In our country, you can receive precisely the same political events in 2 main ways, which are completely different – “and I think it’s (not) beautiful”. Almost the full Polish public debate can be brought to a single pattern: opposition supporters to the left of the PiS justice x; PiS supporters justice y; x never equals y. There are exceptions, but they are uncommon and marginal, so you can easy skip them.
The most fresh example of this madness is the discussion about the European Commission's decision to approve the revision of the Polish KPO, which was extended to include a chapter on REPowerEU - the EU's plan to become independent of fossil fuels, especially from Russia. Thanks to the approval to Poland, it can shortly scope EUR 5 billion. These will be advances for the implementation of an additional chapter, which are not subject to prior reforms.
The government submitted a request for approval of the revision of the Polish KPO in August. As the word itself indicates, it was a clerical government. However, the decision was made after the opposition triumph in the election and the process of removing the Law and Justice from power began. That way, everyone can consider it proof of their own. The KO promised that it would “get” money from the KPO actually the day after the election, so 5 billion euro advance was rapidly credited to itself.
Boris Budka asked on whose merit these 5 billion are, he replied: “The European Union sees that the regulation of law will be restored in Poland”. Most of the opposition speaks in this spirit. "European effects of a democratic majority in Poland. Over PLN 22 billion unlocked under the KPO, and this is only the beginning" – wrote Carefree MP of the Left Thomas Trela.
Writers the another way around. "This is not Tusk's mythical actions. This is thanks to the Morawiecki government” – stated Minister Puda on Polish Radio. "The European Commission has positively assessed the KPO – yes, the 1 adopted by the government of Mateusz Morawiecki" – while wrote the Euro MP of PiS Zdzisław Krasnodębski.
The debate about the Polish KPO is so primitive that the hands should drop. They do not fall down, for, in fact, any another discussion takes place over the Vistula River according to this scheme. The dispute over the KPO is emblematic – it focuses all the sins of the main public debate in the country. Here they are, in 5 points.
It's about money.
The National Reconstruction Plan is immense reform package, which aims to modernise associate States to make them immune to future crises – health, environmental, energy, economical and all others. The money active is intended to make it easier for countries to accomplish their objectives, which vary according to the situation in the country concerned. This implementation of these reforms is simply a fundamental objective, not money. The second are an instrument.
Meanwhile, in Poland no 1 actually talks about the reforms in KPO. The full debate is about money and, above all, its lack. No 1 accounts for the Law and Justice that they did not introduce the amendments contained in the KPO, specified as the amendment of the Windmill Act or the Spatial Planning Act. The first 1 inactive hasn't been passed, and the second 1 had a fewer months slip. The Law and Justice Office is accounted for "not getting the money."
"There will be no discussion, no objections. First money from KPO for Poland is getting closer" – we read in header TVN24. The full debate on European integration is similar. The axis of the dispute is whether the EU funds coming to Poland are higher or lower than the financial resources that Poland could gain by remaining outside the structures of the European Union (customs, no necessity to pay contributions, etc.).
The discussion on another economical and social issues is similar. Changes in labour law are discussed primarily from the "how much this will cost employers". taxation reductions are commented on euphoricly "in the pockets of Poles will be PLN X billion". It is irrelevant in whose pockets precisely and from which they will be taken.
The Dominant Form of Content
The omission of reforms contained in KPO is not only a consequence of the general fixation of Poles and Poles on the issue of money, but besides the treatment of substantive issues as a secondary and actually unnecessary supplement. The Polish public debate is not an ideological dispute, but a dispute of political or organization sympathy, supplemented by peculiar interests. Conservatives, liberals, and left-wingers do not clash here, but supporters of individual parties. The content of the policy, which is to change reality in the chosen direction, is ignored, as the substantive issues in Poland are liquid and treated purely instrumentally.
PiS is now an anti-German organization of the lower and lower mediate classes and provinces, as it is presently beneficial for them. In the 1990s, the Centre's agreement (the first group of Kaczyński brothers) wanted to build a Polish version of the German chades and aimed alternatively at the large-town mediate class. In 2005-07 it represented the interests of tiny and medium-sized entrepreneurs, which was reflected in the changes introduced by the Polish Margaret Thatcher, or Zyta Gilowska, who abolished the advanced PIT rate of 40%. The introduction of a linear PIT and a single VAT rate ran out of time.
Donald Tusk has opinions dependent on the interviewer. He could be a liberal, a social democrat, a feminist, a Catholic, whatever. It's just about making the right impression. Besides, the full liberal public is completely Labalous of its views. Until recently, she was taking the "lawfulness" on banners, now she would be happy to dismiss the President, or at least regulation by resolutions alternatively of laws.
Stupid. written by Giertych are accepted as interesting ideas. Within a period there was besides a extremist change in the situation on the border with Belarus, where even late the Law and Justice Office actually murdered people. "After 2 years of writing about migration and the crisis at the border, I have no uncertainty that we are producing false knowledge" – She wrote Margaret Tomczak in “Gazeta Wyborcza, creating the right atmosphere for doing the same, only by Tusk.
Therefore, the media mainstream does not discuss the details of the individual cases, but their surroundings. It's about who's going to make their own money and who's going to win. This is competition in a clean state, it doesn't substance what we play for – it's about victory.
