Zack Polanski is Britain’s first digital-native party leader

Our analysis of his “likes” on Bluesky shows how the eco-populist bristles at criticism

If you say “bloody Mary” three times in front of a mirror, a ghostly woman (Mary) will appear. So goes the popular children’s folklore. (Spooky!) Likewise, if you post the words “Zack Polanski” on Bluesky, a microblogging site, you might just summon the leader of Britain’s Green Party. (Even spookier!)

This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Chronically online”

From the May 2nd 2026 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Hate Labour? Vote Labour!

Makerfield and the new politics of paradox

Labour’s “battle for ideas” is a skirmish over small differences

And it ducks the questions that matter most

Britain’s second-biggest city goes from dysfunctional to worse

Once the best-governed city in the world

Why football attendance is booming outside the Premier League

Prices push, purism pulls

The legal case hanging over Man City and the Premier League

Loud shouts for a penalty

In football, Britain has a world-beating industry

Many things in the country aren’t working. The Premier League is