seem to be showing any more. Sorry.

https://archive.ph/9YzQ9

Try this archive. https://archive.ph/SthZc

ArabellaSaurus · 29/04/2026 21:49
Ai Popcorn GIF by ChatbotBuilder

Ooh.

ArabellaSaurus · 29/04/2026 21:51

'Comments have ranged from one candidate suggesting the victims of the October 7 attacks were “not innocent” and another who said it took “real effort” not to be antisemitic.'
...
in leaked recordings, Ali told other Greens for Palestine members that he was “very worried” about the suspensions and how they were being handled by the party.
“Their attitude at the moment is that if 500 members get upset, it’s not a big deal compared to 226,000. It’s that same Labour attitude of ‘you’ve got nowhere else to go’,” Ali said.
...
'He advised members of the group on how to continue campaigning despite being suspended, and told them to leave the Greens for Palestine groupchats — or “the public ones anyway”.
“Please be careful,” he said, adding: “In terms of campaigning, you are not allowed to use any Green Party logo, attend any campaigning events. So if you are going to campaign, then you campaign with maybe just a blank Green-headed leaflet, a leaflet that has a Green banner with just your name.”

BusyAzureTraybake · 29/04/2026 21:58

@fromorbit The deputy leader of the Greens has encouraged legal action against his own party over dismissal of local election candidates accused of antisemitism.

Perhaps they can have a class action with the women expelled for knowing GCSE Biology.

Edit: changed 'suspended' to 'expelled' to reflect the reality of what has happened

BusyAzureTraybake · 29/04/2026 22:01

'Ali also accused the national party of circumventing the traditional disciplinary process and using a “fast track to expulsion” intended only for “extreme cases” to suspend candidates accused of antisemitism in media reports.'

Yep, sounds familiar

1984Now · 29/04/2026 22:45

I'm not getting this. Polanski recently said that charges of anti Semitism against his candidates "don't pass the smell test".
Yet Mothin is complaining of summary rejections and expulsions for anti Semitic slurs.
Both can't be right.

Lalgarh · 29/04/2026 23:14

CassOle · 29/04/2026 21:48

Try this archive. https://archive.ph/SthZc

Thanks @CassOle .

Not sure why it wasn't working.

From that, on Polanski's very very online life:

"....Mr Polanski has liked a post on Bluesky every day since April 1st 2025—nearly 35,000 times in total (see chart). On a typical day, Mr Polanski likes his first Bluesky post at around 8.30am. His favourite times to scroll are between noon and 1pm, and from 6pm to 7pm. His last like of the day tends to happen at around 11.15pm. After that, presumably, it’s bedtime.

The content of the posts Mr Polanski likes varies but there are some recurring themes. Around a third of the posts include his name. They tend to be adoring. “I’m impressed with everything I’ve seen so far from Zack,” says one. “God how I love this man,” says another. Many of the posts liked by Mr Polanski celebrate the Green Party, or denounce Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour government. Many more condemn the government of Israel for what Mr Polanski describes as a genocide in Gaza. So far, so expected for a leader of the Green Party.

Yet Mr Polanski’s likes reveal another side to his personality. He appears thin-skinned and hostile towards journalists. On December 9th, for example, Marina Hyde, a centre-left columnist for the Guardian, wrote a mildly critical article about him. After its publication, he liked at least 20 posts criticising her by name. Some took on the arguments in her article; most attacked her character. “Marina Hyde is a total twat,” began one of the posts Mr Polanski liked.

Dozens of the posts liked by Mr Polanski criticise journalists, or the press as a whole. In October the Green leader liked a post which described the Guardian’s chief sports writer as “a smug, sanctimonious cunt”. In November he liked a post which described Sophy Ridge, a Sky News journalist, as a “sneering dickhead” (for asking Mr Polanski about his party’s policies)...."

MrsOvertonsWindow · Yesterday 07:06

Lalgarh · 29/04/2026 23:14

Thanks @CassOle .

