Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Red Hot World @redhotworld.bsky.social · 12h

Thanks to Climate Historian for the research:

theclimatehistorian.substack.com/p/who-is-zac...

A few years ago, hardly anyone outside green politics had heard of Zack Polanski, but today he leads the Green Party of England and Wales and is at the heart of a remarkable transformation in British ...

theclimatehistorian.substack.com

1 3

Red Hot World @redhotworld.bsky.social · 12h

“We’re fighting for a country where no-one is left behind, and no future is sacrificed for the convenience of the present.”

@zackpolanski.bsky.social might just be the best thing to happen to British politics in years.

1 2 3

Red Hot World @redhotworld.bsky.social · 12h

Zack’s rise signals more than just a new party leader.

It’s the return of a politics that’s bold, hopeful and rooted in fairness.

He wants to turn the Greens from the country’s moral conscience into a real political force - and he’s off to a flying start.

1 1

Red Hot World @redhotworld.bsky.social · 12h

Of course, the obstacles are big.

Britain’s first-past-the-post system punishes smaller parties.

The Greens still rely on small donations - by choice. They won't be corrupted by billionaires.

But something’s shifting - and everyone can feel it.

1 1

Red Hot World @redhotworld.bsky.social · 12h

Zack is unafraid of confrontation - taking on Reform UK’s far right populism head-on, while warning Labour: “We’re not here to be disappointed by you. We’re here to replace you.”

But he’s also open to working with other parties - Jeremy Corbyn and Your Party for example.

1 1 2

Red Hot World @redhotworld.bsky.social · 12h

He’s on #BBCQT tonight. Prediction: he will be a regular guest going forward because he’s a gifted communicator with interesting things to say (hate to say it but also true of Nigel Farage).

www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...

Question Time - 2025: 09/10/2025

Fiona Bruce presents an hour of debate from Shrewsbury. On the panel: James Murray MP, Nigel Huddleston MP, Zack Polanski, Zia Yusuf and Annabel Denham.

www.bbc.co.uk

1

Red Hot World @redhotworld.bsky.social · 12h

The Greens went from one MP to four at the last election, but what’s arguably more significant is the platform they have in the media and on social media. Zack knows how to use that platform.

And he knows how to deal with the billionaire media - by not taking any of their shit.

2 1 5

Red Hot World @redhotworld.bsky.social · 12h

Zack’s also built a new space in political media.
His podcast Bold Politics is part interview, part storytelling - warm, direct, and human.

He doesn’t lecture. He listens, jokes, argues and dreams. It feels like the opposite of Westminster theatre.

feeds.acast.com/public/shows...

Bold Politics with Zack PolanskiBold Politics with Zack PolanskiThe Death Of Two Party Politics | Owen JonesHow Labour Sold Their Souls To Billionaires | Gary Stevenson | Zack PolanskiWhy Rachel Reeves Is Obsessed With Growth At Any Cost | Grace Blakeley | Zack PolanskiHow To Confront The Radicalisation Of Young Men | Jimmy The Giant | Zack PolanskiHow To Beat The Anti-Immigration Playbook | Zoe GardnerThe Future Of Left Politics | Ash SarkarBold Politics with Zack Polanski

feeds.acast.com

1 1

Red Hot World @redhotworld.bsky.social · 12h

Under his leadership, the Greens are proudly radical.

They’re explaining why we need to tax extreme wealth, renationalise energy, build council homes, invest in green jobs and provide free childcare.

It’s a politics of fairness and survival, not moral superiority.

1 1 3

Red Hot World @redhotworld.bsky.social · 12h

Zack calls his politics eco-populism - connecting the climate crisis with inequality, housing and the cost of living.

Clean air, secure work, affordable homes - that’s what climate policy means in practice.

1 3

Red Hot World @redhotworld.bsky.social · 12h

Elected to the London Assembly in 2021, then deputy leader, Zack won the leadership this year with a huge 84% of the vote.

His message: now’s the time for the Greens to be bolder, louder and more confident.

“Bold action, bold leadership. The super-rich must pay their share.”

1 2

Red Hot World @redhotworld.bsky.social · 12h

Before politics, Zack did everything from acting and youth work to counselling and community organising.

That background - precarious, real, human - still shapes his politics. He talks about housing, wages, mental health and belonging with lived experience.

