Thursday, May 03, 2007

May days in Warsaw


It’s been the ‘long weekend’: May 1 and May 3 are national holidays in Poland, so virtually everyone takes three days off.

May 3 is Constitution Day, in celebration of Europe’s first ever written, coded constitution. It was very unlike the 250 page EU ‘constitution’ that wasn’t. A constitution has to come from grass roots pressure: the EU Constitution is coming from Eurocrat-roots pressure.

May 1 was Labour Day and an old holiday the communists were more comfortable with. This year there were a couple of marches by the Old Left and the New Left (less than a 1000 people in total). The Left is finished in Poland.

In the centre of Warsaw they had a rather lame attempt at recreating the ‘People’s Republic’ times. It could have been good, but was half hearted and rubbish.

Best thing was the giant Mis, from the very popular comedy of the same name from 1980. In the background you can see Jo Stalin’s gift to Warsaw, the Palace of Culture.

(photos by tracka/beatroot productions)

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

I respectfully disagree that the Left is finished in Poland. it's still in the hearts of many people, but these people who have hearts also have 2 (or more) jobs to make ends meet, and little time to participate in marches, and sadly - election.
they became apathetic, because the political situation is not tragic yet, but when pushed to the edge of their patience, they will act. that's our spirit.

Anonymous said...

Speak up! Vote online at www.FreeEurope.info about the future of Europe. One liner: "human development in its richest diversity" (Wilhelm von Humboldt, John Stuart Mill)

Metka by Traczka said...

photos by traczka
the "z" was missing :-)

beatroot said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
beatroot said...

No. Photos by traczka/beatroot productions, actually. And the Z was missing cause you spilt drink all over the keyboard.

beatroot said...

It’s in our hearts? Philosophers interpret the world, the point is to change it.

Something in your heart never changed anything.

Anonymous said...

BR: Something in your heart never changed anything.

<><

Any kind of change must emanate from "the heart. And any change for the better comes from that which is good in "the heart."

I sed dat. Another guy wrote:

<><

"The line seperating good and evil passes not between states or political parties, but right through every human heart"

"If only it were all so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere, insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?"

-- Alexander Solzhenitsyn

Anonymous said...

If only there were evil people somewhere, insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them.

But you can always designate some and say it was all their fault!

beatroot said...

OK. Since its political quote time:

The hope of a new politics does not lie in formulating a left-wing reply to the right-it lies in rejecting conventional political categories.’

In an individualistic culture, the narcissist is God's gift to the world. In a collectivist society, the narcissist is God's gift to the collective.
Christopher Lasch

I'd rather have a bottle in front of me, than a frontal lobotomy
Dorothy Parker

Frank Partisan said...

In the US officially May Day is Law Day (LOL).

Anonymous said...

Christopher Lasch -- a great Catlick philosopher.

Damien Moran said...

Here is a short video from TVP reporting on the parades. I wasn't in Warsaw for the week, favouring long walks in the countryside, practising the guitar, having some downtime, etc. above the demos.

It's sad that the day has been co-opted by the U.S. admin. as Law Day when the Chicago Haymarket massacres of 1886 provide a poignant historical reminder of the inherent conflict between the State and the bosses on the one hand and the workers on the other hand.

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