Polanski's Provocative Politics and the 'Zionism is Racism' Motion Cost the Greens a Winnable Byelection and Weakened the Party
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/profile/johnharris. "A promising future now looks perilous for election loser Zack Polanski. He sowed, now he reaps | John Harris | The Guardian." October 9, 2026. www.theguardian.com
The Gist
The author argues that the Greens had a real shot at winning this byelection but lost because their leader, Zack Polanski, backed a divisive 'Zionism is racism' motion and then dodged the vote, while fostering a more provocative, gesture-driven style of politics. He says the party's apparent vote gains are overstated, and that it should return to its climate-focused, empathetic approach.
Conclusion
Zack Polanski's leadership choices, especially his endorsement of and absence from the 'Zionism is racism' motion and his encouragement of a politics of provocation and gesture, cost the Greens a winnable Holborn and St Pancras byelection and left the party weakened, so it needs to reflect and reinvent itself.
Premises
- The Greens had a real chance of winning Holborn and St Pancras, given their gains under Polanski and Labour's national weakness.
- The Greens' claim to have tripled their vote share is misleading: the combined left vote (Greens plus Feinstein) was 29.3% two years ago, so the true increase in the anti-Labour left vote is only 3.5 points.
- Polanski endorsed the 'Zionism is racism' motion before the party conference, then was absent from the debate and vote, which makes him look both morally questionable and weak.
- Voters such as Tom, a former Green activist, switched to Labour because the motion suggested a party willing to inflame division, and Jewish residents reported fear of hostility over Israel.
- The Greens' successes in places like Frome, North Herefordshire, Waveney Valley and Bristol rest on empathetic social democracy and climate urgency, which Polanski's politics of provocation and the influx of ex-Corbynite ultra-leftists with gesture politics undermines.
- Lucas and Read's 'Climate Popularism' sets out a better path of depolarisation, climate adaptation, green jobs and citizens' assemblies, which is the opposite of Polanski's approach.
Assumptions
- The byelection result reflects the effect of the Zionism motion and Polanski's leadership more than local or national factors.
- Anecdotal voter conversations in the constituency are representative of the wider electorate.
- Feinstein's 2024 vote and the 2026 Green vote are directly comparable as a measure of the 'left' vote, and that vote is fungible.
- A depolarising, climate-focused strategy would perform better electorally than a provocative one.
- The 'Zionism is racism' motion is widely seen as antisemitic or divisive, and that perception drove voters away.
- Polanski is responsible for the party conference's actions and the party's membership changes.