Steph Nissen

🚨 Norfolk Green quits over Zack Polanski 'populist' policies. The @EDP24 writes: A senior Norfolk councillor has resigned from the Greens saying he was "looking on in horror" at what he described as a lurch towards "populist" policies under leader Zack Polanski. Michael de Whalley, who was instrumental in setting up its West Norfolk branch in 2009, has given up his membership after more than 15 years with a blistering attack on the party. He said: "I was always impressed that the Green Party seemed to be informed by science and evidence. The party has now moved away from that to more dogma and ideology." The councillor said he became disillusioned with the direction Mr Polanski has taken the party in since he became leader last year. Many more traditional members have been concerned about the Greens' increasing focus on left-wing economic policies, cultural topics like gender ideology, and foreign issues like Palestine, at the expense of concern for the environment and climate change. "There are a very significant number of older, deeper Greens who are looking on in horror - and I'm one of them," Mr de Whalley said. The councillor, who is currently cabinet member for climate change and biodiversity at West Norfolk Council, singled out the party's recent economic policies and spending commitments for criticism. "We are in an economic crisis and, thanks to the war in the Middle East, it's just got worse and could potentially impact the rest of this decade," he said. “Going down a populist route for economics - saying 'I can spend money, I can borrow money irresponsibly, and it's okay, we'll cover it by increasing taxation' - it might sound good, but it's a recipe for disaster." Mr de Whalley, who served with the RAF in Iraq in 2003, added: "Zack Polanski is looking at what pleases people and making promises he can't deliver. I can't be part of a party that is promising things that can't be delivered." He added: “We've been really good at putting forward manifestos that stood up to scrutiny, but I don't believe that the economic directions currently do that. “The Green Party is now moving to a left-wing populist stance. Our policies have less substance to them, whereas previously we were looking across the board." The councillor, first elected in 2019, spent four years in opposition before joining West Norfolk’s cross party administration in 2023. He will now sit as an independent, remaining within the current administration.

Having publicly executed a 19 year old member of the country’s national wrestling team last week, two more scheduled executions of young lives with bright futures urgently highlight - during a war - the mentality of a regime that prioritises executions over protecting their own population. While keeping the country under a digital blackout, itself a crime against humanity. A regime that parades teenagers on national television to humiliate them and accuse them of crimes they’ve not even heard of. And all because they went out on a protest. This is what the people of Iran have been dealing with for decades. #StopExecutionsInIran #ShervinBagherian #PeyvandNaeimi

Northern White Rhino: officially extinct in the wild. Last male dead. Only 2 females remain A creature that endured 55 million years—ice ages, asteroids, entire epochs—wiped out by human greed, poaching, and destroyed habitats. We failed them. 💔🦏

Amnesty International? Silent. The UN? Silent. Human Rights Council? Silent. The Red Cross? Silent.

British woman telling Iranians that their actual lived experience “is all lies, it’s all lies”. Useful snapshot of a certain section of society that feels they can talk over Iranians and actually accuse them of brain rot. #IranMassacre‌ #IranIsraelUSWar

Not a single actor, actress, or singer has said a word.

Today, the Islamic Republic hanged multiple Iranian civilians, some of whom were just teenagers. Amnesty International? Silent. The UN? Silent. Human Rights Council? Silent. The Red Cross? Silent.

The longer this war goes on, the longer they remain in power, the longer these executions continue. Even during a war these are the priorities of the regime in Iran: cutting short young lives who took part in national protests. That was their “crime”. #IranIsraelUSAWar

Today, in Iran, in the middle of a war, the regime executed a 19-year-old national wrestling champion for the crime of joining January protests. 💔 After signaling to the world, including President @realDonaldTrump, that they would halt executions of protesters, the regime has done the exact opposite. Three young protesters, Saleh Mohammadi, Mehdi Ghasemi, and Saeed Davoudi, were hanged in Qom after a sham trial. Reports indicate torture. Forced confessions. No access to chosen lawyers. Closed-door proceedings. No right to appeal. I call on @GlobalAthleteHQ to stand with Iranian athletes who are being silenced, imprisoned, and executed simply for raising their voices. This is not just about sports. This is about human dignity.

You post continuously trying to “expose” me as an Iranian man about a scenario Iranians warned us about from inside the country. So I’ll tell you what this man taking about. Since the #WomanLifeFreedom movement in 2022 when the regime also shut down the internet cutting off voices of protest, Iranians inside Iran asked for us on the outside to “refuse silence and be our voice”. Rather than be curious about what you quote below and seek further information about who is saying this and why, you tweet that I am somehow insane and spread misinformation. My dear Owen, it is not your country. Be a journalist by all means but it is overstepping a boundary when speaking over Iranians when it doesn’t suit your narrative. It is the epitome of western privilege and supremacy. I don’t need you to believe those few voices coming out of Iran under a digital black out. Simply asking you to stop speaking over them.

Boys have to be 15 to be executed in Iran. Girls only 9. Child brides are often sentenced to death. Iran is also the world’s leading executioner of women. Think of that when you hear anyone support the regime.

Climate Outreach analysis of 21 Green Party leaflets since Polanski was elected shows across 40+ pages & 10k words: 🤔 1 mention of ‘climate change’. 🤔 1 of ‘nature’. 🤔 0 of ‘net zero’. Environmentalism is hard work. That’s why the Greens are retreating from it.

Day 1,636 of the Taliban persecuting #Afghan women. Alienating girls and women from public life must never be normalised. You are not forgotten. #LetAfghanGirlsLearn

Last summer two councillors made Hammersmith and Fulham history by defecting from Labour to the Green Party. Since then? Just one meeting attended each. Neither are standing in this May's elections. mylondon.news/news/west-lond…

EXC: Newly unearthed audio shows Zack Polanski stood by his claim that hypnosis could enlarge a woman's breasts. Polanski has repeatedly said he was misrepresented and apologised on the BBC the day after the 2013 Sun article. But that's now in doubt👇 bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…

Exempt Afghan women from study‑visa suspension now - Sign the Petition! c.org/hgcnDxnQwm via @Change

You couldn't make it up, but Green Party MPs voted against the Labour Government's "English Devolution and Community Empowerment" Bill.

Here’s what @ZackPolanski doesn’t want you to know 👇 ✂️ He was 'proud' of the Lib Dem coalition, whose austerity drove Londoners into poverty 🔁 Only discovered his Green values after being blocked from becoming a Lib Dem MP in 2016 🎭 Nick Clegg was his hero, now it’s Corbyn

Shame on @TheGreenParty @MothinAli for spreading lies about this incident. A woman who was protesting was punched in the face by one of Hannah Spencer’s supporters, NOT the other way round.

On this international women’s day, thinking of millions of Afghan women and girls who continue to be denied their basic rights as a matter of government policy by the Taliban including the ongoing ban on education for girls over the age of 12 #InternationalWomensDay2026 #IWD2026