Polanski bus photo op leaves North East out in the cold

The North East is a political vacuum, and the politics of hate is threatening to drown out the politics of hope. Reform UK is spreading through the area like a particularly annoying rash, with Nigel Farage and his band of merry wankers seemingly everywhere. The Reform UK leader has spent 2026 touring Sunderland, Durham, and Teesside to weaponise the region’s industrial history. Meanwhile, the Green leader Zack Polanski remains largely invisible to voters up here. Yes, he made a physical appearance in Newcastle on Monday, 27 April 2026, but his brief visit felt rushed, and his words rang hollow. Like a hollow photo op, not a genuine commitment to a region struggling to survive. Its saving grace? The Green candidates and the wonderful teams behind them are determined to stop the region from turning a sickly shade of Reform blue.

Polanski in town

Farage filled the Sunderland Arena on Thursday, 26 March 2026. He drew large crowds and exploited the area’s sense of abandonment. And he took that feeling of desperation that thousands hold, and he turned it into hate. His disgusting physical presence is a stark contrast to the Green leadership. Polanski has spent most of the year zipping around the South, leaving the North forgotten. It’s nothing new; it’s been decades of political neglect from every single political party. We’re used to it up here, but that neglect has turned to anger. People in the North are lost. We are watching our homes crumble, our towns become nothing but shuttered shops and ghost towns. Truly, no one gives a shit about the North, it seems. Apart from Farage

And that is fucking dangerous.

When Polanski arrived at Newcastle bus station, he was late. A forgivable crime, as our trains run like utter shit all over the UK. But so much more so up here. He rushed through the station, barely speaking to members or activists. His focus seemed to be set purely on the press. A photo op or two, rather than an opportunity to engage with people, their worries, and to make them feel seen.

The privatisation disaster

Polanski delivered a strong speech at the Gurdwara Siri Guru Singh Sabha centre on the state of regional infrastructure. He described the privatisation of bus services as an ‘unmitigated disaster’ that’s left North East communities struggling with shite routes. He argued that bus usage had plummeted from 4.6 billion journeys in 2009 to 3.6 billion in 2024.

The Green Party leader pledged that his party would bring buses back under the control of local councils and the people of the North. He also proposed making bus fares free for anyone under 22 to help with the cost-of-living crisis. Good idea, but is that it?

The speech lacked so much, though. In his rushed twelve-minute speech, he said the North East was a ‘laboratory’ for failed economic experiments. I agree, it absolutely is. Yet Polanski failed to expand on how we could fix it. There was fuck all mention of the £1.9bn potential for renewable energy in the area. Or the 27,000 jobs it would create by 2050. Come on, that one is such a vote-winner. In an area that once literally built the world, whose mines and steel works dominated industry, why not talk about bringing that back? People would flock to the Greens if the promise of bringing the North East back to its former glory were on the table.

But they won’t flock to a leader who arrives late and then runs away straight after a rushed speech. A leader who won’t speak to his members isn’t a leader at all.

A working-class leader

The contrast between the national leadership and the local members could not be more obvious. Jamie Driscoll, the former North of Tyne mayor now standing in Newcastle, remains the real deal for the region. Driscoll is the epitome of the working class, having left school at sixteen, worked in a plumbing factory and as a nightclub bouncer, and qualified as an engineer. And he has time for everyone. Everyone who approached him was met with a smile and genuine engagement.

He’s shit hot on the need for reindustrialisation. The man has a proven track record of creating thousands of green jobs and advocates a ‘Total Transport Network’ that puts working-class people before corporations. Driscoll knows that ‘shy bairns get nowt’ and he and the local Greens are dominating with their grassroots campaign. He and his team have a massive presence in the area, and are slowly but surely turning areas Green on the map. And it’s stunning to know that, even though the North East may be an afterthought to Polanski, Driscoll will never stop fighting for a better future. He has time for everyone, an answer for most of the North’s issues and boundless energy to fight for a better future.

Grassroots passion vs leadership silence

While the national leadership drops by for a photo op, the grassroots reality is relentless hard work and passion. Across the North East, Green members and candidates are working their arses off to gain every single vote they can. From action days in Ouseburn to evening canvassing across every ward, these volunteers are the real heart of this movement.

The candidates are smashing it too. Sarah Peters and Alistair Chisholm have already proven that the Greens can overcome Reform’s hatred. Every single member and candidate I have had the pleasure of speaking to has been lovely. They’re kind, passionate, empathetic and determined despite the lack of Polanski in the area.

Empty words from Polanski for a place falling apart

The North East is ripe for a Green revolution, yet national leadership seems to have forgotten that the region exists. Mothin Ali delivered a stunning speech in Newcastle on Saturday, 18 April 2026. It came from the heart, spoke to the struggles the working class faces, and to the Green Party being a national force. But it’s hard to believe it when Polanski treats the area like a photo op backdrop.

Reform UK plans to scrap £10bn in renewable energy subsidies, which would impoverish the North even further. In a desperate place where 21% of the people live in poverty, the area needs a party that shows up and stays.

The North East is sick of being talked at. Ali’s words spoke to us, but they remain empty without Polanski’s physical presence. If the Greens continue to neglect the area, it will inevitably fall into Reform’s hands. And then, it’s well and truly fucked.

Featured images via AntifaBot & Facebook