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Zack Polanski

(153 Posts)
Cossy Mon 16-Mar-26 19:27:59

So, I really don’t know much about this Green Party Leader, and intend to try and find some unbiased intel around him.

However, I have read some Grannetters absolutely slating him, so I’m going to ask all of you for some further info about him, what you like and don’t like about him and your general views on The Green Party, happy to read the negatives but has anyone got anything positive to say about them?

I’ve not read too much about how they plan to pay for their key policies, other than taxing millionaires and billionaires very highly.

I’ve read about fair and sustainable housing, making work pay, access to high quality education, a great NHS system and support for the Human Rights Act.

Other than the “how” of achieving all this, these don’t seem terrible policies.

Much further down in their priorities are things around decriminalising certain drugs, and legalising cannabis.

If you want a sensible debate around this then there are pros and cons of doing this and our biggest problem issue around drugs currently are 1) duff mixed stuff sold by gangs and 2) misuse of perfectly legal drugs such as Alcohol and prescription pain killers such as Tramadol.

Of course, a huge part of their manifesto is sustainability and environmental, some great stuff here, as well as some I don’t feel are ever going to be achievable, such as net zero, I much prefer to discuss mitigation and ways of making energy, air travel etc cleaner.

I know many of you despise him due to his stance on trans women, and I agree it’s important for women to have safe places, just as it’s important to protect the rights of all groups of people, including, but not limited to gay men and the disabled.

What is it that you feel is so terribly wrong with The Green Party? It’s not my party of choice, but I feel many under 35’s might lean towards Greens rather than Restore and Reform.

Rosie51 Tue 17-Mar-26 09:43:55

MayBee70

To be fair to him I think it’s something the press have dug up from his days in drama and it’s been sensationalised.

Well he has been proved to be a liar over this. He's given interviews saying he apologised in a BBC interview the day after the story broke, but there's no record of that. There is a recording of a BBC Humberside interview several days after the story broke where he is still saying that a woman's breasts grew. And justified himself by saying he doesn't charge for the service.
His blatant misogyny and total disregard for the need of any safeguards for women means I hope he never has any influence in our government. Open borders, self ID, withdrawal from NATO, and his attitude to drugs (regulation would bring in taxes to the treasury rather than drug dealers!) just add to my fears. Perhaps he'd eventually get around to the state controlling and regulating sex workers, because then they could be taxed and the revenue go to the treasury. He's amongst those who think sex work is work the absolute equivalent of working in Tesco's, although I haven't heard of trafficked staff in Tesco.

Galaxy Tue 17-Mar-26 09:55:16

Yes I do WW that's why I compared him to Farage.

MaizieD Tue 17-Mar-26 10:39:11

I could hope that Polanski's popular brand of politics turns Labour away from chasing Reform voters and towards becoming more like a progressive Labour party should be to reclaim Green voters...

ViceVersa Tue 17-Mar-26 10:42:49

Galaxy

I view him as a grade a misogynist. I don't think of him as kind and inclusive, i think in terms of women his views are much worse than anything I have heard reform say.
Women belong in the kitchen or vulnerable women who have been raped should be in prisons, refuges with men ( and the worst kind of men) I know, which is worse.
I also confidently predict that within a year those who who supported him will be trying to explain that away in the same way as they did with mandelsson.

I completely agree with you. I think his views are dangerous when it comes to women's rights in particular.

Cossy Tue 17-Mar-26 10:56:02

Biscuitmuncher

Didn't he used to hypnotise women to achieve bigger boob's

Read up on this story, it was a publicity stunt on the part of himself and the reporter who requested it!

It was sold as this, but he now states it was more about “body confidence”, he was a hypnotist and actor prior to entering politics.

I’m completely on the fence, just cannot make up my mind about him.

Whitewavemark2 Tue 17-Mar-26 11:01:31

Galaxy

Yes I do WW that's why I compared him to Farage.

That’s a relief - it is worrying when people who seem informed can’t see the danger in Farage.

Cossy Tue 17-Mar-26 11:01:43

Canada have very effectively legalised Cannabis, on our trip in 2025 we walked past several shops in different Provences
No scruffy looking hippy type addicts outside ant of these clean looking stores and no documented rise in cannabis related crime.

In terms of being a trans supporter, as he is a gay man I understand this, also very few (in my experience) gay men are sexist and don’t care about woman’s safety, quite the opposite in fact.

Iam64 Tue 17-Mar-26 11:13:48

I’m not convinced that being a gay man gives Polanski a greater understanding of the oppression of women.

The problem isn’t with trans people, it’s with the angry, aggressive, misogynistic group of trans women who threatened to rape women to death with their lady dicks. This was after a women’s conference where some women expressed concern about safe women’s spaces and the Girl Guide movement saying teenage boys who identified as girls could share the girls dormitory but the other girls and their parents were not to be told about this because of confidentiality.
Or the transwomen who urinated over statues of the suffragettes recently.

Basgetti Tue 17-Mar-26 11:27:49

I have the strong impression that he’s playing another part (after not succeeding in previous roles).

Cossy Tue 17-Mar-26 11:56:08

Iam64

I’m not convinced that being a gay man gives Polanski a greater understanding of the oppression of women.

The problem isn’t with trans people, it’s with the angry, aggressive, misogynistic group of trans women who threatened to rape women to death with their lady dicks. This was after a women’s conference where some women expressed concern about safe women’s spaces and the Girl Guide movement saying teenage boys who identified as girls could share the girls dormitory but the other girls and their parents were not to be told about this because of confidentiality.
Or the transwomen who urinated over statues of the suffragettes recently.

I agree with you about ANY male not really understanding women’s oppression and I also agree no woman should be made to share her safe place with any biological male if it makes her feel uncomfortable.

