Latest news with #Polanski
New Statesman
a day ago
- Politics
- New Statesman
The Green Party's internal war
Photo byAlthough Zack Polanski's decision to run to be the next leader of the Green Party may have been unexpected, it certainly wasn't a surprise to party insiders. The current deputy leader and Member of the London Assembly unveiled his zeitgeisty, attention-grabbing campaign for 'eco-populism' only a few days after the May local elections – but he has been on manoeuvres for some time. While the Greens made a net gain in May, increasing their number of councillors to 859 in 181 councils, the party did not quite cut through nationally in the way many inside the party had hoped, off the back of their unprecedented performance in the general election last year, when the party won a record four MPs. With Labour moving rightwards to directly fend off the threat of Reform, the Greens have the opportunity to put pressure on the government from the left. Polanski's platform of 'eco-populism' is designed to fill the void – and he has chosen an opportune political moment. Disaffection is beginning to take root among members of the Labour left who are unhappy with Number 10's direction of travel. Keir Starmer's use of the phrase an 'island of strangers', cuts to disability benefit and the winter fuel payment have all contributed to growing irritation among left-wing MPs and party members. The outcome of the Green Party leadership election could therefore prove to be equally as significant for Labour. Speaking at the Compass Conference in central London on 31 June, in which the soft-left of the party looked to be beginning to mobilise – the Labour Mayor of Greater Manchester said his party should be looking increase collaboration with other parties, including the Greens. But things could get more serious than increased collaboration. As one Labour MP, and stalwart of the soft-left told me, several Labour MPs could defect to the Green Party if Polanski is elected in September. Though they did add that in their opinion, the current deputy leader is not the person to lead the Green Party to a more seismic victory ('he's too student-politics' they said). Another insider suggested to me that as many as 15 could move over if Polanski wins. No one has given Polanski a concrete commitment yet – though he has hinted at having had conversations with potential defectors. Polanski's decision to run – though precipitous – wasn't an outright challenge to the current co-leaders, Adrian Ramsay and Carla Denyer. The Green party was already due to hold a leadership election this year, after members voted to postpone last year's scheduled race due to the general election. Ramsay and Denyer are also two of the party's four MPs. Nominations for the race opened today (Monday 2 June) and voting will commence in September. Denyer has announced she will be stepping down from the leadership to spend more time in her Bristol constituency but Ramsay (who is the MP for Waveney Valley) has decided to defend his position, running to be co-leader with Ellie Chowns, the MP for North Herefordshire. Chowns is the only of the party's four MPs not to have taken on the leadership – Sian Berry, who replaced Caroline Lucas as MP for Brighton Pavillion, was co-leader with Jonathan Bartley between 2018-2021. Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe Though Polanski fired the starting gun, his calls for 'eco-populism' don't seem to have initiated a civil war in the Green Party – yet. But the nature of this race certainly exposes the party's ongoing identity crisis; does want to choose Polanski and offer a radical, left-wing, alternative for voters disillusioned with the Labour party? Or will it decide to remain moderate and nice, continuing to sweep up a wider pool of voters, including those who may previously have voted Conservative or Lib Dem? (Chowns and Ramsay, often described as 'establishment' Greens, would take the Greens in this direction). To some senior party members, choosing Polanski – and thereby choosing a more radical style of leadership – could lead to even more success. Stuart Jeffry, the leader of Maidstone Borough Council thinks Polanski's direction is exactly where the Greens should be going – though he told me he is uncomfortable with the phrase 'eco-populism'. 'It's about the media coverage that we get,' he told me when we spoke over the phone, 'I've been a member for 40 years and our media coverage has never been particularly good'. Jeffry thinks that's 'mostly because we say things that don't resonate – or which people frankly don't have time to understand the complexities of'. When I ask whether he means the party needs a leader with more charisma, Jeffry hesitates: 'I'm not going to say that, because Adrian is a good friend of mine. I think I'd use the word energy.' He adds that Polanski, who was grilled by Laura Kuenssberg on the BBC last week, has got 'more on-screen presence than perhaps some of the others'. Polanski, who is a former actor (and a former Lib Dem), has clearly learnt to use this ability to communicate to his advantage. As deputy leader, he is regularly out on the broadcast rounds representing the Greens. Polanski's call for 'eco-populism' has cut through on the cultural left. During his campaign, he has appeared on PoliticsJoe's YouTube Channel and in conversation with Novara Media's Aaron Bastani. He has also been endorsed by The Guardian columnist, Owen Jones, who left the Labour party and backed the Greens during the election campaign last year. Polanski has failed to garner the support of Green party grandees such as former leader Caroline Lucas and house of Lords member, Jenny Jones, who have both endorsed Ramsay and Chowns. Polanski is clearly not seen as the establishment candidate; this is primarily channelled into criticism that, unlike Ramsay and Chowns, he is not an MP. Catherine Braun, who is the deputy leader of Stroud Borough Council, told me that being an MP gives the party leader 'more of a platform' and more exposure. 