Not sure why it wasn't working.

From that, on Polanski's very very online life:

"....Mr Polanski has liked a post on Bluesky every day since April 1st 2025—nearly 35,000 times in total (see chart). On a typical day, Mr Polanski likes his first Bluesky post at around 8.30am. His favourite times to scroll are between noon and 1pm, and from 6pm to 7pm. His last like of the day tends to happen at around 11.15pm. After that, presumably, it’s bedtime.

The content of the posts Mr Polanski likes varies but there are some recurring themes. Around a third of the posts include his name. They tend to be adoring. “I’m impressed with everything I’ve seen so far from Zack,” says one. “God how I love this man,” says another. Many of the posts liked by Mr Polanski celebrate the Green Party, or denounce Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour government. Many more condemn the government of Israel for what Mr Polanski describes as a genocide in Gaza. So far, so expected for a leader of the Green Party.

Yet Mr Polanski’s likes reveal another side to his personality. He appears thin-skinned and hostile towards journalists. On December 9th, for example, Marina Hyde, a centre-left columnist for the Guardian, wrote a mildly critical article about him. After its publication, he liked at least 20 posts criticising her by name. Some took on the arguments in her article; most attacked her character. “Marina Hyde is a total twat,” began one of the posts Mr Polanski liked.

Dozens of the posts liked by Mr Polanski criticise journalists, or the press as a whole. In October the Green leader liked a post which described the Guardian’s chief sports writer as “a smug, sanctimonious cunt”. In November he liked a post which described Sophy Ridge, a Sky News journalist, as a “sneering dickhead” (for asking Mr Polanski about his party’s policies)...."

That's very funny 😀
Presumably like transactivists, as he has no credible intellectual underpinning for his claims, he has nothing to use in putting his case. So he can only engage in personal attacks and attempting to silence criticism. #nodebate and all that.

Not a good look for a party leader is it?

Pingponghavoc · Yesterday 08:49

I get the impression Polanski intended to be the leader of a marginal anti establishment party, and has accidentally found himself the leader of one that may be anything but, through no fault of his own.

Lalgarh · Yesterday 09:20

MrsOvertonsWindow · Yesterday 07:06

That's very funny 😀
Presumably like transactivists, as he has no credible intellectual underpinning for his claims, he has nothing to use in putting his case. So he can only engage in personal attacks and attempting to silence criticism. #nodebate and all that.

Not a good look for a party leader is it?

I had look at his Twitter (via nitter) feed last night. He was retweeting lots of takedowns of the Economist article with attendant "see! The eStAbl1sHm3nT r w0rr13d!" Replies, coupled with beefing with the news agents podcast about them missing out a bit on his "perception of unsafety" comment after the stabbings in golders green yesterday, which then culminated in a set to with Zac Goldsmith. Zack on Zac warfare

SionnachRuadh · Yesterday 09:50

This goes a bit broader than GPEW: Permanent Revolution, Permanent Adolescence

But I liked this bit:

In Zach Polanski and the Greens, the Aaron Bastanis and Owen Joneses of this world seem to have found a new champion after the aged Corbyn has been all but put out to pasture on his allotment. Not only is Polanski around the same age of this group, but he also has a knack of courting them with exactly the stuff they want to hear. At the forefront of his economic ideas is rent controls, which makes me wince to think of balding Nike Janoski wearers greedily nodding along from their two bed flats. The rest is Garyseconomics played out on a political stage, rubbing these people in just the right way. All of Polanski’s policies are perfectly curated to rouse the dormant politics of old Corbynistas.

The issue with Polanski, of course, is that he is a shyster to anyone with eyes to see it. His ‘career’ as a hypnotherapist should set off alarm bells as a certified charlatan before any mention of cleavages enters discussion. As a Lib Dem, he implored the people of Barnet to vote for him saying it would be a “vote for Israel and Judaism.” This isn’t to suggest that the man leading the pro-Palestine left is a secret zionist, but of someone taking the stereotype of politicians saying anything for votes to the extremes of con artistry. He was almost certainly attracted to both the Liberal Democrats and the latterly the Greens out of their uncontroversial status that would allow him to engage the public in this way. It makes the endearing hope many PoliticsJOE viewers have in Polanski verge on the pathetic.

