Green-Eyed Imposter

Despite the excitement and drama of this year’s local elections I noticed very few party posters in windows and fields. Down in London, however, and I saw an awful lot supporting the Green Party. On polling day, the Greens seem to have done tremendously well, and not just in the capital or the usual university wards of large towns. A Green election poster in the front window is a now a sure and certain way of proving one’s liberal, middle-class credentials in London, at least. Their current and most successful party leader, Zack Polanski (born David Paulden) seems to be a suitably eccentric character to lead such a group. Yet he seems to have spent some time this year sprucing up his CV:

-Polanski says he was wrong to claim he was a Red Cross spokesman (BBC)

-…He had stated in 2020 that he was working at the Ministry of Justice on training and diversity programmes. In reality, he was hired through Kreate, an agency supplying actors for role-play scenarios to the Judicial Appointments Commission, an independent body sponsored but not staffed by the MoJ. Polanski had previously referenced a non-existent 'justice assessment committee' in public remarks before admitting the inaccuracy (Daily Telegraph)

while also

- failing to pay the correct council tax while living on a London houseboat (Sky News)

-And then there’s the good old claim that he was able to increase women’s breast sizes by staring at them and using his mind’s hypnotic powers (BBC)

I understand that Mr Polanski has since apologised for all of these, though only yesterday, it transpired that dear old Mr P did not himself bother to vote in the aforesaid local elections, seeing as he never got round to registering as a voter. Perhaps he will apologise to his local Green mayoral candidate to whom he had promised his vote. 

Is this really someone who leads a growing political party in the United Kingdom? We get the governments we deserve, we are often told, and perhaps that includes party leaders, too. If this is so, then this gentleman surely demonstrates the depths we currently plumb. Thankfully, we Christians know that the universe has an actual ruler and leader whom we do not deserve, for He is utterly good and incredibly gracious, and never feels the need to lie about His achievements or to add sparkle to His record, as though any could be added. Though many would defy Him, gracious He remains, though His patience will not last forever:

I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom... 2 Timothy 4:1

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