Often used as a blunt instrument to beat left-leaning public figures with, the ‘kinder, gentler politics’ shtick isn’t really washing with Zack Polanski. The Green leader has already taken his party to new heights – and his way of handling jibes from the right-wing press is also drawing praise.
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Personal attacks failing to halt momentum behind Zack Polanski
In the past few weeks, the Green Party has been increasing its percentages in the opinion polls – one such survey put them LEVEL with Labour, fetching about 15% of public support. Polanski’s relentless media appearances and savvy social media use has amplified his visibility.
At a time where the governing Labour Party is being condemned for allegedly ‘abandoning’ its left-wing roots, the Greens have unashamedly branched out from eco-politicism, to eco-populism. The agenda goes far beyond environmentalism, creating a broader, more attractive proposition for voters.
Zack Polanski has certainly got the messaging right. But one thing that’s starting to earn him even more plaudits is his no-nonsense approach to negative media coverage. Shortly after his leadership election victory, stories began to emerge, criticising his appearance and way of speaking.
Zack Polanski ‘capitalising’ on bizarre media coverage
He came straight out to bat, challenging those behind the headlines to criticise him on policy rather than anything superficial. Crickets could be heard. His abrasive style also caught Richard Tice cold – and their dispute ended with Polanski saying ‘there was no bigger t*t than him’. Return ace…
The personal attacks haven’t slowed, and Jeremy Clarkson – writing for The Sunday Times – also had a pop at Polanski’s teeth. Naturally, Zack wasted no time in biting back – and encouraged his followers to actively ‘piss-off’ the former Top Gear host by signing up to join the Green Party.
‘Find this kind of bollocks nauseating’?
This has been the staple feature of his response strategy. Any time a negative narrative flows onto social media, Polanski and the Green Team are on hand to dismiss the claims, and immediately provide a link to join their organisation. It has played a huge role in doubling their membership from 70,000 to 140,000 in the last couple of months.
In the last few days, he’s rattled Tory peers and Times Radio hosts, calling them out for ‘talking bollocks’ when criticising his positions on economic growth. He was back at it again on Sunday, dismissing more comments about his lisp and chest hair as ‘journalistic slop’.
Most of what is being written about the insurgent politician has nothing to do with policy at all – and his decision to treat such commentary with contempt is gradually convincing more people to support the cause. Perhaps they should try a kinder, gentler approach to their scrutiny…