No wonder the Murdoch empire is terrified.
“As Aintree fever grips UK… And he’s off his head. Green leader Polanski in bid to ban horse racing.”
That was the front page of the Sun ahead of Grand National day.
Posting the article on social media, Polanski reminded of his plan to end “rip-off Britain” by taking back “power and wealth from those who have stolen it.”
He added how: “The Murdoch empire is terrified.”
And it’s not hard to see why.
Rather than engage seriously with Polanski’s proposal, part of a wider ethical critique of animal use in sport, Polanski’s position is dismissed as a “cranky call,” bundled together with other policies to create a portrayal of extremism rather than a coherent argument.
To reinforce the point, the paper reaches for predictable voices. Nigel Farage is quoted branding the proposal “cranky nonsense,” invoking heritage, jobs, and tradition. Tory MP Mick Timothy calls it “extreme madness,” while shadow sports minister Louie French suggests the Greens are “out of touch” with the countryside.
But perhaps even more telling is how far the article digs to build its case. A social media post by Polanski from 2024 is dug up. Then another, from way back in 2018, in which Polanski politely asked a musician to reconsider a horse logo on ethical grounds.
Meanwhile, industry figures are deployed to present horse racing as both safe and benevolent, citing low fatality rates among runners.
What’s largely absent is any meaningful engagement with the ethical argument itself, namely, whether entertainment justifies risk and exploitation of animals.
Horse racing in Britain is not just sport, it’s an economic and cultural institution worth billions, intertwined with gambling, land use, and elite social networks. Questioning it, seriously, means questioning a system of power and profit.
And that’s precisely what Polanski’s message gestures, not just animal welfare, but redistribution, regulation, and structural change.
No wonder the Murdoch empire is terrified.
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