I first interviewed Zack Polanski back in 2023, and I knew then what many on the left are only just waking up to now: he’s the real deal. There was something about the way he carried himself, unflinching, unapologetic, and absolutely unwilling to water down radical politics for the sake of politeness. It was clear to me even then that he was carving out a space no one else dared to occupy.
Now, as he stands on the brink of leading the Green Party, that conviction feels vindicated. Polanski has crafted a political strategy that the left has been crying out for: eco-populism. It’s not technocratic tinkering or cautious compromise. It’s a message that fuses the urgency of climate action with the bread-and-butter concerns of working people: housing, wages, public services. And he communicates it with clarity and force.
Eco-populism is the left’s answer to Nigel Farage and the threat of the far-right. For too long, Farage has dominated the airwaves, cutting through with his anger and simplicity, while the left has mumbled from the sidelines. Polanski has taken note. His “no more Mr Nice Guy” approach is exactly what’s been missing: someone on the progressive side who isn’t afraid to get angry, who demands media attention, who can rouse emotions rather than shy away from them.
Because let’s be honest, anger is not inherently reactionary. It can be righteous. It can be the fuel for justice. And if the left won’t get angry about inequality, about poverty, about the climate emergency, then what exactly are we here for?
But here’s the rub. For Polanski’s project to succeed, the left must resist its worst instinct: fragmentation. Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana are both formidable figures with deep wells of support. They could either flank Polanski, strengthening him and making the Greens a serious political force. Or they could split the progressive vote even further by ploughing ahead with their own breakaway.
The choice could not be starker. With Reform UK ascendant and Farage marching through the vacuum of disillusionment, the last thing we need is two formidable left-wing forces going toe-to-toe. That road only ends with more right-wing victories.
Zack Polanski is the left’s New Hope. He embodies the answer to the question that looms over us all: How do we stop the march of the far-right? We stop it by uniting, by fighting with passion, and by refusing to be nice while the world burns. Polanski is ready. The only question now is whether the rest of the left will join him.