It has been precisely 2 years since the establishment of the coalition government led by Donald Tusk. This is simply a good time to summarize the actions of the coalition, possibly the strangest in the past of Polish parliamentaryism. Strange, due to the fact that combining what theoretically cannot be reconciled, namely conservatives and progressive liberals in the superstructure, and neoliberals and left-wingers in the base. Despite differences, whether actual or simply declared, their starry slogan was combined to remove the Law and Justice from power.
When I gave my vote 2 years ago, I knew that neoliberals could not be allowed to return to power. It was clear to me that the failure of power by the Social Law and Justice for the neoliberal Citizens' Platform would mean the continuation of the erstwhile devastating course. I experienced it on my own erstwhile I entered the adulthood period under their rule.
When the PO lost power in 2015, an interesting and unfortunately unnoticed book of Toruń sociologists, Andrzej Zybertowicz, Maciej Gurtowski and Radosław Sojak was published. The subtitle turned out to be temporary and premature, although it seemed that after specified political embarrassment Donald Tusk's return was not possible. It happened differently, due to the fact that the liberal-left heating of the anti-PiS ideology and the mistakes of the organization itself, mainly their anti-abortion-conservative departure, caused the "State of the Platform" to return to do what it has always done: to proceed a neo-liberal policy serving strong interest groups, polarally distant from national interests, both interior and external.
The predictions proved to be real, for it could not have been any different, as is apparent from a fewer facts, in fact apparent to a well - remembered observer.
Firstly, the Civic Platform and its coalitions did not have any political agenda another than “anti-PiS”. For 8 years, no meaningful program or draft laws were created in the opposition. Only promises were made without cover, and the government was constantly struck in order not to implement many crucial matters and radically change its mind, as the best example is the situation on the Polish-Belarusian border.
Secondly, nothing has changed in a structural sense on the Polish political scene for years. Even if something seems to change, change is illusory, a promise without cover. As a result, hope for a better life is lost. 2 decades earlier, after Poland's entry into the European Union, there was inactive an chance to go “to the island”, which many Liberal politicians appeared as an chance and an opportunity, although it truly was a failure of the state and did not have much to do with “recognizing another cultures”. present there is no place to go, due to the fact that everywhere is just as bad – there is no place to run from exploitation. The wind of change blows only before the election, which the governments of the current coalition are the best example.
The metaphor of the political hell of the same to usage Byung-Chul Han's wording is simply a good starting point. We are dealing with a time device that takes us to what has already been, suspending us in hell without time, no difference between erstwhile and today. present it starts to be as bad as it was erstwhile the neoliberals ruled, both Donald Tusk and Leszek Miller's "leftist" sign.
An example is all attempts to build a "third road", starting with Janusz Palikot, by Paweł Kukiz or Ryszard Petru, to Szymon Holovnia, which are always absorbed by political poles. investigation shows that a large number of Poles do not find themselves in dualism Citizen Platform v. Law and Justice, thus giving a chance to another options that have not yet ruled. The problem is that, with the exception of Paul Kukiz, the 3 remaining politicians were a back-to-back liberal camp construct designed to attract voices disappointed by the regulation of liberal anti-writers, to return these voices to Platform. So it is not possible that the 3rd way is not possible, although of course it is hard – the problem is that the 3rd roads are frequently first or second, so they are more or little openly absorbed by 1 organization to the political dispute. In another words, everything changes so that nothing changes.
The symbol of this can be the election of Włodzimierz Czarzasty as Marshal of the Sejm and the return of Mark Siwiec as Head of the Chancellery of the Sejm. It is not even about the fact that the president of the fresh Left will be a bad marshal, about his undemocratic regulation in the party, but about submission to the platformed hegemony and acting in its interest, polarally far from social tradition and from the demands of progressive worldview. A fresh Levica can be considered as the platform's addition, its branch under a different name.
