A week is a long time in Polish politics

It was the old British prime minister, Harold Wilson, who said ‘A week is a long time in politics’: he should have come to Poland.

It’s all been going off here.

Police raided the house of ex-construction minister in the previous SLD government, Barbara Blida, investigating allegations she had been involved in corruption when allocating building contracts. Blida went to the toilet, accompanied by a female police officer, when, somehow, she put a hand in a drawer in the bathroom, pulled out a gun and shot herself dead through the chest.

What had she been up to as minister of construction in that sleaze ridden, ex-communist government? How was she allowed to get hold of a gun when under police supervision? What was a gun doing in her bathroom in the first place?

Jurek and church

Only a few days ago, Marek Jurek announced, with a flourish, that he was resigning the powerful position of Speaker of Parliament, leaving the government and leaving the ruling Law and Justice party (see previous post)to set up his own party – the Polish Right.

Quite apart from the fact that Jurek’s Polish Right would not be ‘Right’ at all – it would be much the same as the current government: a conservative leftish party (a marriage made in hell) – we already have one of those nationalist-conservative grouping: the barmy League of Polish Families.

So the ‘right’ looked set to split and split again, and so split the ‘right’ vote in the process.

But now the talk is of Jurek rejoining Law and Justice. Maybe. But maybe not.

A week is a long time in the politics of Marek Jurek. But what has changed his mind and tempted him back with his old mates?

Cue – stage right – the entry of the good old Polish Catholic Church, which has been trying to mediate between Jurek and the Kaczynski government. Why? Because the church does not want further splintering of the rightwing (read ‘conservative-left) in Poland in case the real Left or secular liberals get in power.

That the Church thinks it has a role in Polish politics is a scandal. If Jurek does come back then I think quite a few Poles will vote in a way that will make the cardinals cry into their pulpits.

How to become exempt from lustration in Poland?

Become a Catholic.

I have had to go through the ‘auto-lustration’ process. Everyone who works in the media here, and born before 1972, has to sign a form saying that he, ''Is not aware or conscious of the fact that he worked for the Polish communist secret service.’

Me, a root vegetable from south London, a Polish communist spy?

I spent most of the 1980s half conscious in some university student bar near the Elephant and Castle.. So how would I know if, unaware to myself, the conscious half of my brain had been spying for the Polish communists, or any other communists, for that matter?

I signed this nonsense. I would have gotten in trouble, and my boss would have gotten in bigger trouble, if I had not. So I did.

But it appears that employees of anything to do with the Polish Catholic Church are exempt from the lustration process, because of the Concordat signed between the Vatican and the Polish state.

So the government thinks that I am a greater potential threat to Poland than some Polish Catholic university lecturer.

A week is not just a long time in Polish politics, it's a very weird week, as well.

Bush asked to come to Poland

The Polish government must be desperate.

So contentious is the planting of US anti-missile systems in Poland that the government has asked George W. Bush to come to Warsaw in the summer and sell the idea to the electorate.

That Bush can be seen in the eyes of the Kaczynski’s as an asset in winning any battles shows that they are a little detached from political reality.

But no matter – the government has its own way to hold together its support in the country – hounding out a communists and ‘collaborators’ left in the secret services, media etc, always does the trick.

While a majority of Poles are against the idea of having an anti-missile base here, around 60% support the government’s attempt to finish off the Solidarity revolution by kicking the old guard out of the public services.

So at a time when the Kaczynski administration is fraying at the edges, with bits falling off it from resignations, etc, and when no real progress is being made at making the public services more cost efficient for the poor bastards that have to pay for it, a bit of commie bashing always comes in useful.

But will Bush come in useful as an anti-missile base traveling salesman? That’s…er...a tricky one…

More?
According To Polish Prime Minister Democracy Is Not Functioning In Full, Polish Outlook

The mysterious resignation of Ludwik Dorn

The now ex-minister of the interior takes everyone by surprise.

With a cabinet re-shuffle imminent, Minister of the Interior, sociologist (and writer of children’s books!) Ludwik Dorn decided to resign.

The reason? “Disagreement on certain issue,” with Prime Minister, Jaroslaw Kaczynski.

Journalists, disorientated by yet another resignation only a couple of days aft, resignationser Radek Sikorski resigned as defense minister - also citing ‘differences with the PM’ - grilled Dorn for what these ‘disagreements’ were over, but to no avail. Dorn was keeping his mouth shut...for now.

He is staying on as one of the government’s many vice-prime ministers, however.

Speculation on what’s going on here welcome.

Sikorski to leave government?

He always was a fish out of water.

It’s been reported this morning that Defense Minister Radek Sikorski will be leaving his post as Defense Minister in the Polish government. The rumour is that there is conflict with the vice defense minister Antoni Macierewicz.

There is also talk within government ranks that he is ‘acting as a foreign minister within the defense department. If that is true then to wonder: the present foreign secretary, Anna Fotyga is completely useless.

There is also another weird rumour that the government will be ‘looking into the immigration history of Sikorski’. Don’t know what that means, but Sikorski was an exile during the 1980s in the UK and US.

