Left Foot Forward interviewed the Green Party leader at the party’s conference in Bournemouth
Zack Polanski has said that the Green Party is ‘fired up’, ‘unified’ and ready to ‘seize the moment’ against the ‘creep of fascism’. He made the comments in an interview with Left Foot Forward at the Green Party’s autumn conference in Bournemouth.
Polanski said: “I think even the unfriendliest journalist who came to this conference would recognise that the membership are fired up, ultimately re-unified – I think that’s really striking too. I’m not saying everyone agrees on every single thing – that would make a very boring democratic conversation.
“But I think there’s just a sense of shared purpose – that the Labour government has totally failed, we’ve got the creep of fascism, and actually we can’t fumble the ball in this moment. What we absolutely need to do is seize this moment, keep growing our membership. And the fact we’ve just overtaken the Lib Dems is incredible, and there can’t be a moment of complacency because membership doesn’t necessarily equal seats, and we’re here to win seats. So let’s make sure we funnel that energy to electoral success.”
What would that electoral success look like in the near future? Next May, voters in England will go to the polls to elect new local councillors and mayors, and voters in Wales will be electing member of the Senedd. The Greens are optimistic at winning big in the council elections, and there is talk of the party winning its first ever mayoral election – with their sights particularly set on Hackney, where Zoë Garbett is their candidate. Polanski told Left Foot Forward that “Hackney is winnable” for the Greens. He also said that the Greens are on track to win its first seats in the Senedd, suggesting that the party could win two seats next May.
Despite Polanski highlighting the unity within the party, there has been some significant disagreement at and in advance of the conference. One issue that has triggered this has been the question of whether Standing Together should have been allowed a stall and a fringe meeting at the event. Standing Together describes itself as “A progressive grassroots movement organizing Jewish and Palestinian citizens of Israel against the occupation and for peace, equality, and social justice”, and has ‘Friends Of’ branches across the world – including in the UK – which support its work.
Ultimately, neither a fringe nor a stall was hosted at the conference, but the prospect of them having a presence has generated significant debate. One side has argued that Standing Together is a crucial component of the internal opposition to Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and its actions in Gaza, the other that they are an outfit which seeks to normalise Israel, and that because the BDS movement has called for them to be boycotted, the Green Party should respect these calls.
Polanski is well aware of these discussions. He started by telling Left Foot Forward: “I don’t see this as division. […] I think that the important unity is that people stand against Israel’s genocide. And the party is clearly very unified in that, and also that we stop selling arms to Israel. I think where the difference is is what are the mechanisms to be able to do that and where are the lines in how you go there?”
He answered that question by: “I think there is important complexity and nuance in Standing Together in Palestine doing really really important work between Israeli peace activists and Palestinian peace activists which I think as a party and as a movement more generally we should absolutely be amplifying that interfaith solidarity work, intercountry solidarity work, interstate solidarity work.
“I am also sympathetic to the argument that we passed boycott, divestment and sanctions [at conference] last year, and they’re on the boycott, divestment and sanctions list. So I think it’s completely coherent, even with the moral discussion aside, the conference discussion aside to say if we pass a motion, we’re going to follow through with the consequences of the motion.”
Pressed on whether Standing Together shouldn’t have a presence at Green Party events, Polanski told Left Foot Forward: “Well, we made the decision to pass the boycott, divestment and sanctions motion. I think there’s a conversation to be had with people with lived experience of this about if it’s right to be on that boycott list or not. And I think that should be led by Palestinian voices and by Jewish voices who have been involved with that organisation in a respectful way, where those people are brought together. I think where it stands now though is that they are on that list, and I think where it stands now though is that they are on that list and if you’re going to adopt the list then it makes absolutely coherent to stay we’re going to stick with what we voted for.”
Chris Jarvis is head of strategy and development at Left Foot Forward
Left Foot Forward doesn’t have the backing of big business or billionaires. We rely on the kind and generous support of ordinary people like you.
You can support hard-hitting journalism that holds the right to account, provides a forum for debate among progressives, and covers the stories the rest of the media ignore. Donate today.
