Got to say, I did not have Caroline Lucas in "secret member of the Labour right shocker" on my bingo card today
She's only saying what Polanski has also been saying... rather than going for the denialist approach.
Polanski looked a bit feeble in an admittedly tough interview from Phillips, so Polanski’s supporters have responded by ‘playing the man’ with variations of dazh’s comment about Phillips above.
Whatever you think of Phillips, as a tactic it does rather concede the Polanski will fumble under tough questioning.
I think Polanski came cross really well… but only seen the clips. Philips is always worth a moan about though… having said that, the Green leaders will get tougher and tougher media appearances as the party takes more seats (local and national)… best to deal with it rather than moan about it. Currently they still get an easier ride than government spokespeople (and arguably that’s how it should be).
I watched the whole thing, and I don’t think he came across particularly well, as it seemed he didn’t really understand several of the questions before pivoting to safe places and answering the questions he wished he’d been asked.
They all pivot, obviously, but to me Polanski looked a bit confused and floundering at times, which he tries to cover by talking fast like a hypnotherapist 😉
Edit: I meant to say, yes, I agree with you about interviews. That was the main point I was trying to make. Whether it’s in the studio or in Parliament, the questions aren’t supposed to be friendly or easy.
I don't know if this has been said before, but I find Polanski a little superficial, and almost like he's playing the role of a politician, all of which we could point to other politicians, but he does often struggle with the harder questions. This may be because he is poorly prepared/advised but I would have thought by now the Green Party would have people in place to fulfil this role. He is to me, unfortunately a big disappointment.
he does often struggle with the harder questions.
For example? It seems to me that he actually answers the questions, rather than just parrots some talking points like most politicians. Have you ever seen Keir Starmer actually answer a question? I mean - really answer it, not tell you that his father was a tool maker.
Keeping the thread up to date:
- did he work for the MoJ? (care, as the source is the Torygraph)
- did he pay his Council Tax like the rest of us?
Aha, whipping out the same old playbook again. Politician who seems reasonably competent and able to encourage people to care about politics arrives; some historical point brought up and regurgitated for weeks to show why they're totally unsuitable.
As I say that, you do have to ask: what is it with politicians and not paying basic taxes that we'd be strung up by HMRC for? But at the same time, our nije can take millions in backhanders and that's no biggy, compared to not paying Council Tax or accepting a pair of glasses
Different rules for the likes Mr Garage.
I mean who doesn't take £5 million in back handers...
But at the same time, how many of us 'fail to pay council tax'? It may not be a '5 mil backhander', but it still isn't a great look for the leader of a major political party.
What a school boy error to make and put himself in this position. Garage will always get away with it because he is proposing what the media barrons want
As I say that, you do have to ask: what is it with politicians and not paying basic taxes that we'd be strung up by HMRC for?
But at the same time, how many of us 'fail to pay council tax'?
It was for a boat.
Not that that's any excuse, but it's at least plausible (if arguably unlikely perhaps) that it was "an honest mistake."
... and having now read the article,
The Times is making accusations, with the Daily Mail running as wingman. There's nothing confirmed so far as I've found (and probably never will be because Politicians).
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy02wdzrg6jo
A spokesperson said "He has immediately taken steps to pay any council tax he may be found to owe." If I were a spokesman I'd be saying "is that the best you've got?"
It was for a boat.
No, the story is "what did he say his main residence is?" Not "what is his main residence?" That it's a boat is red herring, he rented a room, and didn't think to say that he also lives 'mostly' somewhere else.
It's a minor thing, he probs didn't know, he doesn't seem to be the most organised person the world has ever seen. He also can't act surprised that this stuff is going to float to the top
Seems he's held his hands up on the Council Tax. I fear that, yet again, a man who seems to want the best for the country is going to be taking down by silly comments and actions blown up by the press.
I saw a tweet saying he'd called for Angela Rayner to resign over her Council Tax screw-up. I'm not 100% sure that is true, but if it is then he should go. Live by the sword, die by the sword.
didn't think to say that he also lives 'mostly' somewhere else.
The crux of the argument (based solely on that BBC report) seems to hinge on whether he did indeed live "mostly" somewhere else or not.
He also can't act surprised that this stuff is going to float to the top
I mean, that's generally how boats work.
He also can't act surprised that this stuff is going to float to the top
or more realistically, that at the first sign of potential success, this is going to be dug up and flogged to death
But at the same time, how many of us 'fail to pay council tax'?
Just checked, and I'm off the hook for the poll tax arrears.
seems to hinge on whether he did indeed live "mostly" somewhere else or not.
