The Green Party has been through the ups and downs of local democracy in so many ways across the country that telling it what to do seems wrong. Even non-voters have respect for its tenacity in remaining at the centre of the discussion of issues it cares most about. This is to the credit of its most ardent organisers, who often went without pay for their work.
In Parliament, they retain a profile that’s respected. This is commonly shared amongst those who are frequent visitors and those less able to make it there but have the odd occasion on which to make their views known. It’s the environmental concern mixed with localism that draws people to listen, even if their strategy to win at major elections has fallen short.
In a short period of time, Zack Polanski has managed to engineer a turnaround of its fortunes that might push it further into the deep. The new leader of the Greens, as he’s still called, is the bringer of a massive increase in membership (albeit 25% of it is rumoured to be fake) and a new MP in the form of Hannah Spencer MP (Gorton and Denton/Green Party).
The party is now looking at broadening its policy making process to make it possible for members to decide together rather than be influenced by fringe advances on the Left. In recent months Polanski has concerned observers by making some strange suggestions that don’t appeal to the wider public.
The change would settle the matter and give Polanski a chance at mainstream success. He’s not an MP as yet, so he needs to get going and win his own seat. Afterwards, he might have more to say and do in the Halls of Power. His energy is said to be inexhaustible and his pursuit of a point never ends. If this is his reputation, seeing it on display nationally would help.