After 2 years, the “Hołownia project” was besides completed, greeted with enthusiasm even with the back-headed awareness of his media narcissism and the function of TVN's setup. In an effort to win independence, the erstwhile Marshal of the Sejm refused to obey and to carry out orders from behind the scenes besides far, i.e. he refused to curse by president Karol Nawrocki, to accomplish, as he himself said, a "state attack", which he later withdrew. He will surely endure political consequences for these actions, which means he will vanish from the organization scene. There will besides be individual consequences. The second is simply a substance of his studies, which can always be drawn as a tool of force and a simultaneous message to all another allies of the platformed arrangement: there will be a hook on everyone.
Currently there is fundamentally only 1 third-way party, the Confederacy, which well reflects 1 of its passwords, or "PiS, PO – 1 evil". Its independency towards both Hegemons and the Montenegrin pseudoleft besides struggles together, which supported the Tusk government, but after 2 years left the Left club, becoming an opposition and critic of the current government. The Confederation and Together differs everything, including the size of the endorsement, although it combines this slogan, only that it is not credible for the Together.
When I cast my voice, I knew that under Donald Tusk's regulation it would be the same as it was, which means that the little wealthy will have economically worse and world-view issues are simply an electoral promise that Tusk as a Conservative will never realize, and the blame will be on the coalitions.
Is that what happened?
Of course I do, due to the fact that why wouldn't I be? Why would Tusk change? That he had changed, my friends assured me before the election. A large part of the “left” voters believed Tusk and were met with what they always did, that is, disappointment and additionally – humiliation. They were so supportive of the changes in relation to the "shell of women" and the "destroy at the border" that they got more neoliberalism. Actually, they didn't get as much as everybody got. Not only those who declaratively despise neoliberalism, but the change economically affects them to a tiny extent. It was besides presented to those who would actually bear the consequences of this choice.
Contrary to what any “left-wing publicists” and even the PiS authorities claim, Kaczyński's organization did not lose power for economical reasons but for worldview reasons. Since the judgement of the Constitutional Court, which resulted in the tightening of abortion law, namely the elimination of 1 of the grounds for legal abortion, the support for the Law and Justice Union has fallen and never regained its erstwhile state. This caused not only the departure of average voters of the worldview, the irritation of women from different social classes, besides from the folk class, but primarily mobilized the negative electorate. The opposition succeeded in mobilising any of the young voters who made the issue of abortion a very crucial reason for a peculiar political decision. They hoped that after winning and removing the Law and Justice from power, the issue would be resolved quickly. Donald Tusk promised to change abortion law.
The current Prime Minister played the case masterfully, in his style: during the run he promised to liberalise abortion law, while at the same time encouraging a "strategic vote" on future coalitions, that is, the combined forces of Holownia and Kosiniak-Kamish. The problem is that Poland 2050 and PSL advocated a nationwide referendum on the restoration of the 1993 alleged abortion compromise violated by that judgment, while not agreeing to a solution by the left, that is, abortion until the 12th week of pregnancy. The differences between coalitions were very clear during the campaign. erstwhile the government coalition was established and the draft laws were voted on, they were rejected by the votes of Poland 2050 and PSL, which could be expected, especially since this issue was not included in the coalition agreement. Tusk then stated that specified a change is not possible in the current coalition agreement, which is the "guilty" of specified coalitions he encouraged to vote on. You should have voted differently, in a guess: for him. It was the voters' responsibility that they turned out to be stupid and voted for those who were expected to aid Tusk implement his 100 specifics, but not on this issue, which they explicitly declared. This is how you trust and perceive to the current Prime Minister, and nothing here will aid to blame the Conservatives due to the fact that they have kept their electoral declaration.
This example shows the large efficiency of Tusk, who skillfully blames all failures or unpopular decisions on coalitions. Moreover, it is not only the failure to keep the electoral promise but besides the complete humiliation of those voting for it and the coalition. I mean the celebrated "30% Tuska" which was treating its voters as intellectually limited. You gave me 30% of the vote, I made 30%, it's fair, says the Prime Minister, repeating this thought twice – it wasn't a lapsus.
