Such A 'Piece Of Nothing' That You Felt Compelled To Write A Column About It

I refer, of course, to the past that haunts Green party leader Zack Polanski. As his star has risen, so have the number of people ready to share their opinion on why they would never vote for him. I’ve met Greens who deplore his focus on social justice, considering it fatally undermining of the real cause, which is environmentalism. ... But then there are the people who would never vote Green because of that time in 2013, and I’m going to run through the details in full, because a lot of these Green refuseniks are hazy on them; they just know that it happened, and it gives them the ick. At that time Polanski was a hypnotherapist, and a Sun journalist approached him wanting to know if she could “boost cup with mind”.

Ah, it was that cunning 'Sun' journalist that done poor David wrong, is that the line that you're taking, Zoe?

As a twist of fate, then, it is staggering, but as an indication of Polanski’s character, it is a frippery. He wasn’t touting his services as a boob-magician. He was just a hypnotherapist being polite to a client with very strong motivation in that area. I guess the ideal hypnotherapist-later-progressive-politician response would have been: “No, the power of the mind won’t help you here, and anyway, you’re fine as you are and your insecurity is just internalised patriarchal oppression.” But we are where we are, and this story is a piece of nothing.

Well, sure, that's why you've used your column to leap to his defence, with the claim that he's just naive, not a chancer on the make. 'Stand by your man' isn't just a song it's a political statement for you then.