Greens leader Polanski hits back at ‘vile’ Labour
Greens leader Zack Polanski has hit back at Labour over his party’s drugs policy as campaigning in the Gorton and Denton by-election enters its final 48 hours.
Mr Polanski, on another visit to the constituency, defended his party’s policy after Sir Keir Starmer said as a father of a teenager, the Greens’ plan to legalise drugs was “disgusting”.
Labour also claimed the policy would turn parks and playgrounds into “crack dens”.
But Mr Polanski told the Press Association: “Let me speak with absolute clarity.
“What Keir Starmer and this Labour Government have said on drugs policy is vile. It debases politics.
“And actually, I think people are sick of it, because I think people recognise it’s an attack on a party that’s trying to have a sensible grown up conversation about a really serious issue.
“We have the worst amount of drug deaths in the whole of Europe, and I think that fact’s often missing from this conversation.”
Mr Polanski said the “war on drugs” had failed and his party was talking about taking a “public health” approach to a serious issue, accusing Labour of “cheap political attacks for short term gains”.
He said: “Sadly, in a playground, people have access to drugs. So, what we’re talking about is regulating drugs.
“We are talking about regulating drugs and controlling drugs, because the war on drugs has failed. We need a different approach.”
Labour faces a battle to save the previously rock-solid Greater Manchester constituency in the face of a double electoral threat from both Matt Goodwin, the Reform UK candidate and Hannah Spencer, standing for the Greens.
In 2024 Labour won the seat with a majority of 13,413 and more than half the vote, but the party’s plummeting popularity since Sir Keir entered No 10 means it could be vulnerable.
The Prime Minister made his first visit to the constituency on Tuesday, ahead of voters going to the polls on Thursday, telling Labour Party activists the election was a “battle of values” and voting Green would lead to “toxic” Reform taking the seat.
Mr Polanski claimed his party’s campaign was going “amazingly well” but a Reform win would be “deeply damaging”.
He defended his description of the conflict in Gaza as a “genocide” which he claimed the Labour Government was “enabling”.
Mr Polanski added: “What happened on October 7 was absolutely outrageous and a horrific attack.
“And nothing justifies what Israel had done for the last couple of years.
“That again, our Government is not just complicit in, but actively enabling.
“We could certainly stop our role in this by stopping selling arms to Israel by stopping sharing intelligence, and making sure that we’re speaking with one voice and it’s time to end the genocide.”
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Very to hear Starmer claim any policy is “disgusting” without evidence when he: – appointed a known friend of a paedophile and sex trafficker to be US ambassador, – kicked out MPs for supporting a position on the two-child benefit cap that he later tried to champion himself, – decided to go after the poor, the disabled, and pensioners instead of billionaires and millionaires, – parroted Enoch Powell, – U-turned on every pledge he made in his leadership campaign, – refused to condemn ethnic cleansing in Gaza, – stuck with the same fiscal rules that have made most people poorer… Read more »
Legalising drugs like coccaine etc would indeed be disgusting. It would lead to the end of society as we know it. Polanski is as dangerous as Farage. Our politicians continue to plumb the depths.
Yes. Perhaps Polanski would do better to now lead the Greens into a more nuanced policy on drugs, rather than what it has historically done, that of dabbling in the of student politics of cool to smoke weed.
Describe your view of a “nuanced” drug policy. Maybe one that doesn’t involve desperate addicts turning to crime to finance their habit, while politicians bleat on about the war on drugs? One doesn’t need to be particularly intelligent to understand that repeating the same mistakes while hoping for a different outcome is stupid.
Addicts turn to crime to finance their habit regardless of the legal status of any particular intoxicant.
you can back up that assertion, because like Polanski says the “war on Drugs” has failed big time, addiction and drug related deaths has gone through the ceiling even the ‘mericans admit the war on drugs has cost billions and failed, there needs to be a different approach and legalising drugs is a step in the right direction, to keep on repeating an action and expecting a different result is the first sign of madness so they say,
The war on tobacco has been very effective, what makes you think flogging weed instead is a good thing?
Did you actually read the article? He said he doesn’t want to legalize drugs but regulate them.
Words do have meaning, in case you didn’t know.
Despite axing Mandelson stooge McSweeney it would appear that Labour is still aping McSweeney’s disastrous strategy of trying to win Reform votes. The best outcome for such a nauseating and cynical strategy is that Labour are annhiliated by the Greens in Thursday’s by-election.
I hope Labour are thrashed in the by election on Thursday and it’ll bring about the rapid demise of Starmer. His vile negativity towards people trying to discuss issues affecting many people is unworthy of a PM beholding his position.
Labour’s attitude to this is, frankly, shocking. It really shouldn’t surprise me that Labour would behave like this under the leadership of Starmer, but it has on this occasion. Seeing a former chief prosecutor lack any sort of moral compass and belief system has been quite the eye opener. His blatant misinformation and cynical pandering to the Reform adjacent in light of this Green policy is something to behold. The Greens just aren’t advocating a free for all and kids doing crack cocaine on the playground like Labour and Reform would have you believe, it’s all faux outrage. Drugs should… Read more »
With the Greens and Labour at each others throats, and the Tories currently dead in the water, Reform could win via the back door. By 2029 the Tories may have pulled some voters back from Reform but if it hasn’t and the left and centre left are still fighting each other – we could see Farage as PM. Heaven help us!! The progressive left has to stand side by side if it wants to stop the far right gaining power, as hard as that might be.
Really don’t see how this UK Government can be described as progressive left.
It’s quite refreshing to hear a politician actually saying something that most police officers have been saying for decades.
If they were to ring fence the tax revenue from leisure substances just for the NHS we’d have the best health services on planet earth.
There are no police officers that support legalising drugs. Also, there is no tax revenue to be had by legalising drugs. This has failed so miserably in California that they are now criminalising again. You don’t pay a tax on the weed if it’s tax free down the alley, and the NHS pays for the cost of treating the druggies regardless. Just there’ll be more of them.
Anyone else surprised that the Labour right depends so heavily on scheming and dirty tricks to smear critics, rather than providing a genuine progressive vision for meaningful reform cutting across party lines?
Are they going to commission Apco to compile a ‘report’ containing insulting falsehoods about Green Party members next? They clearly consider journalists fair game.
Seems London Labour are keen to lose the left of their party to the Greens. Which is in everyone’s interests so what’s keeping them? Zack’s New Socialists is the future.