[Tubby Isaacs]

Forget double-sourced reporting, this is triple-sourced. Erm, insiders, a family friend, family members...

Yeah, I think he'll survive this. And the use of "genocide" in the context of Gaza isn't a particularly fringe use of the word (though I can see why it might jar for some Jewish people).

I'm interested to hear that he's a very recent convert though.

[The Weeping Angel]

It's the omnicause through which all other causes can be filtered. I don't see any talk about what is happening in, say, Sudan or Iran, for example.

[Tubby Isaacs]

I just counted 12 EU members who don't recognize Palestine, and another 4 who recognized it on the same day as the UK. And of those who have recognized it, some recognized it in 1988, when they were under Soviet control, not as democratic nations.

Of those who I think you could say were ahead of the UK, there's Ireland, Slovenia and Spain, who did it in 2024. And Sweden which did it in 2014.

[The Weeping Angel]

[Tubby Isaacs]

5 Pillars are absolute lunatics. Wanted the Batley teacher prosecuted and hate any non-bigoted sex education.

The Greens are going for the worst part of the Galloway vote here. I've contacted Zack's Comic to see if they think this could be a news story.

[The Weeping Angel]

I really wish someone like Ellie Chowns or Carla Denyer had won.

[Tubby Isaacs]

I've complained to Ellie by email. She may not see it very fast, sadly.

This is mad political strategy. What are their target voters going to make of this? How can you stick it to Wes Streeting and engage with these people?

[Oboogie]

I've complained to Ellie by email. She may not see it very fast, sadly.

This is mad political strategy. What are their target voters going to make of this? How can you stick it to Wes Streeting and engage with these people?

They're playing to what they think is their core vote, which is fine as long as you have no ambition beyond being a small protest group.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Trans rights and 5 Pillars is quite the niche positioning.

[Youngian]

Why wouldn't you canvass muslims to turn up to prevent a racist like Goodwin being elected?
I doubt Hannah Spencer has been deep in discussion about the finer points of Middle East geopolitics.

[The Weeping Angel]

There's a difference between canvassing Muslims and courting five pillars.

[Youngian]

Sounds somewhat ill advised but unlikely to make much impact. Unlike Spencer's gormless remark about the Manchester arena bombing was down to the likes of Goodwin for dividing people.

[The Weeping Angel]

Update.

https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/green-part ... lgbt-hate/

That video interview was subsequently shared on the Green Party’s Twitter account, but was removed on Thursday morning, some 12 hours after Jewish News approached the party for comment.

They boldly deleted the post rather than answer any questions.

[The Weeping Angel]

Darren here is a former co-convener *of the Greens.

*co-leader.

[davidjay]

Darren here is a former co-convener *of the Greens.

*co-leader.

While there might be an element of "Not as good as in my day" there, the question posed is accurate - if they're not primarily about the environment, what's the point of the Greens? And just how concerned will a young Muslim driving a ten year old BMW be about climate change?

[The Weeping Angel]

They're now a left-populist party, adopting every trendy cause going.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Darren Johnson is quite strongly gender critical. I wonder if that's a factor in him falling out with them. Before that he was on the London Assembly. Someone on another board whose judgement I trusted was impressed with him, as a practical green politician.

My low opinion of Polanski has been stated more than a few times, but perhaps it's me who's out of step. Maybe this is the way to do insurgent politics. I can't believe that some of it won't bite him on the arse though. Drug legalization isn't a trendy cause, particularly. The Greens actual formal policy on drugs is Royal Commission etc, with clear interest in decriminalization (of heroin etc). I think that has lots of appeal. But legalization? That's the sort of stuff mates of PJ O'Rourke used to talk about. Is that Zack marking out his brand cleverly? Who knows? He didn't like being called on it, which again is probably how you do media.

That this ultra liberalism seems to co-exist with strong positions against tobacco seems confused.

[Youngian]

That this ultra liberalism seems to co-exist with strong positions against tobacco seems confused.

The state hasn't banned tobacco but regulated its sale and consumption, made safer addictive nicotine alternatives available and launched an on going public health campaign lasting decades. Its been a huge success and a role model for those advocating a regulated drug market. A different approach to laissez faire libertarians who dismiss it as nanny statism.
Other than prescribing herion addicts clean gear, I'm not entirely convinced by this approach. Or any, some issues don't have solutions just least bad options.

[The Weeping Angel]

Jaguar Land Rover is in Solihull.

[Oboogie]

Darren Johnson is quite strongly gender critical. I wonder if that's a factor in him falling out with them.

As with YourParty, the Greens' coalition between socially-conservative Muslims and socially-liberal policies, on eg trans-rights, looks like a car crash waiting to happen.