‘I met a man on a beach who said he wanted to shoot people on small boats’ is the arresting opening line of new Green Party leader Zack Polanski’s recent social media film.
Along with Polanski’s ‘Bold Politics’ podcast, he is getting millions of views and the Green Party membership is shooting up by 1,000 people a day, as of mid-October 105,000 members, more than the Lib Dems and likely to overtake the Conservatives by Christmas.
The rapid rise of both the Greens and Reform UK Ltd is changing the political landscape in the country.
The key is to separate the Reform leadership and funders from Reform voters who see the same problems we all do – offshore manufacturing, lack of meaningful employment, underfunded NHS, lack of social housing, expensive trains, lack of buses, etc.
Whilst the wealthy of Reform UK Ltd persuade some to blame people on small boats and climate targets, the Greens are pointing to the big yachts and private jets – inequality is at the heart of our problems. The more unequal a society, the more divided it is, and with the changing weather patterns and food shortages coming in the next decade or two we need to be together.
Polanski is persuading people that a wealth tax of 1% pa on assets over £10m and 2% pa on assets over £1b will start to tackle inequality and fund public services. What do you think?
So, who funds Reform UK Ltd? They have publicly stated that the strategy is to court ultra-wealthy donors in low-tax jurisdictions around the world with ties to the UK. Donors who often have oil and gas investments. They may not best represent the interests of ordinary people.
Meanwhile Nathan Gill, ex MEP and ex leader of Welsh Reform has just pleaded guilty to eight counts of bribery from Russia. He will be sentenced in November. It remains to be seen if Grannies holding a sign in Parliament Square get a longer sentence.