So it appears that the government will be losing the only internationally respected politician it has. But it’s good for Sikorski – he always was a little too good to be in the same company as Law and Justice.

Monkey in red

No, it’s not the new single by Chris de Burgh. It’s Lech Kaczynski’s least favourite Brussels correspondent.

The Sunday political talk shows are still going on about a comment President Kaczynski made Thursday when he was in Brussels on EU business.

As his previous answer towards the end of a press conference was being translated into English – and seemingly unaware that the microphone in front of him was still live – the following exchange was clearly heard between Kaczynski and his Under Secretary of State Anndrzej Krawczyk:

Krawczyk: Do you want to take another question?

Kaczynski: One more question – but not from that monkey in red [referring to TVN 24 journalist Inga Rosińska – photo above]

Krawczyk: Pardon?

Kaczynski: Not that in red.

For obvious reasons TVN 24 is not this government’s favourite TV channel.

Journalists have been outraged by this here, and are still banging on about it three days later. But I am sure Inga has thicker skin than that.

The incident brings to mind when George W. Bush was on the campaign trail before the 2000 presidential elections in the US when, once again in front of a live mic that he thought was turned off, he turned to Dick Chaney and said:

“"There's [liberal New York Times journalist] Adam Clymer - major league asshole…”

What’s interesting is that both Kaczynski and Bush refused to apologize for the boobs, complaining that they were sorry that a private remark had been made public.

But words in front of an open microphone at a public press conference do NOT a ‘private conversation’ make, Mr. Presidents…

In his non-apology Kaczynski did emphasis that his use of the word ‘monkey’ was not meant to be a comment on the way the TVN journalist looks, who, he said with chivalry, “Is a very attractive women.”

So maybe if Kaczynski does fancy making a quick cover of the old Chris de Burgh...er...classic,…then he could just get it into the shops before Christmas.

I've never seen you looking so lovely as you did tonight
I've never seen you shine so bright
I have never seen that dress you're wearing
Or the highlights in your hair that catch your eyes
I have been blind

The monkey in red
Is dancing with me
Cheek to cheek……

President Kaczynski goes to London

He’s met with Tony Blair and my dear Queen, Lizzie II.

It's part of a three day visit ending Thursday. But how’s the visit going? Well here are two reports.

The first is from Radio Polonia:

The London visit of the Polish head of state has been seen as a very fruitful and friendly one...In fact it is said that Lech Kaczynski did not have such friendly talks with any other officials during his foreign trips as he did with PM Tony Blair. Both politicians underlined they shared common opinions and stand on matters concerning the EU and NATO as well as energy security.

And now look at this report from thisislondon.co.uk. Notice any difference?

‘Thousands of 'feckless' Poles are raking in unemployment benefits back home while doing 'very nicely' out of the British economy, according to the Polish President [!!?].

Lech Kaczynski also said Britain has become the 'destination of choice' for many of his countrymen, who have ended up jobless and homeless here.

He was flanked by Tony Blair as he made the remarks, which had to be translated into English before the Prime Minister realised he had been acutely embarrassed on his own doorstep.

Er...eh? Must be two different visits they are reporting. Or maybe Blair was being friendly when he was being embarrassed?

The full transcript of the press conference at Number 10 shows that Kaczynski was responding to a question from the press about what to do with the number of homeless and jobless Poles in Britain. He was also asked if he enjoyed his English Breakfast:

I did enjoy the English breakfast very much, yes, although it was a bit too hearty for me, a bit copious. The hotel is also exquisite, very well located in a wonderful part of London, close to Buckingham Palace. As regards unemployed Poles and homeless Poles in London and the UK, I believe that there are a number of people, not only from Poland but from other countries from the new European Union who are helpless or feckless naturally, but they seek a better life, they go abroad and currently the UK has become a destination of choice for such individuals. Poland does not shirk responsibility for its own citizens. We are aware that this problem exists, we are aware that there are people who aren't doing very well in life but this is something you find in all society. Poland does not seek to avoid its share of the responsibility. We know that there are those who have succeeded in the UK, who have jobs, who are doing very well thank you considering especially the differences between the wages in the UK and in Poland. But these people are registered as unemployed in Poland, so they are living a fiction and they are raising the unemployment figures in Poland while they are doing very nicely here in the UK and their unemployment benefits should rightly be sent to London. And this is something that we would like to do without, but like I said Poland is not avoiding its share of the burden.

Not so unreasonable. Blair responded:

...the vast majority of Polish people that come and work here are working very hard, they are very well regarded and on the whole as I find, and as I think most people do certainly in a city like London, they are both well respected and well liked.

The first report may have dodged the issue altogether, but the other reports are politically motivated, by the usual suspects in the British press, who are trying to stir it up all they can.

More?
Polish president blasts 'feckless' countrymen who flock to UK, Yorkshire Post
Leader in Poles Rap, Daily Mirror

Polish politics: confused? You ought to be

With a general election only weeks away, and a presidential election early next month, you will often be hearing descriptions of the various political parties as either being right, left, liberal, moderate and so on. But these labels in Poland can be very confusing. (pictured: Andrzej Lepper, Samoobrona)

Take, for example, the leading political party in most of the opinion polls at the moment, Civic Platform. I have seen them variously described as liberal, centrist, center/right, rightist, and even neo-conservative.