'They have more opportunities to be invited on Question Time, to be out on stage and to make their points in parliament,' Braun said. She has publicly endorsed Ramsay and Chowns. 'I do think it's time for us to continue to have our co-leaders from the parliamentary party,' she added. (It should be noted that neither Ramsay nor Denyer were MPs when they were elected co-leaders, nor was Sian Berry). To some members, however, Polanski's lack of a seat in parliament isn't an issue. Anthony Slaughter, the leader in the Green Party in Wales told me: 'Zack is what we need to make the next step,'. He added: 'People seem to have forgotten Zack is a member of the London Assembly and has been for several years.' When I suggest to Slaughter that having an official leader and a leader of the parliamentary party may cause trouble if the pair disagree, he explained: 'it's one of the challenges of success. We're not a whipped party, so as we have more success and get more people elected, there is more scope for disagreement.' Rumours over a split in the party leadership over trans rights triggering Denyer's decision to step down have already been swirling (this followed Ramsay's failure to say whether he still believed 'trans women are women'). Could this split worsen if Polanski – who has said he will 'rebuild consensus on trans rights'– takes the leadership, with Ramsay potentially taking control of the parliamentary party? The next leader of the Green Party will be announced on 2 September. If the choice is Zack Polanski, the Green Party will do more than steal votes from Labour – it could take its MPs too. [See more: The British left is coming for the government] Related
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Manson 'family' follower Patricia Krenwinkel recommenced for parole
By Steve Gorman LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -A California prisons panel on Friday recommended that Patricia Krenwinkel, serving a life sentence for her role in murdering seven people in a 1969 Los Angeles killing spree by followers of cult leader Charles Manson, be released on parole. The state Board of Parole Hearings found that Krenwinkel, 77, the longest-serving female inmate in California prisons, posed little risk of reoffending based on her age and a spotless behavior record while incarcerated, according to the CBS News affiliate in San Diego, KFMP-TV. The state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation confirmed the finding of parole suitability, which came on Krenwinkel's 16th parole hearing, but gave no further details. The decision amounts to a proposal subject to review by the full state Board of Parole Hearings and the California governor for up to 150 days before it can become final. Even if the full board affirms the finding of parole suitability, the governor could reject it or send it back for further review. A May 2022 parole board panel recommendation to free Krenwinkel was reversed by Governor Gavin Newsom in August of that year. Krenwinkel, incarcerated at the California Institution for Women, appeared with her lawyer during Friday's four-hour hearing but did not address the commissioners, KFMP reported. Several victims' family members spoke in opposition to her release. Krenwinkel was convicted on seven counts of first-degree murder in 1971 for participating in a bloody two-night rampage whose victims included actress Sharon Tate, the 26-year-old wife of filmmaker Roman Polanski. Tate, then eight months pregnant, was slain with four friends, among them coffee heiress Abigail Folger and hairstylist Jay Sebring, at the rented hillside house the actress and Polanski shared in the Benedict Canyon area of Los Angeles. Polanski was in Europe at the time. The following night grocery owner Leno LaBianca and his wife Rosemary were stabbed to death in their home, where the words "Death to Pigs" and "Healter Skelter," a misspelled reference to the Beatles song "Helter Skelter," were found scrawled in the victims' blood at the crime scene. Although Manson did not personally kill any of the seven victims, he was found guilty of ordering their murders as part of a delusional plot to ignite a race war. He, Krenwinkel and other members of his so-called "family" of hippies, runaways and misfits, including Leslie Van Houten, Susan Atkins and "Tex" Watson, were originally sentenced to death. Their sentences were commuted to life in prison after the California Supreme Court abolished capital punishment in the state in 1972. Manson died in prison at age 83 in 2017. Van Houten was released from prison on parole in 2023 after spending 53 years behind bars. Newsom had rejected her parole recommendation but was overruled by a California appeals court. The governor could have petitioned the state Supreme Court to review the case but opted not to, deciding that further efforts to keep Van Houten locked up were unlikely to succeed. (Reporting Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by William Mallard)
