Oh dear, it’s all looking a bit glum for Zack Polanski. A string of headlines about both him and his party has been less than flattering. It’s beginning to twig in some quarters that the Greens aren’t just a cuddly group who want to make sure that nature gets a fair hearing – sort of like the National Trust, but less left-wing. Rather, they appear to be a much more extreme political force.

There can be no doubt that Mr Polanski has been transformative for the Greens – it is under his leadership that they have metamorphosed from run-of-the-mill lentil-botherers into a sort of Home Counties Hezbollah. Marrying Maoism to the Mullahs ought not to work electorally, but hey, it’s 21st-century Britain, so nothing ought to surprise us. However, what does seem to surprise Mr Polanski is that his new-found polling success unfortunately means he actually has to face scrutiny.

Robinson succeeded in baiting out the real Polanski; scratchy, irritable and out of his depth

Robinson succeeded in baiting out the real Polanski; scratchy, irritable and out of his depth

A slot on the Today programme beckoned, and a grilling from Nick Robinson, who began with the claim of Polanski’s that he was a spokesman for the Red Cross. Like much of what he has stated about his past, this has transpired to be false. It turns out that he actually just spoke to people about the Red Cross. Having had a........

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