No single organisation can deliver the change that socialists want. As Nigel Farage has shown, politics has to be ruthlessly tactical For the long-marginalised British left, parliamentary byelections aren’t usually cause for much excitement. But Gorton and Denton is different. Polls, bookmakers and tactical-voting websites name the Greens as the close-run favourites, and thousands of activists have been knocking on doors for “ Hannah the plumber ”, a popular local councillor and proud owner of four beautiful greyhounds. What is particularly interesting about this week’s byelection is that it represents a politics of competing populisms that bypasses the classic Labour-Tory duopoly, with the Greens and Reform UK thrashing it out to be the rising force to take on the political establishment. It is also the first time the Greens have looked like a majoritarian political project. Hannah Spencer didn’t go to university and isn’t part of the professional classes. She defies the typical image of a Green candidate and has the potential to reach beyond their usual voters. As left parties across Europe struggle to attract non-graduates, and politics becomes more polarised, running candidates such as Spencer – who in many ways conforms to Reform’s idealised image of Britain – is a powerful move. If the Green party leader Zack Polanski is serious about taking on Reform and replacing Labour as the left-of-centre party, he will need to contend with an electoral system that privileges small-town and rural seats. Running more Spencers must be part of the plan. Continue reading...