Where's the Women's Strike today? His proceeding went missing. erstwhile women after a year of Tusk's regulation protested on abortion, TVN gave them respective tens of seconds in the main issue of Facts, and the Prime Minister said there was no time to meet the protesters. This is the perfect postpolitics of the PO: to say everything that possible voters anticipate to do after the election. It's sad and comic at the same time that another groups of young people are inactive falling for it.
Although a akin destiny has been met by monosexual unions, an even more clear "worldview" example of the treatment of its constituents as, to put it mildly, naive voting mass is the situation on the Polish-Belarusian border. During the regulation of the Law and Justice Party, which rightly recognized the border situation as part of a hybrid war on the part of Russia, the opposition at the time, and Donald Tusk himself spoke of unjustified oppression towards the "poor people" seeking their place on earth, about human rights violations. any even utilized the analogy to the Holocaust and, you know, fascism. After the change of power, the situation has not only not improved, the pushbacks are ongoing, but the right to temporarily suspend asylum opportunities has been introduced and the European Charter of Human Rights has been widely debated.
Will this make voters of Tusk halt voting for him? Of course not, as Janina Ochojska, whom I mentioned elsewhere on the occasion, "Border fantasy". In an interview with Grzegorz Sroczyński, she late stated that despite continuing her policy at the border and removing her herself from the list of candidates for Europarlament, which Tusk had not even informed her about, she would inactive vote for him. This example shows that anything can be done with these people, due to the fact that they will vote “right”.
Similarly, it is with the academic community, which is getting little and little money for investigation and development. The only thing he can do is avenge in open letters for the chosen ministerial left, for which they will proceed to vote. Therefore, these environments are absolutely irrelevant from the point of view of the interests of the ruling coalition – their votes are already numbered, so it is not worth trying for them. Incidentally, the topics of refugees, abortions, backing of science, etc. disappeared from the university's corridor discussions.
As for economical issues, much more important, 1 can say the same: it is as it was, or neoliberalism on steroids. We now have what is always under the regulation of the neoliberals: rising unemployment, collective redundancies, rising costs of surviving despite decreasing inflation, a tiny increase in minimum wage, difficulties in uncovering jobs especially for young people, less and more jobs are being sought, a record-breaking budget deficit, the demolition of any sensible investment (CPK), an increase in consumer bankruptcy and an increase in the number of flashbacks.
The highest of unemployment during erstwhile PO governments, i.e. early 2013, was 14.4%. Under the Law and Justice, unemployment fell regularly: from 9.6% in October 2015 to 5.4% in November 2021. The CSO data for July 2023 indicated 5%. It is presently 5.6%, which is the highest level since February 2023.
It will grow because, firstly, the scale of collective redundancies and their threat (they can be partially hampered by changing working conditions, of course, for the worse), and secondly there is an influx of alleged inexpensive labour from outside the EU.
Group exemptions are peculiarly visible in the steel and mining industries, which bear the costs of energy transition and green EU policy. Transformation completely merciless towards people losing jobs, just like it did in erstwhile neoliberal regulation and as it always is. We must be aware that the devastate of dense manufacture is besides a dependence on suppliers from another parts of the world, which is an impact on national security. Nothing is more distant to national safety than neoliberal rules of the game. This is no longer about what has always been about exploitation, but about defense.
Poland is again becoming a country of the alleged inexpensive labour force, in which Poles must additionally compete with non-Poles, which is part of the capitalist gameplay in the class fight, not in the sphere of xenophobia. Both workers will be exploited, and additionally regulated top-down common resentment will prevent an alliance against low wages and exploitation.