1 2

Red Hot World @redhotworld.bsky.social · 12h

Zack was born in Salford in 1982 to a Jewish family that had changed its name to escape antisemitism.

At 18, he decided to reclaim his heritage, taking back the name Polanski, and choosing Zack after a character in Goodnight Mister Tom. It was personal and political.

1 1 3

Red Hot World @redhotworld.bsky.social · 12h

How does he do it? By clearly communicating what he believes is right. By having the courage of his convictions.

It shouldn’t be revolutionary, but it is.

1 5 11

Red Hot World @redhotworld.bsky.social · 12h

A year ago, no-one outside Green politics had heard of Zack.

Today he leads a party growing faster than any other in Britain - capturing new members, media space and the imagination of those who’ve lost faith in the old parties. And closing in on those parties in the polls.

1 5

Red Hot World @redhotworld.bsky.social · 12h

Zack Polanski became leader of the Green Party just a month ago but has already taken British politics by storm.

Tonight he appears on Question Time alongside a rogues’ gallery of right-wingers.

So where did he come from - and what does he believe? 🧵

1 6 16

Red Hot World @redhotworld.bsky.social · 19h

Kindess defeats evil every time.

“I have seen that it is not man who is impotent in the struggle against evil, but the power of evil that is impotent in the struggle against man. The powerlessness of kindness, of senseless kindness, is the secret of its immortality. It can never by conquered. The more stupid, the more senseless, the more helpless it may seem, the vaster it is. Evil is impotent before it. The prophets, religious teachers, reformers, social and political leaders are impotent before it. This dumb, blind love is man’s meaning. Human history is not the battle of good struggling to overcome evil. It is a battle fought by a great evil, struggling to crush a small kernel of human kindness. But if what is human in human beings has not been destroyed even now, then evil will never conquer.”

Vasily Grossman, Life and Fate

3 4

Red Hot World @redhotworld.bsky.social · 1d

Is your government still supplying arms and logistical & intelligence support to Israel? Do you agree that Israel has committed a genocide in Gaza? Does that make Starmer, Lammy and Cooper in danger of prosecution for crimes against humanity?

2

Red Hot World @redhotworld.bsky.social · 1d

Want the sustainable energy future that Africa is already moving swiftly towards?

Time to rise up and tell our governments to stop clinging to yesterday's disastrous energy source - and look south, where clean power, tech & hope are already lighting the way.

1 3

Red Hot World @redhotworld.bsky.social · 1d

Africa's inspiring leapfrog over the fossil fuel nightmare highlights an ugly truth for Europeans and Americans.

The only thing slowing our shift to renewables is the capture of our political 'leaders' by Big Oil, billionaires and their media propagandists.

1 1 3

Red Hot World @redhotworld.bsky.social · 1d

More than 20 African countries have dramatically increased imports of solar technology to meet booming demand.

3.7 GW of new solar capacity came online in Africa in 2023 alone.

Africans see that the future is powered by sunlight, wind and water - not planet-wrecking fossil fuels.

1 1 3

Red Hot World @redhotworld.bsky.social · 1d

Ethiopia aims for 100% electrification by 2025, with huge solar, hydro & wind expansion.

And the country is building dozens of mini-hybrid grids to connect remote areas. The aim: to ensure no-one is left in the dark.

1 1 3

Red Hot World @redhotworld.bsky.social · 1d

Mali’s rural village of Karan used to be dark at night. Today, the WeLight’s solar mini-grid + storage delivers affordable light & energy for all.

Bakeries, shops & school are powered by abundant sunlight not dirty diesel.

It's a grassroots energy revolution being repeated across the continent.

1 1 3

Red Hot World @redhotworld.bsky.social · 1d

In Togo, the Blitta Solar Power Station (50 MW, expanding towards 70 MW) is now lighting up hundreds of thousands of homes + small businesses.

Battery storage ensures that power continues to flow even after the sun sets.

1 1 3

Red Hot World @redhotworld.bsky.social · 1d

In Senegal, the Diass Solar Power Station (23 MW) now feeds clean electricity into the national grid.

Less polluting, more reliable power. Created by determined government policy & investment in an African country showing Europe and the US what the future of energy looks like.

1 1 3