'Zack Polanski Is My Friend – But He's Also A Coward And Must Resign'

I’ve worked closely with Zack Polanski. He was treasurer of Jewish Greens when I was chair, we celebrated together when we had success and he was amongst my first calls when times were harder.

He is someone who I know well and have relied on.

However, when we were working together, I noticed a pattern.

Every time there was a political risk to be taken, he came up with a reason he couldn’t do it. He lacked courage.

This conference was a monument to his political timidity. His big policy proposal on rent controls was a step backwards.

Allowing rents to rise with inflation will maintain a toxic status quo where far too many people are paying far too much in rent and having too little to manage essentials.

The Green Party takes the commonsense position that the rents are too damn high, but at conference Zack ran away from this, inventing a policy that keeps rent at the same unsustainable level.

Gone was the refrain that “we are here to replace Labour”. Instead, according to Zack the goal of voting Green is to “watch Labour move to the left”.

We have been arguing that the Labour failed on so many issues, from Palestine to the climate crisis to the unsustainably high cost of living, and that the Green role is providing a real political alternative.

We vote Green to get visionary Green leadership. Zack ran away from this, arguing that our role is to vote Green to mitigate the harm caused by the Labour Party.

He gave a speech distancing himself from some of the core left-wing ideas and strategies that have given us so much success over the past year, and then he left.

The main takeaway from our conference was the hugely controversial Zionism is Racism motion.

Many people, including myself, warned that if applied badly this motion risked setting up a purity test which Jewish members would not be able to pass.

Former party leader Caroline Lucas and Green MP Ellie Chowns bravely argued on the conference floor that this motion would compromise our ability to advocate for Palestinian freedom.

Multiple Green MPs released statements setting out their positions beforehand, at great political risk.

Mothin Ali, our co-deputy leader, spoke for the motion. He saw this motion as starting an important conversation on the relationship between Zionism and the crimes that Israel has committed against Palestinians since its foundation.

I think this was naïve. But it was brave too, motivated by humanity and showed leadership. I respect his position.

I also respect the 1,800 Green Party members who showed up to a difficult, complicated, emotive discussion, listened and made the best decision they could, even though I think their decision was wrong.

They should be treated with kindness, and the good faith that they had no malign motivations.

I can’t respect someone who runs away.

There was a difficult decision to be made and Zack made sure he was in a different city.

Leaked reports suggest that he even requested that the entire conference was cancelled, so that he could focus on his doomed by-election bid and avoid having a difficult discussion. 

It is not just that he was busy this week.

We have known about the motion since January. Every day since then has been an opportunity to offer leadership on this issue, and every day it has not been taken.

The Green Party prides itself on offering “bold politics”. Our representatives are doing this every single day.

Our MPs are lone voices in Parliament standing up for Palestine and against the genocide. Hackney mayor Zoe Garbett is leading the fight against immigration enforcement.

Our councillors up and down the country are taking risks in pursuit of bold, socialist policies which will make the lives of ordinary people in this country better. They are brave for doing so.

Zack Polanski is my friend, but he is also a coward – and political leadership requires courage. He must resign.

Joshua Alston is former chair and policy officer of Jewish Greens.