{"id":57965,"date":"2026-03-26T15:28:59","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T15:28:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk\/gairrhydd\/?p=57965"},"modified":"2026-03-26T15:35:34","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T15:35:34","slug":"zack-polanski-speaks-at-the-great-hall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk\/gairrhydd\/news\/zack-polanski-speaks-at-the-great-hall\/","title":{"rendered":"Zack Polanski Speaks at The Great Hall"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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By Oliver Hanlon<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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On 14 March, Green Party leader Zack Polanski arrived for an in-conversation event hosted by BAFTA-winning actress Rakie Ayola in the Great Hall of Cardiff Students\u2019 Union. <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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The evening began with Polanski being interviewed by Ayola on policy and activism, followed by a second half featuring Cardiff Senedd candidates Tessa Marshall and Anthony Slaughter, leader of the Greens in Wales. The message was clearly tailored to a young, student-heavy crowd.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Inevitably, significant time in the conversation was given to the current student loans scandal. To illustrate his point, Polanski used the example of the co-chair of the Young Greens, who had recently graduated from university with a debt of \u00a368,000. \u201cTwo years later, they now have \u00a371,000 worth of debt. It\u2019s just going up and up and up,\u201d he noted.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Polanksi with Anthont Slaughter, Leader of the Greens in Wales and Senedd Candidate Tessa Marshall<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Polanski argued for urgent reform: \u201cIt\u2019s really important, especially for those people on Plan 2 loans, that we reverse the freeze on the threshold that\u2019s dragging people into it. We must adjust the repayment rate, and we need to lead a conversation about what debt forgiveness looks like.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Polanski also commented on a decline in course quality, citing his own drama degree at Aberystwyth. Using this as an example of the effect of budget cuts, he stated: \u201cTwo years, I think, after I left, the cuts absolutely decimated that course.<\/span><\/p>\n

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“That entire year [the practical third year] got removed\u2026 teaching hours have been cut.\u201d He added that teachers are now forced to work \u201cincredible hours\u2026 because counsellors have been cut [and] mental health support has been cut\u201d, leaving students with less support despite rising costs.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Ayola chimed in with her own experiences of attending drama school on \u201ca full grant\u201d, stating, \u201cWho wants, whatever it is, a \u00a330,000 loan to train to be an actor? How many people can afford to do that?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Polanski then defended arts and humanities degrees, directly challenging the \u201cMickey Mouse\u201d label frequently used by critics. He described the phrase as \u201cvery offensive\u201d, arguing that it pushes a narrow worldview where \u201cnothing else matters\u201d except traditional STEM subjects.<\/span><\/p>\n

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He warned that making creative education financially inaccessible creates a barrier where only those with existing wealth can participate. \u201cIt is a privilege to be able to get into the arts now,\u201d he said, noting that this shift restricts democratic discourse.<\/span><\/p>\n

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He argued that representation is being squeezed into a \u201cvery narrow box of what\u2019s acceptable discourse, which maintains the status quo and never challenges power.\u201d While shows like Succession<\/em> or Downton Abbey<\/em> are popular, Polanski pointed out they focus on the elite, asking the audience, \u201cWhere have the working-class stories gone?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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He also challenged the political obsession with \u201cworking people\u201d. Polanski argued that this narrow focus ignores large sections of society, asking the audience, \u201cWhat about people who are unemployed? What about people who are disabled and not working?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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He proposed that the country needs a conversation about the \u201clove of not working\u201d, suggesting that individuals should have the \u201cfreedom\u201d to choose periods of non-work to \u201clive their lives, experience things, create art or music\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

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He questioned the morality of a system where a person\u2019s worth is tied solely to \u201cearning a living\u201d and argued for a society that is \u201cokay\u201d with the choice not to work.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Addressing the challenge of escaping \u201cecho chambers\u201d, Polanski identified right-wing think tanks and media platforms as primary obstacles.<\/span><\/p>\n

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He argued that current discourse is restricted to a \u201cvery narrow box\u201d designed to ensure the public never challenges power. To pierce this barrier, he advocated for \u201cpowerful storytelling\u201d to reach those who are angry and despairing.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cWe need to empower artists and creatives\u2026 to tell the stories that get people in the heart,\u201d he explained, asserting that it is only through these creative voices that society can \u201creclaim the imagination necessary to believe that a different, better world is actually possible.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Tessa Marshall addressed the \u201cdoom loop\u201d of recurring crises, asserting that young people \u201cdon\u2019t have to just live through this\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Sharing her experience with reproductive rights at age fifteen, she warned that \u201crights can be given and rights can be taken away\u201d, vowing to confront transphobia and sexism in the Senedd.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Slaughter framed the election as a \u201cscrap\u201d between the Greens and Reform UK, stating that \u201cevery single Green vote you make is a vote to stop Reform\u201d. Polanski concluded by issuing a direct call for the audience to join the Green Party, even if they were not in total agreement with every policy.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cIf you disagree with me, join us,\u201d he told the Great Hall, urging them to reject political cynicism. He left the audience with a final metaphor: \u201cIf ever you think you\u2019re too small to make a difference, then be a mosquito inside a tent.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Oliver Hanlon On 14 March, Green Party leader Zack Polanski arrived for an in-conversation event hosted by BAFTA-winning actress Rakie Ayola in the Great Hall of Cardiff Students\u2019 Union. The evening began with Polanski being interviewed by Ayola on policy and activism, followed by a second half featuring Cardiff Senedd candidates Tessa Marshall and Anthony Slaughter, leader of the Greens in Wales. The message … Continue reading Zack Polanski Speaks at The Great Hall<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":509,"featured_media":57967,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":false,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"","_twitter_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type":"","_pinterest_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"","_medium_share_type":"","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[8286],"tags":[285,288,2772,5434,9051],"class_list":["post-57965","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-cardiff-students-union","tag-cardiff-university","tag-green-party","tag-green-party-wales","tag-zack-polanski"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nZack Polanski Speaks at The Great Hall - Gair Rhydd<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk\/gairrhydd\/news\/zack-polanski-speaks-at-the-great-hall\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Zack Polanski Speaks at The Great Hall - Gair Rhydd\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Oliver Hanlon On 14 March, Green Party leader Zack Polanski arrived for an in-conversation event hosted by BAFTA-winning actress Rakie Ayola in the Great Hall of Cardiff Students\u2019 Union. 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in Chief","author_link":"https:\/\/cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk\/gairrhydd\/author\/editorinchief\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Oliver Hanlon On 14 March, Green Party leader Zack Polanski arrived for an in-conversation event hosted by BAFTA-winning actress Rakie Ayola in the Great Hall of Cardiff Students\u2019 Union. The evening began with Polanski being interviewed by Ayola on policy and activism, followed by a second half featuring Cardiff Senedd candidates Tessa Marshall and…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk\/gairrhydd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57965","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk\/gairrhydd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk\/gairrhydd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk\/gairrhydd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/509"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk\/gairrhydd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57965"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk\/gairrhydd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57965\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":57971,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk\/gairrhydd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57965\/revisions\/57971"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk\/gairrhydd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57967"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk\/gairrhydd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57965"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk\/gairrhydd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57965"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk\/gairrhydd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57965"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}