This was all kicked off by Dan Neidle's X post which he pointed out that they (Polanski and Partner) called the boat; their amazing home, and registered to vote using it as an address, which is why he got into this mess, and I guess the Green party press office are one of the few people raising a glass in thanks to Starmer today
I saw a tweet saying he'd called for Angela Rayner to resign over her Council Tax screw-up. I'm not 100% sure that is true, but if it is then he should go. Live by the sword, die by the sword.
Time for many of our politicians to a) stop cheating, lying and grifting and b) calling for resignations all the time
If polanski called for Rayner to go over her tax issues then hes an idiot and should now also step down
farage will be laughing into his crypto-billionaire funded champers this evening
This was all kicked off by Dan Neidle's X post which he pointed out that they (Polanski and Partner) called the boat; their amazing home, and registered to vote using it as an address
It's funny how many shots to the foot that Polansky has made can be traced to him stupidly putting stuff on social mediums.
He needs to have his phone taken off him, like a naughty 13 year old.
It isn't the boat that's the problem but the mooring. A boat in and of itself isn't liable for council tax, while a mooring is going to have a low rateable value.
It's a silly unforced error for not a lot of gain
It's funny how many shots to the foot that Polansky has made can be traced to him stupidly putting stuff on social mediums.
I suspect that but for his prolific social media output, he'd be significantly less well known than he is. I don't know of course, but I suspect that any damage from an occasional tabloid-bait slip is dwarfed by the massive positive publicity it's brought him.
It's a silly unforced error for not a lot of gain
I will bet 50p of anyone's cash that this won't be the last.
I will bet 50p of anyone's cash that this won't be the last.
Farages? He has plenty to spare.
I do wonder if he should take the Farage approach and announce its a boring question and its typical of the press to attack him.
massive positive publicity it's brought him
I don't see any net gain if he's forced to resign.
It's not just dodging tax, it's the lying and the overt demonstrations of stupidity and poor judgment.
Not everyone wants that in a leader (unlike the US)
He didn't pay his Council Tax
This is the bit I don't understand. I get that there was some confusion about which "property" should have been used for collecting CT but surely he would have known that he had to paying something somewhere?
Maybe he was?
Worth reading the original piece:
https://taxpolicy.org.uk/2026/05/11/zack-polanski-boat-council-tax-electoral-law/
Likely that Polanski thought he was contributing towards Council Tax elsewhere... but it's also not really relevant.
We're still focusing on this and not on Farage threatening lawyers on Habib's claims that he and Boris took money to stitch up the 2019 election?
It's not a great look not paying your CT, but he seems to have stepped up and dealt with it. If we expect perfection then we'll never get any politicians. Yes, we have to set a bar for what is not acceptable behaviour, but it needs to be sensible and consistent.
It's not just dodging tax, it's the lying and the overt demonstrations of stupidity and poor judgment.
You mean, like a normal person? Personally I'm entirely unbothered by most of Zack's past, it's not like at some point he thought "Oh, I might in the future become the leader of an insurgent left wing populist party, better make sure I pay my parking fines, and don't start any bin fires". TBH in comparison to duck houses on moats and £5 million donations in crypto from a man who's said publicly that he'll ignore rules about offshore donations, anything Polanski has done in his past seems banal to the point of pointlessness
it's the lying and the overt demonstrations of stupidity and poor judgment.
This is the thing..polanski's audience expect better. So when he gets caught by this stuff it's righly called out as poor judgement
Whereas I don't think farage's indiscretions are 'poor judgment'. He knows exactly what he's doing and doesn't give a shit. He know that his audience simply don't care, they'd all do the same if they could get away with it. As long as he's banging on about migrants and the like he is the man for them
The left and right hold their politicians to completely different standards
This is the thing..polanski's audience expect better. So when he gets caught by this stuff it's righly called out as poor judgement
I'm a Polanski fan, as are several friends. Yes, it's poor judgement, yes, we're disappointed, does it matter to us? No. It doesn't. He's led a (slightly weird) life before politics. He's not a product of a party machine. He's made mistakes and - crucially - owned them.
I'm far more worried about the over reaction from the Polanski haters than his errors.
You mean, like a normal person? Personally I'm entirely unbothered by most of Zack's past, it's not like at some point he thought "Oh, I might in the future become the leader of an insurgent left wing populist party, better make sure I pay my parking fines, and don't start any bin fires". TBH in comparison to duck houses on moats and £5 million donations in crypto from a man who's said publicly that he'll ignore rules about offshore donations, anything Polanski has done in his past seems banal to the point of pointlessness
This. All of it.
i dunno the boob whispering stuff is at best odd, at worst anti science and exploitative