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Jeremy Corbyn can save Britain from Starmer
While Keir Starmer's Government is deeply unpopular, a source of consolation has been that things are even worse for the Opposition. Polling by YouGov earlier this week had the Tories in fourth place, the first time that has happened since the final, shambling days of the May government in 2019. One projection from that data gave the Conservatives just 22 Westminster seats. But the hole in which the West's most enduringly successful party finds itself can't be detached from wider, systemic issues. In that same poll, Labour recorded just 22 percent of the popular vote. At the next general election, the share for the big two looks likely to hit a post-war low. Yet while ongoing Conservative failure can be attributed to the rise of Reform, no similar rationalisation exists for Labour. True, the Greens have continued their slow and steady rise, but that doesn't account for the governing party falling to what would be their lowest vote share since 1918. Fundamentally, the electorate is disenchanted with the political process, and the old loyalties aren't just eroding, but close to being vanquished. Reform getting over the line in Runcorn, despite Labour's extraordinary advantage with data and postal votes, is a testament to that. The Cheshire constituency was Labour's 16th safest. All of which suggests that, rather than this being the nadir for Keir Starmer, things could deteriorate further. The Green Party is presently in the foothills of a leadership contest, with the populist Zack Polanski facing off against the Countryfile-coded Adrian Ramsay and Ellie Chowns (both represent rural, formerly Conservative constituencies). Each side has a pitch which is coherent, but it is Polanski's offer which should most concern Labour HQ. His view is that, as the Government moves to the Right, in order to retain a growing cohort of Reform-curious voters, the Greens can pick off seats in more liberal, metropolitan areas. This isn't entirely speculative. The Greens came second in forty constituencies last July, all but one of which now have Labour MPs. These are all in major urban areas – from Sheffield Central and Liverpool Riverside, to Bristol West and Manchester Gorton. Yet it is in London where the prize glitters brightest, with the Greens finishing second behind Labour in over two dozen seats. In theory, they could squeeze those areas much as Reform usurped Labour in places like Doncaster and Durham. Just as the median Reform voter doesn't like Starmer's historic europhilia, or his purported commitment to the liberal zeitgeist on issues like migration, the capital's electors don't support welfare cuts alongside massive increases to defence spending, nor Starmer's increasingly belligerent rhetoric on multiculturalism. While Ramsay and Chowns' bid for co-leadership makes some sense, with both offering a continuity of recent success, Polanski would seem best placed to take advantage of that. Then there's the seemingly perennial issue of a new Left party, referenced by Jeremy Corbyn in a speech he recently gave in Huddersfield. Speaking at a gathering of 'The People's Alliance for Change and Equality', a group of campaigners and independents in the Borough of Kirklees, including Iqbal Mohamed, the independent MP for Dewsbury and Batley, the former Labour leader was clear: 'by next year's local elections – long before that I hope – we're going to have something in place that is very clear and everyone will want to be part of and support.' The fact that Corbyn uttered those words alongside Jamie Driscoll, who came second in last year's North-east mayoral race, and Salma Yaqoob, a stalwart of Stop the War, indicates conversations are relatively advanced. Just weeks earlier, Corbyn spoke at Foyles alongside Andrew Feinstein. The latter stood as an independent in Keir Starmer's constituency of Holborn and St Pancras last July, finishing second. Other figures in the orbit of such a party, or even wider coalition, might include Leanne Mohammed, who almost overwhelmed Wes Streeting in Ilford last July, and Faiza Shaheen, who stood as an independent in Chingford. Any new Left formation could potentially draw on hundreds of figures like this: in contention to win locally, and at least substantial enough to cost Labour seats. If you thought this month's local elections were bad for the Conservatives, don't be surprised if something similar happens to Labour in twelve months. Not only will the Welsh Senedd be up for grabs, with Plaid Cymru and Reform set to make major gains at Cardiff, but authorities across urban England – including every council across Greater London – will be contested too. The circumstances could not be more favourable for parties and campaigners to Starmer's Left. The liberal media has subdued the conversation for months, not least because it's their man in Number 10. But the simple truth is this: all that stands between Labour faring as badly as the Tories in the polls is whether the Left, and the Greens, can build a coordinated electoral alternative. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