What I said was that in my experience, and I know many gay males and two are longstanding close friends, many gay men are NOT sexist and would seek to keep women safe, not the opposite.

I also agree that one cannot change their biological sex.

I didn’t know about the Girl Guide story, and no parent should have info such as this withheld from them.

My daughter was in the Cubs and Scouts and for many years was the only girl, she did attend the camps and as a cub (with my knowledge and consent) she shared sleeping accommodation with the boys. When she moved up to the Scouts she had her own tent, pitched right in the middle of the boys tents.

I genuinely believe (and of course, I could be completely wrong), that the type of “angry trans women threatening to rape and sexually assault women are very very much in the minority or are “pretending” to be trans in order to adult women, in much the same way as some men pretend to be children online. These men are awful sexual predators first and foremost, and all should be protected from them.

Cossy Tue 17-Mar-26 12:13:33

I find these quite interesting, in my journey to try and discover more about Zack as a person;

observer.co.uk/news/profile/article/profile-zack-polanski-green-party-leader

theknowledgebase.net/2026/02/28/who-is-zack-polanski/

www.theukjournal.co.uk/all-about-zack-polanski/

Still not really “liking” him, but this has made me understand him a little more. I’ll have to see more of him, hear him speak, understand his motives and get to grips with the Greens fiscal ideas.

I cannot agree with many of the Greens policies and they appear to be far more left and closer to Corbyn than many current Labour MPs.

We shall see, currently I’m very glad to have the far calmer and more centralised Starmer.

Doodledog Tue 17-Mar-26 12:25:11

Why do people conflate gay and trans issues so often? They are completely different.

Cossy Tue 17-Mar-26 12:27:02

As an aside, my only objection to sex workers is when the women (or men) are “forced” into this area and under age children being coerced into it.

Drugs and sex workers have been around since the beginning of time, personally, I have no issue with both of these being decriminalised and regulated if it makes it safer.

Cossy Tue 17-Mar-26 12:29:59

Doodledog

Why do people conflate gay and trans issues so often? They are completely different.

Yes of course they are, but Zack has been accused of supporting trans people to the detriment of women’s safety, I simply stated that as he’s a gay man I don’t think he’s deliverable out women in danger and I think he’s a misogynist, at no point did I conflate “gay” and “trans”

Cossy Tue 17-Mar-26 12:30:54

Sorry blooming auto correct “deliberately put woman….”

Cossy Tue 17-Mar-26 12:32:07

Grrrr “I don’t think he is a misogynist”

Rosie51 Tue 17-Mar-26 12:40:25

Doodledog

Why do people conflate gay and trans issues so often? They are completely different.

In my opinion Stonewall are hugely responsible for the conflation. Gay rights had largely been won and they were in the process of becoming irrelevant. By attaching the trans issues they had a resurgence. All the posturing about how they'd always been an LGBT++++ organisation was hogwash. The T was only added in 2015, why not before if they really had always been included?
They are completely different issues. LGB is purely about sexual attraction, nobody is 'identifying' as the opposite sex. T+++ is all about the 'identifying'. LGB was not a problem or threat to women, the same cannot be said about trans issues which affect everything from sport to awards to safe single sex spaces.

Oreo Tue 17-Mar-26 12:41:55

Whitewavemark2

Galaxy

Yes I do WW that's why I compared him to Farage.

That’s a relief - it is worrying when people who seem informed can’t see the danger in Farage.

Galaxy has already said on the previous page that she saw similarities to Farage.As do I.
The cult of the personality is usually a bad thing, as in Farage and Polanski and Boris.
All would say anything to do well in politics with themselves in the limelight.They say whatever they think will get them noticed.

Oreo Tue 17-Mar-26 12:44:08

Rosie51 fully agree with what you say about Stonewall.

Oreo Tue 17-Mar-26 12:45:56

Basgetti

I have the strong impression that he’s playing another part (after not succeeding in previous roles).

Yes!

Iam64 Tue 17-Mar-26 13:33:29

Cossy, just want to add that my heterosexual as well as gay men friends oppose the oppression of women

Apple3pie Tue 17-Mar-26 14:23:40

I think Polanski is a great communicator who can convey simple messages to a crowd. He's a needed counterbalance to the far right and the mainstream media supporting them. If we want policies and parties that work for ordinary people instead of a wealthy elite, we need someone like Polanski on the left. He uses the same communication techniques as Farage, but the Green Party's policies behind them are actually solid. Decreasing inequality, climate change, proportional representation are in the interest of everyone, not just Reform donor billionaires.

I am more conservative when it comes to gender issues, but honestly, when the planet is burning and masses of people can't afford a home/food/heating, I won't be fixated on changing room policies. Reform wants to abolish the Equality Act, so they would be much worse for women's rights. There will never be a political party that represents my views 100%.

As for Polanski's appearance, I think it's refreshing to see an ordinary man in cheap clothes, instead of designer suits. We need more people in politics who represent working class and middle class people, not just your usual entitled posh boys from Eton.

Iam64 Tue 17-Mar-26 14:39:56

There aren’t many posh boys from Eton in the Labour group of mp’s

MayBee70 Tue 17-Mar-26 14:53:47

I do want the Greens to have a voice in parliament. And a very loud voice at that. What I don’t want at the next election is for so many Labour votes going to the Greens that it lets Reform sneak through and win the seats. I’m very afraid of that even though thankfully many people are now seeing Farage et al for what they are.

Galaxy Tue 17-Mar-26 16:43:26

I think Polanskis views and policies are the epitome of middle class luxury beliefs, it is very easy noy to not see the damage to extremely vulnerable people from sex work is work, or men in women's prisons or his drug policy. His cheap clothes can't hide his elitist views.