The term ‘liberal’ is doubly confusing as it means different things on different sides of the Atlantic. In the United States ‘liberal’ is generally seen as being left of center. To an American right-winger, a liberal is a ‘pinko’ who believes in Big Government. During the McCarthy trials in the nineteen fifties a liberal was a communist (although we should remember that having a significant amount of facial hair in nineteen fifties made you a communist in America).

In Europe, however, a liberal means someone who believes that the government should stay out of most areas of public and private life. To ‘liberalize’ the economy means to roll back state intervention. A liberal in Europe can mean a right-winger who believes in small government.

But what does a ‘neo-conservative’ mean? Does this mean Civic Platform is Poland’s first party of neo-cons? Does this mean that Civic Platform share the foreign policy ideology of a Paul Wolfewitz and Donald Rumsfeld, for example (and are they planning to invade Belerus)? And if they do share this view of the world, then how does that make Civic Platform ‘moderate-centrists?

If you actually take look at Civic Platform’s manifesto it basically consist of liberal (in the European meaning of the term) economic policies – meaning increasing the rate of privatization, and a low, flat tax policy – an idea attractive in many ex-communist countries. But on social issues the ‘liberal’ Civic Platform is relatively conservative – they do not propose to ‘liberalize’ Poland’s very restrictive abortion laws, for instance.

Liberal, free market economics, plus social conservatism are actually policies associated with Margaret Thatcher in her prime in the nineteen eighties. And if you called Maggie Thatcher a centrist-moderate, or even a center-rightist in those days she would have given you a sharp crack over the head with her handbag. Thatcher was a radical right-winger. Period.

Civic Platform, in the Polish context, is often called center-rightist or moderates, but in any other context they would be thought of as simply rightwing.

Confused yet? Well, it gets worse.

Take what have been called the ‘far-right’ League of Polish Families. These are ‘christian nationalists’, with a nationalist pedigree that goes back to the nineteen thirties. Historian Norman Davies has described The League of Polish Families nationalist, forbears as ‘professional anti-Semites.’ So they do sound like typical far-rightists in their choice of prejudices.

But when the League of Polish Families was set up as a political party a few years ago I saw them labeled as ‘christian left’ – whatever that means. For sure, their policies are based on an interpretation of Polish social Catholicism, are isolationists – they hate the EU, for example, as they think that Poland will become inundated with social liberals (in both the American and European meaning), abortionists and gays and lesbians. They also want to restrict the amount of foreign capital in Poland.

So are they left, or right?

The Law and Justice party was set up by the Kaczynski twins, Lech and Jaroslaw. They have been described as ‘conservative’, ‘right wing’, or even, sometimes, ‘center/right’. They have promised to be tough on crime and criminals, even going as far as to bring back the death penalty. These types of anti-crime policies are usually associated with the political right. Economically – and here’s the twist - Law and Justice are, if anything, to the left of the so-called ‘centrist’ Civic Platform, but to the right of the so-called ‘christian leftists’, the League of Polish Families.

Agrarian populism

Another grouping you will hear of in the coming few weeks is Samoobrona – or SelfDefence, led by the political bullyboy, Andrzej Lepper. This was set up as a kind of farmer’s trade union, protesting against all sorts of things, from liberalization and increased competition from agriculture outside of Poland, to attacks on farming subsidies, etc. At a loss to where to put this lot’s political orientation, journalists have turned to the catchall label of populist.

Populism – which can be either left or rightwing - usually refers to a rhetorical style that appeals to the ‘common sense’ of the electorate and the average man or woman in the street. It asserts that the political elite is corrupt and self-serving and needs to be overthrown by people with ‘common sense’. It also usually incorporates a bit of racism or nationalism thrown in for good measure.

This does describe SelfDefence quite well, but populism is also a label that could be applied to many of the political parties in Poland.

Except, that is, to the Social Democratic Left – a party that was formed out of the old Polish communist party. Policy wise these are basically social democrats, but they are the ones who are being accused of being the self-serving corrupt elite by the populist parties. Law and Justice and League of Polish Families pledge to purge the ex-communists, not just from government, but from the civil service, many other quasi-governmental organizations, the secret service, and so on.

Consequently, in Poland, how far a political party can be described as ‘rightwing’ really comes down to how much they hate the ex-communists.

At a time when left and right are all but loosing their meaning in the west, in Poland, where these labels are quite new to the political scene, they are all but useless. Politics in ex-communist countries is peculiar to ex-communist countries. So using the terminology of left, right, etc, has little meaning outside of the country where the terms are being used.

But journalists will still be using them. And if you think that you are confused by Polish politics, spare a thought for the poor old Polish voter who will have to choose where to put their tick beside a name of a party, or individual, that could labeled as either liberal, centrist, rightists, moderate, neo-conservative, or all of them simultaneously.

And people wonder why turnout in Poland is so low!

A shortened version of this article can be found at the Radio Polonia web site