The National
16-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
I can see why people want Scottish independence, says Zack Polanski
Zack Polanski, who is seeking to take sole leadership of the party in England and Wales, said Scottish people 'deserve much better' as he blasted the disregard with which the country has been treated within a 'narrow' conversation at Westminster. He added Keir Starmer is not showing much interest in protecting the Union, insisting his 'chief mission' was to protect the super-rich over anything else. Asked about whether he backed Scottish independence, Polanksi told The National: 'Speaking from a personal capacity, I can absolutely understand after decades of neglect why any Scottish person would see the benefits of not being dragged down further in both Tory and Labour austerity whist protecting the wealth of the super-rich. READ MORE: Labour 'more unpopular with UK voters than ever before' – YouGov poll 'Despite the very different arrangements, the consistency of disregard for both Wales and Scotland is very apparent throughout the very narrow political conversation in Westminster. Welsh and Scottish people deserve much better.' Asked whether he felt Keir Starmer was good for the Union, he added: 'If Starmer does consider himself a Unionist in his own terms, then he's got a very strange way of demonstrating that he cares about people outside of his chief mission which seems to be to protect the wealth of the super-rich.' Polanski, who has been deputy leader of the Greens since 2022 and serves as a London Assembly member, launched his leadership challenge earlier this month and is hoping to see off competition from the duo of current co-leader Adrian Ramsay and Green MP Ellie Chowns. If Polanski was to win the contest, he would become the sole leader with two deputy leaders working with him. At the centre of his campaign is a radical new 'eco-populism' which he says involves a 'relentless focus' on inequality and the immediate day-to-day issues people are facing. 'If we talk about the climate crisis without first recognising the mass inequality in our society, then I think our message gets lost so this [eco-populism] is a relentless focus on dealing with the material conditions and people's day-to-day living – making sure they are paid properly, that we can keep bills down, and people feel like there's a hopeful future," he said. (Image: Noah Vickers/LDRS) The Greens in England and Wales have about 60,000 members, while Reform have more than 220,000, a discrepancy Polanski has said indicates a need for a change of direction as the threat of Reform intensifies. He said he is 'concerned' the media have been heavily focused on Reform's surge when research was published last week which showed a quarter of women aged 18 to 24 voted Green last July – roughly double the number of young men that voted for Reform. But Polanski believes Reform are winning the battle of storytelling and mobilising voters and it is this he feels the Greens need to work on, backed up by truths that are absent from Nigel Farage's politics. He said: 'I think if you are on the right-wing of politics, you only ever need to tell a powerful story. It doesn't need to be based in facts. 'On the left and in the Green Party, we need to make sure everything is based in truth, evidence and science. That's what we need more of in politics, but it's not enough on its own. You need to add a powerful narrative and storytelling. 'The right are playing politics on easy mode. They can mimic any story they want and if it galvanises people, off they go. 'In the recent local elections, Reform really mobilised voter turnout and I think that's because they are telling a powerful story. So, our job is to tell a more powerful story and a much more hopeful story that mobilises non-voters, new voters, and people who would've voted Labour but aren't coming out anymore. 'I believe the Green Party is the hopeful and inspiring alternative.' Under the leadership of Carla Denyer – who has said she is not running again – and Ramsay, the Green Party won a record four seats in the UK Parliament last July, but Polanski wants more. READ MORE: John Curtice explains why Scottish Labour should be worried about Reform He has said in the press so far there has been a 'false' idea he is focused on activism and not winning MPs, but he said getting more Green faces into Westminster is crucial. 'There's been a bit of a presentation in the press of the idea I am focusing on the activism rather than winning MPs and that's false,' he said. 'I really believe winning more MPs is the exact way to bring about these changes. If we focus on the things that aren't people's immediate concerns, you don't win and there's nothing more important than winning to change people's lives.'
