Can Green Party leader's anti-establishment message beat Nigel Farage on migration?

Zack Polanski mightiness not look the astir earthy state of Reform voters.

On migration - consistently 1 of the astir important issues for Reform voters - the Green Party person could not beryllium further distant from Nigel Farage.

Where the Reform person believes migration has damaged Britain and advocates for "mass deportations", Mr Polanski views it arsenic a affirmative happening that has benefitted the country.

But successful spite of that, Mr Polanski thinks helium tin triumph implicit Reform supporters.

It seems a gangly order, fixed the country's hardening cognition towards migration and the bursts of public choler that has been seen implicit the usage of asylum hotels - astir notably successful Epping.

But the Green Party person believes that what is truly angering radical - the outgo of surviving crisis, wage stagnation, a deficiency of affordable lodging - is not the responsibility of migration.

He is convinced helium tin flip the publication by highlighting the plight of migrants and by directing the public's choler elsewhere - astatine billionaires, ample corporations and the establishment.

That is what his travel to Calais was each about.

Last week, Sky News joined Mr Polanski successful the French town, erstwhile location to the "Jungle" exile campy before it was demolished successful 2016, to tackle the "misinformation" helium believes surrounds the tiny boats crisis.

"I deliberation erstwhile radical person a world of it, I deliberation the bulk of radical are really compassionate," helium tells me. "They conscionable privation to marque definite that our strategy is just and it's transparent."

Mr Polanski has present surpassed 100 days arsenic Green Party person - the constituent astatine which the party's fortunes began to change.

Since his predetermination successful September, Mr Polanski, a erstwhile subordinate of the Liberal Democrats, has taken the Greens successful a antithetic direction.

Once known arsenic the enactment of the environment, the Greens present speech heavy astir societal and taste issues that tin beryllium divisive - whether that beryllium migration, transgender rights oregon adjacent the "eco-populism" that immoderate successful his ain enactment fearfulness whitethorn alienate voters successful agrarian seats.

His stance connected these issues has agelong been attributed to a strategy of courting disaffected Labour voters. In the polls, the Greens are astir cervix and cervix with Labour - astatine 16% and 18% respectively - portion determination person been aggregate councillor defections successful caller months.

But erstwhile it comes to Reform voters, Mr Polanski believes helium tin entreaty to them by speaking astir the different issues that marque them angry.

"A Reform elector is precise antithetic to a Reform MP, and I person a batch much clip for them if they're reasoning astir voting Reform, due to the fact that these are the nonstop radical I privation to scope retired to - to accidental that your problems are not caused by migration.

"And truthful what I privation to accidental to those Reform voters is I get your anger, and successful galore ways your close to beryllium angry. But let's not substance that anger. Let's marque definite that we're challenging powerfulness and wealth. And I'm really your state successful that."

Battle for British consciousness of fairness

At the bosom of the conflict implicit migration is the British consciousness of fairness.

The Reform person believes it is unfair that British payer wealth is being utilized to money accommodation for asylum seekers.

To him, it's the British radical who are the existent victims - not migrants.

For Mr Polanski, what is unfair is that British payer wealth is so being utilized - but connected futile efforts to halt hopeless and susceptible radical who should beryllium fixed a harmless haven successful Britain to unrecorded and work.

He says the authorities has fixed the French authorities £476m "on the militarisation of Calais" to deter migrants from boarding a tiny boat, and this is what radical should beryllium aggravated about.

"That wealth should beryllium spent connected gathering homes. Yes, for British radical and assembly homes. But besides we don't request to pit our lodging situation successful the UK against a situation of a comparatively tiny magnitude of radical who are desperately successful need."

The astir stark motion of the spread betwixt Mr Polanski and the nationalist came erstwhile I asked him what helium would accidental to radical successful Britain who mightiness not consciousness sympathy for those seeking to travel to the UK successful a tiny boat.

He replied: "I deliberation we request to marque racism unacceptable again."

I property him connected whether helium means that radical who bash not stock his sympathy are racist.

"Well, I deliberation it depends connected the context, but we cognize tons of radical person unfastened arms and homes to Ukrainian refugees, arsenic they perfectly should. They're besides fleeing a humanitarian warfare zone. But you can't assistance but announcement that Ukrainian refugees person been accepted. But wherever is that aforesaid kindness and compassion to quality beings from Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Eritrea?"

For his critics, this is apt to beryllium seen arsenic a infinitesimal wherever the disguise slipped.

Read more:
The 'eco-populist' who wants to beryllium the Farage of the Left
Will Farage racism allegations deter voters?

'They're dissatisfied, distrusting, and disapproving'

How tin Mr Polanski triumph implicit Reform voters erstwhile countless polls - and of people Brexit - amusement that the nationalist privation little immigration?

Joe Twyman, co laminitis and manager astatine Deltapoll, casts uncertainty connected whether Mr Polanski tin alteration the minds of Reform voters who consciousness passionately astir immigration.

But helium says, portion determination is simply a cohort of Reform voters that Mr Polanski is ne'er going to triumph over, the dissolution of accepted near and close means determination is immoderate crossover betwixt the Greens and Reform.

"There are Reform voters who are going with Reform, if you like, arsenic a default, due to the fact that they're dissatisfied, distrusting, and disapproving of different governmental parties - peculiarly the larger parties of the government.

"And truthful those radical could beryllium wooed to the Greens if they deliberation that Zack Polanski is simply a much palatable for them arsenic leader, and the policies are much acceptable to them."

Against the backdrop of a outgo of surviving crisis, and aft decades of public attitudes hardening towards migration, Mr Polanski has acceptable himself a hard task to alteration people's minds.

Mr Polanski's critics volition nary uncertainty impeach him of wishful reasoning - but successful the property of property authorities and societal media, possibly it's not the communicative that counts but the mode it is told.