The left-wing liberal government works in the interest of those who, compared to little earners, have well, as is an example of a simplification in the wellness contribution for entrepreneurs (and this is during the collapse of the wellness system). Another example is the deficiency of valorisation of income criteria in social assistance, which is the impact in the economically weakest, and I will remind you that at the beginning of the coalition's rule, there was a question of how to aid informers.
The improvement of exploitative abroad capital franchise initiatives is besides a phase paper for the deteriorating situation. They frequently care about labour law, based on garbage contracts. The second negative phenomenon is the increase in the number of parabank loans, the alleged temporary ones. Momentums are intended for those who do not have credit capacity, do not meet the tightening conditions for the granting of credit, and so frequently fall into the spiral of ‘perpetually temporary’ debt, as the interest rate on the debt is higher than in the bank.
As for the operation of the state itself, its institutions and apparatus, it is hard not to announcement that it exists "theorically". In the hands of the neoliberals, the state serves exclusively to carry out its own behind-the-ground interests. The remainder is simply a medially built image. The times of propaganda communicative about the "green island", which for many meant going to the real island, to Ireland, are recalled. The government's propaganda of success will not cover the fact that the demolition of the wellness service, which is moving towards privatization, has always been the thought of the neoliberals, is deepening. The Secret Service is poorly able to supply national security. Any civilian defence policy is missing. The Polish government has been completely "played" as an actor of global politics to have any influence on European affairs and issues concerning war and peace in Ukraine and its future reconstruction. I am certain that Sławomir Nowak will participate in the reconstruction of Ukraine – if individual is unconvinced, let him show patience.
All of this makes us remember in a minute with nostalgia the times of economically good PiS rule, which, despite its mistakes, did much better than the current government. And at a very hard minute of various types of turmoil – pandemics, wars in Ukraine, etc.
The future will be even worse, and I have no uncertainty about it. How did a “leftist publicist” compose this? No propaganda, no boredom. No, it's just naive to vote for Tusk and his coalition. The lie of reality through serviceable public and private media, concerning even Donald Tusk's policies and his crew towards Russia, is so well visible that you gotta have cognitive deficits to not see it. The Postnomenklatura layout, the crucial component of which were and are the media, holds firmly.
What can you do? grin and take a deep breath of relief that it is not governed by “new authoritarianism” to usage the title of the book Maciej Gdula, erstwhile vice minister of science. Incidentally, the fascism that seems to be coming will most likely come from a completely different side, or 1 that accuses him of everything else. It will come from the cultural side of the pan race, who "uneducated dark garden", "prayed baby in moher berets" or "biomass" and "another species of man", want to bring to the function of attraction animals in the exploitation and enlightened "progress".
It's hard to justice what happens in 2 years. But 1 thing I'm certain of is that it's going to get worse all year, due to the fact that we're going to have 2 more years of neoliberal devastation. Not to mention 8 years of PiS rule, especially the first term, neoliberal capitalism under the German flag was hampered. This is for “the writing dark garden” and “prayed mohers” Poland was developing, with more possible for modernisation than it is now.
Given that the Law and Justice will be hard to govern alone, and the coalition with the Confederacy will have problems with the implementation of the social programme, there will most likely be another world-view “flight”. Together, if elections were held today, the Sejm would not enter, and even if it did, most of its voters would not accept the coalition with the PiS. The digital-narcissistic left by liberals the rhetoric of alerting about fascism, which she has well internalized, is functional only for liberals, due to the fact that if voters Together consider Paulina Matysiak a "fascist", they will be either a faithful alliance with the fresh Left, or a political margin. The polls show that the Civic Coalition's support does not fall somehow, but besides does not grow adequate to regulation alone. In 2 years, is their coalition with the Confederate they call fascists possible? Of course it is. Platform politicians will rapidly forget their slogans, just as they now forget everything they said in opposition. Only together will he stay with “fascism” on his mouth.
This country is cursed.
Dr hab. Michał Rydlewski
Graphics in text header: Elias from Pixabay.