The National
16-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
Zack Polanski: Why the Jewish community must speak up for Gaza
Polanski, who went to a Jewish school in Manchester and was brought up with 'very Zionist' views, has said there is a 'moral imperative' for Jews to call out the massacre of innocent Palestinians and empower Palestinian voices. The Green Party deputy leader – who is aiming to head up at the party – told the Jewish News earlier this week he was raised to believe Israel 'should be defended at all costs'. But he has since adopted anti-Zionist views, telling The National a 'turning point' came when he spoke to a pair of ex-IDF soldiers who are now speaking out about Israel's actions. 'A real turning point was a couple of years ago I met with some ex-IDF soldiers from a group called Breaking the Silence, who have served in the military and are now speaking out in the way the military is oppressing the Palestinian people,' said Polanski. READ MORE: Patrick Harvie: If profiting from genocide isn't a red line, what is? 'It was such a powerful experience to hear from people who have been on the front line and are now bravely speaking out. 'I realised the moral imperative for those of us who are Jewish and feel comfortable to speak out to use our voices. I think Jewish voices have an important role to play in calling it out and I think all of us need to lift and empower Palestinian voices.' This week it emerged Labour has licensed exports of more military equipment to Israel in the final three months of 2024 than the Tories did for all of 2020 to 2023. Analysis of strategic export control licensing statistics published on Thursday showed that £127.6 million of military equipment was sent to Israel between October and December 2024. (Image: LDRS) Figures from the UK Government and CAAT show that in 2020, £31m worth of military equipment was sent to Israel, £24m was in 2021, £42m in 2022, and £18m in 2023. This totals around £115m. The licences were granted after the Labour Government suspended around 30 of 350 licences to Israel amid concerns the equipment would be used to breach international law. The UK Government has been in the High Court this week defending its decision not to include parts for F-35 fighter jets, which have been used by Israel in Gaza, in the suspended licences. At the hearing, Labour's lawyers argued that the evidence does not support findings that a genocide has taken or is taking place in Gaza – despite the UK Government publicly insisting that any determination of genocide is for the courts and not them. READ MORE: I got detained at the US border. Here's what it was like Israel is credibly accused of committing genocide in Gaza, with the International Court of Justice saying Palestinians' right to be protected from the crime faces "plausible" risk. Polanski said taking action over what is happening in Gaza is the 'most prominent moral litmus test of our time' for politicians. But he added the lack of movement from Labour shows there is a growing gap between 'establishment politics and where the public are'. 'People are horrified by what they are seeing nightly on our TV and phone screens – to see the massacre of innocent people, the genocide, to see this occurring and to be speaking out in record numbers, and yet seeing a government who are still selling arms to Israel and who are complicit in the killing that's happening,' he said. 'It reminds me of the Iraq War where a million people marched, and it made no difference. 'During that time we didn't have social media though and it feels the way in which people are now connected and the way it's been so utterly exposed, the fact that the government will always favour capital and the industrial military complex and destruction of people's lives over doing the right thing, even when it means standing up to status and power, has never been clearer." Asked about the latest statistics on Labour's licencing of military exports to Israel, he went on: 'I think a few years ago I would've been gobsmacked to find that out, but this is in a context of a Government that is cutting winter fuel payments, cutting support for some of the most severely disabled people in our country. 'On almost any issue of moral clarity, this Labour government is failing.'
