𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Nigel Farage and Reform have once huge advantage over Zack Polanski: that is an ability to be pragmatic in the pursuit of power. Exhibit A: economic policy. Eighties children they might be but Messrs Farage and Tice realise rehashing Maggie’s greatest hits makes it well nigh impossible to differentiate from the hapless Tories.

Voters want patriotic economic planning (a la Singapore) not merely flogging the family silver to the highest bidder. Exhibit B: Zack Polanki’s chastising of the cops arresting a suspect after two innocent Jewish men were knifed in Goldes Green, North London.

Now, as part of the same community, I don’t believe the Green leader is in anyway anti-Semitic. Not only is Polanski openly Jewish but changed his name to sound more so.

But his words pander to anti-Semitic elements in his party. Moreover the Greens win plaudits when they talk about taxing the rich and funding the NHS.

But there is no broad appeal in bashing our brave police officers.

Similarly Reform understand it is on super strong ground with immigration, and law and order. But given the failure of much of the 90s privatisation bonanza, there is less appetite today for selling off assets to foreign kleptocrats.

Putting British people first would ring pretty damn hollow if Reform okayed selling off more flats to corrupt Chinese officials.

Maybe I’m wrong but I’d wager Farage and Reform can do pragmatism far better than Polanski and the Greens. Perhaps it’s youthfulness of the latter movement but – while both parties are highly online – I suspect there is an immaturity to the Green Party which prevents it from doing practicalities.

On May 7 we can expect Reform and the Greens to do well. Both have an insurgency vibe, have conviction and authenticity, and a clear agenda for government.

But Farage was making his bones while Polanski was still a drama student. He understands mass appeal means pragmatism. Can Polanski drop the student politics crap, accept voters may agree with him on the NHS but not on having no effective border control? I doubt it.