Media material on the probability of getting money from the KPO was inconsequential; all tiny message by von der Leyen or Minister of Buda was discussed, and now Puda. If at least half of this energy were utilized to discuss individual chapters of the KPO, the public could learn a very detailed image of the plan itself – the question of whether anyone expects it.
Enrolment in polarization
It is no accident that the debate on the Polish KPO was brought to improvement the judiciary. 1 can get the impression that the KPO contains only ‘restore the regulation of law’. In the meantime, I can mention 5 issues in the KPO which are more crucial or at least as crucial as repairing the broken by the Zionists of the judiciary. In our country, quite a few things truly request to be fixed as shortly as possible.
The regulation of law has become the axis of the dispute over "money from the KPO" as it is besides a symbol of the war fought between the Law and the Anti-PiS. The assassination of the regulation of law is simply a symbol of the authoritarian power of Kaczyński for the hard electorate of liberal opposition. For a hard PiS electorate this password is utilized by European Union and its national supporters to introduce German oppression over the Vistula. By bringing the debate on KPO to the regulation of law, both parties can banally simply mobilise supporters.
The topics of popularisation of collective agreements, order of spatial chaos or communication exclusion, very crucial in KPO, are completely unattractive in this respect. The commentary active does not have a circumstantial opinion on this, he could only without conviction repeat what Tusk or Kaczyński will say. To build around this "polarized energy", besides much organic work would should be done.
Party business above all
During this year's election campaign, Polish politicians proved that they were able to do anything that could bring them any insignificant political benefit. In order to gain support, the 2 main parties even played the issue of immigration without looking at specified a tiny thing as the safety of hundreds of thousands of abroad workers and 1 and a half million refugees.
In the same way, the issue of "money from KPO" was addressed. The Law and Justice Department argued that the suspension of funds was politically motivated. The EU is governed by socialists and chadets who hatred the Kaczyński Party, but they quietly support the European People's organization (EPP) Platform.
And the PO said precisely the same thing. Tusk argued that he would make money from KPO the second day after the election victory. He'll go to his best friend from EPP von der Leyen, have coffee, study the occupation and come back with a suitcase of money. That's how you do it, suckers.
It is so no wonder that the most Eurosceptic part of the political scene is highly happy today, as it has its confirmation too. "All our KPO warnings have been confirmed. The conditionality mechanics is simply a whip against sovereign countries to force their approval to transform the EU into a single European country" – stated Zbigniew Ziobro.
Those more moderate, reasonably conservatives have besides come to see this. "PiS has not been able to get a eurocent for a long time, now we have billions. Of course, the substance is purely procedural and not at all related to the fight for power in Poland" – wrote Head of the fresh Confederation Bartłomiej Radziejewski.
I went crazy myself and had to see how long it took to approve the revision of the KPO supplemented with REPowerEU for another countries. For Poland, this lasted 3 months – from August to November. France received approval in 2 months – it submitted an application in April and received a affirmative decision in June. In the case of Spain, however, this lasted almost 4 months (June-October) – likewise to Portugal (May-September). If the PiS had filed a proposal in the spring, these advances could thus have easy affected before the election.
How will this discussion affect the pro-European sentiments of the Vistula River? After all, the Liberals themselves have in a way confirmed the theories of the rightist about the Brussels game aimed at besides conservative Warsaw, convincing even average commentators. The right-wing majority of Poles and Poles can radicalise much more, as he will express during the upcoming European elections. Unfortunately, the position of Polish politicians reaches only the nearest election.
Elephant and Poland
Polish politicians and public opinion besides tend to treat all events in Poland as exceptional and different almost nowhere else. The difference is that the right usually boasts about them, and for liberals and lefts they are usually a origin for shame. There are besides reverse cases. For example, according to the right, Poland is the only country in the EU where the opposition seeks support in Brussels (i.e. abroad), which is apparent nonsense, and the Law and Justice Service itself sought support in Brussels erstwhile it was in opposition.
According to this scheme, there was besides a debate on KPO and more broadly, the full conflict between Brussels and Warsaw. The European Commission is constantly arguing with the associate States and will do so, due to the fact that European integration is based on these obstacles. In general, there is nothing unusual about public institutions trying to grow their influence, and this is happening everywhere, and especially in the wrongly evasive model of US democracy. The Law and Justice Department, however, argued that the EC has just taken on Poland, which has become uncomfortable, so only it blocks money so that it does not become besides strong.
The opposition willingly entered this communicative – Poland under the Law and Justice was to be the black sheep of Europe, which even average residents of Madrid, Amsterdam or Lisbon are sick of. Everyone has already spent money from KPO without any problems, only Warsaw has not received a eurocent. Of course, that is not true: by the end of August, 153 billion euros from the recovery fund came from 723 billion, for which the full plan was allocated. The payment application was not submitted together with Poland eight countries, including Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Sweden.
The debate around KPO in Poland is so destructive. It can change the pro-European attitude of the Polish society by making the communicative of the right on the Brussels game more credible. It brings European integration to the issue of money, completely ignoring its accompanying reforms and modernisation. It promotes false theories about relations within the EU. In short, she's full of deception and manipulation from both sides. But why be surprised, erstwhile the Polish public debate on all another subject looks like this?
