Socialism with a human face: The politics of Polanski and Mamdani

There was something in the air back then, a kind of ordinary hope… I’m not sure we feel like that anymore…

These were the powerful words spoken by the new leader of the Green Party, Zack Polanski, in his first national television broadcast. In the Anglo-American world, the period between the end of the Cold War and the 2008 financial crisis was indeed a hopeful time: a perfect equilibrium between stable economics and the hegemony of liberal democracy. Fast-forward to today, and things have changed. Free-market capitalism has been turned against consumers through tax hikes and public spending cuts. All the while, the monumental rise of right-wing populists across the developed world has placed more strain on democratic institutionalism than ever before. 

The focus of Polanski and Mamdani’s campaigns has been centred on tackling inequality and high cost of living for the average individual

These are challenges that the politics of the status quo could never deal with or prevent. Those at the top demand the protection of the very system they benefit from above all else, bailing out big banks from a crisis induced by the finance industry itself, while continuing to give the very richest in society a low-tax playground. The truth is that the Anglo-American public already began to realise this as early as 2015. Figures like Bernie Sanders and Jeremy Corbyn emerged to take the centre-left consensus in a more radical direction, preparing to pry open the proverbial chest to lift the population out of financial hardship. They were shot down, not in instantaneous murder, but in a slow, grinding assault of political deadlock and delegitimisation, which pushed the would-be pioneers of a new wave of leftist politics to the fringes. It was ultimately these same hands of capital that compelled their so-called political partners to twist the knife. 

Only now are we seeing this opposition finally make a resurgence. Enter Zack Polanski and Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for Mayor of New York City (NYC). In many ways, they echo the tactics of their predecessors. The focus of Polanski and Mamdani’s campaigns has been centred on tackling inequality and the high cost of living for the average individual. Mamdani’s ambitions to help expand healthcare insurance to all in NYC and fight back against a two-tier system of insurance mirror Sanders’ 2016 proposals. Meanwhile, Polanski’s commitment to supplying more affordable homes, backed by a motion at the last Green Party conference to abolish private landlords gradually, closely mirrors Corbyn’s 2019 pledges on housing. 

Another important part of the rise of Polanski and Mamdani has been their effective use of social media campaigning

This revival of people-first policies has been paired with calls for increased taxes on the “super-rich”, those in the top 1% of earners. Polanski has rested his campaign upon the iconic slogan of “tax wealth, not work”, specifically aiming for a 1-2% tax on assets worth £10 million or more. Mamdani is slightly more ambitious, famously stating that society shouldn’t have billionaires at all. His package includes a flat 2% tax on those earning $1 million or more (this sounds unreasonable by British standards, but note that the American taxation system is far less “progressive” on average). Combined, these platforms offer a strong vision of ends, with the apparent means to achieve it. Importantly, the means spare most of the population from either further taxes or public spending cuts. 

Another important part of the rise of Polanski and Mamdani has been their effective use of social media campaigning. Mamdani employs a mix of witty yet exposing humour against his opposition, taking every chance to jab at electoral rival Andrew Cuomo and his billionaire backers. Mamdani also uses well-designed political adverts that demonstrate policies which are actionable and hold clear benefits. His video on “halalflation” demonstrates this messaging. When Mamdani gets up close to halal food vendors, the vendors themselves reveal that if the city allowed them to own their permits to sell food (something which previous mayor Eric Adams has refused to help action), meal prices would instantly drop by a few dollars. 

There is, however, one thing that both have done differently: a focus on grassroots so firm that no billionaire hands can pull them out of their soil

Polanski has also used social media to drive the same appeal Corbyn once generated. However, unlike Mamdani, Polanski has additionally sought to target those formerly on Labour’s left, disenfranchised by the rise of Starmer. Polanski is accomplishing this in a way that few other British politicians have pursued: a full-scale offensive against traditional political narratives. Alongside the issue of inequality, Polanski has sought to challenge the heavy demonisation of immigration, calling the phenomenon of the “boats” an obsession, and arguing instead that immigration is essential to enhancing the UK’s labour force. Simultaneously, he has sunk his teeth into the core of right-wing media, defending the Greens’ stances on drug legalisation, and telling Piers Morgan that women in fact could have penises, taking a clear position in favour of trans rights. This has attracted many people originally poised to join the so-called “Your Party”, which is still grappling with social conservatism among its parliamentary wing, and a less-than-ideal initial launch. 

There is, however, one thing that both have done differently: a focus on grassroots so firm that no billionaire hands can pull them out of their soil. Though the Greens are an established minor party, their politically moderate conservationist wing is relatively small. This has allowed the surge of members entering the left-environmentalist wing of the party to gain a decisive lead on policy. Most importantly, the disparity in numbers makes it far more difficult for an entrenched establishment machine to forcefully drag the Greens back to the centre.  

The politics of Polanski and Mamdani are a welcome change of pace from the dying neoliberal establishment

Certainly, while the American situation especially does not lend itself well to the rise of such forces, Mamdani’s movement has successfully leaned on the mobilisation of bottom-up funding and activism. No pseudo-Privy Council like the Democratic National Convention, which had a leading role in axing Sanders’ 2016 bid for President, has been involved in his campaign, which has instead been powered mostly by individuals. This fact is something that cannot simply be vetoed away and is a reality the Democratic Party establishment will now have to face up to, especially given that it is in one of their political strongholds. 

The politics of Polanski and Mamdani are a welcome change of pace from the dying neoliberal establishment, bringing a much-needed alternative back into the Anglo-American world, which stands up to both the ways of old and right-wing populism. It prioritises the needs of ordinary citizens, in a time where so much seems to be working against their simple desire to live a life without fear for their future. Perhaps a better question to ask now is if such hope can be maintained once they secure power. One needs no reminding that we have experienced the welfare state before, and we must properly reflect on the reasons for its collapse. Only through continual, strong and decisive action against our current capitalist orthodoxy can we secure a permanent shift in our politics, which ensures fair opportunity and decent living standards for all.