Writing for the Guardian after his defeat in the Holborn and St Pancras byelection, Polanski acknowledged the party's rapid growth meant its democratic structures needed to change, including giving leaders more responsibility for setting its political direction. His intervention marks the clearest indication yet that he believes the party's internal structures require reform.
Under the Greens' existing rules, policy is decided by members at party conference rather than by its leadership. The controversy intensified last weekend when 1,022 members representing about 0.4% of the party's total membership voted in favour of a motion declaring Zionism a form of racism and backing a single Palestinian state. The motion passed by 1,022 votes to 813, despite being opposed by four of the party's five MPs.
Polanski, who is Jewish and grew up in a Zionist household, wrote that the motion's substance "chimes with my understanding of Zionism as the ideology that underpins the displacement and genocide of Palestinians". However, he accepted criticisms of his leadership over the issue, admitting he put all his energy into the byelection and that some colleagues and members may feel "let down" by his decision not to intervene.
The vote drew criticism from the European Green party, whose position supports a two-state solution. Ellie Chowns, the Greens' Westminster leader, said the party must not become "capture by extremists and racists", arguing the vote demonstrated the urgent need to modernise its policymaking structures.
Polanski questioned whether political parties should seek to define what members believe, in his strongest criticism yet of a motion that has provoked bitter divisions and calls for his resignation. He wrote that the party's democracy must evolve to create wider engagement for members and make processes more robust and accessible.