Zack Polanski: Only the Greens can beat Reform extremists in Gorton and Denton

Just a few years ago, Gorton and Denton would have been the definition of a safe Labour seat. 

Now, as politics has changed across the country, the greater Manchester constituency is facing a by-election that could reflect that. 

Labour, who won the seat in 2024, are being left standing on the sidelines with nothing to offer the people of Manchester.

This is a place where the Greens are surging – the bookies, the pollsters and commentators are all putting our party as the top contender to win this seat in a two-horse race. 

And there are plenty of reasons why. We’re a movement for change with real answers to the struggles people in Manchester and across the country are facing – we have bold solutions to bring down bills, rebuild our public services and make life better for people in this country.

Governing party Labour are a spent force, wasting energy on criticising the Greens over a minor leaflet typo rather than challenging our vision for the future, because they know how popular it is compared to their failed agenda.

But there’s another force trying to win in Gorton too – a darker one, not powered by people, but by big money. That isn’t trying to bring people together, but to divide us. That doesn’t want to look out for ordinary people, but instead protect the interests of the super-rich.

Of course, you know which party I’m talking about. 

Reform try to hide their real interests and real motivations behind Nigel Farage’s ‘man of the people’ facade – hoping voters don’t notice that behind the scenes they’re funded by those with links to fossil fuel giants, they have dodgy links to Russia, and that they cozy up to Trump.

But with the selection of Matthew Goodwin as their candidate in Gorton and Denton, their mask is off. 

We believe Goodwin is a dangerous extremist with views on race that the vast majority of us find absolutely abhorrent.

This is a man who says that being born and brought up in the UK doesn’t mean that people from black, Asian or other immigrant backgrounds are necessarily British.

He has discussed acts of horrifying violence, including people trying to set alight a hotel with asylum seekers inside, as merely a reaction to ‘mass immigration.’ He’s a vocal supporter of Viktor Orban’s authoritarian Hungary.

What’s not clear is how much Goodwin actually believes what he’s saying, or whether he’s just espousing whatever beliefs he thinks will further his career. Not long ago he was critical of people like Tommy Robinson, and praising migration – now he sounds like merely a more articulate version of Robinson. 

What is clear though is that whatever his motivation, time and time again Goodwin has sought to whip up divisions in our communities, using exaggerations and falsehoods to try and pit people against each other.

His rhetoric might work on the darkest corners of the internet. But it won’t work in Gorton and Denton.

I’m a Mancunian myself – and I know what the city stands for. It’s a city that stands together even in the most difficult of times; a city that welcomes everyone, no matter where you’re born or the colour of your skin – and it’s a city that can smell bullshit a mile away. 

What are your thoughts on the choice in Matthew Goodwin?Comment Now

It’s a city that – I’m confident – will have no hesitation telling a chancer like Goodwin to do one.

I’m not complacent. I know the Greens have a huge job to do in kicking Reform’s hate and division out of our communities. 

Reform has a lot that we don’t have: they’ve got a shameless candidate, their coffers are full of donations from crypto-millionaires and climate deniers – they have a twisted social media algorithm on their side, serving up misinformation and lies on people’s feeds day after day.

But in the Green Party we have something Reform doesn’t: people power. 

We have thousands upon thousands of committed, inspired and passionate people across the country of all ages and from all backgrounds, with one common goal: to change this country for the better. 

I see it every week when I’m campaigning in local areas – the energy of this movement is unstoppable – and with Labour a busted flush, we’re the only ones able to take Farage and Goodwin on. 

Make no mistake – this by-election is a pivotal moment for this country. If we don’t fight hard, we’ll see the election of a dangerous charlatan – and a victory for the politics of hate. 

But if we win, February 26 will mark a turning point – away from the dark path Reform are trying to take us down, and towards the kind of country people really want: hopeful, united, and strong.

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing [email protected]. 

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