Permanent Revolution, Permanent Adolescence

Or why Aaron Bastani will die unhappy

https://laocailarry.substack.com/p/permanent-revolution-permanent-adolescence

fromorbit · Yesterday 15:07

Lalgarh · Yesterday 14:53

At least one of the candidates Mothin Ali was advising has now been arrested

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/dc39ec152a02f43b

The Green Party denied rumours that leader Zack Polanski was planning to campaign with Ali and Mairey on Thursday.

Greens flirtation with extremism is getting them into all the trouble we expected.

Zack Polanski accuses ‘authoritarian’ Labour of ‘using Jewish pain’ to consider ban on marches

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/polanski-mahmood-ban-marches-pro-palestine-jewish-b2967950.html

Polanski accuses ‘authoritarian’ Labour of ‘using Jewish pain’ to ban marches

The issue of Israel and Gaza have become a major dividing line between the Greens and Labour ahead of the local elections next week

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/polanski-mahmood-ban-marches-pro-palestine-jewish-b2967950.html

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1984Now · Yesterday 16:15

Lalgarh · Yesterday 09:20

I had look at his Twitter (via nitter) feed last night. He was retweeting lots of takedowns of the Economist article with attendant "see! The eStAbl1sHm3nT r w0rr13d!" Replies, coupled with beefing with the news agents podcast about them missing out a bit on his "perception of unsafety" comment after the stabbings in golders green yesterday, which then culminated in a set to with Zac Goldsmith. Zack on Zac warfare

It's fascinating, I always thought it would be Farage who would run The Media Is Against Us narratives, but it's Polanski.
Farage is looking the sensible man in the room compared to the increasingly unhinged and egocentric Polanski.
The Greens mainly went with him because of his purported communication skills and media-savvy outlook, looks like they've made a very bad choice indeed.
He thinks he can run the cut and thrust of adult politics in the real world like someone running for NUS President.

SionnachRuadh · Yesterday 16:26

The Greens mainly went with him because of his purported communication skills and media-savvy outlook

<David Icke has entered the chat>

Chersfrozenface · Yesterday 16:53

SionnachRuadh · Yesterday 16:26

The Greens mainly went with him because of his purported communication skills and media-savvy outlook

<David Icke has entered the chat>

😂 I just spluttered biscuit all over the sofa.

fromorbit · Yesterday 18:42

Agreed Polanski makes Farage looks good. Polanski might claim to be stopping Reform but nope. More Left wing extremism is NOT a problem for Farage.

Meanwhile things are getting worse for the Greens.

Politics UK

🚨 NEW: Met Police Commissioner Mark Rowley says Zack Polanski’s "misinformed commentary" is "contributing to rising tensions"
https://x.com/PolitlcsUK/status/2049894242315575767

Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) on X

🚨 NEW: Met Police Commissioner Mark Rowley says Zack Polanski’s "misinformed commentary" is "contributing to rising tensions" It comes after he reposted criticism of the Met officers who detained the Golders Green terror suspect

https://x.com/PolitlcsUK/status/2049894242315575767

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Lalgarh · Yesterday 18:50

Farage went there today and from the sound bite I heard on the news his proposal was to:

Ban the IRGC (the UK govt won't do this as they are a state organisation)

Ban the Muslim Brotherhood

Didn't seem to mention increased security. There was no equivalent soundbite from Polanski (now the go to for leftish opposition) as they said he wouldn't interview with the BBC. So they got one from Ed Davey

1984Now · Yesterday 20:42

Chersfrozenface · Yesterday 16:53

😂 I just spluttered biscuit all over the sofa.

At least that's not the cake so beloved of Mumsnetters.