Editor's note: The plan is no plan
The head of the central bank is testifying before the investigative commission. The Prime Minister is establishing a new political party that - bizarre as it seems - places itself on the opposite political pole to the one he rules with.
However, some seem to profit from this stupefying cacophony. In the surrounding chaos it is hard to distinguish between the sensible and nonsensical, between a worthwhile economic program and empty, populist political slogans.
This noise drowning out any content-related debate is beneficial to all parties running in parliamentary elections. Why? Because none of them has come up with a viable economic plan for Poland. It became blatantly obvious last week - one of the business organizations invited party representatives to present their solutions to the problems of the Polish economy (see article page 8). Civic Platform, a party enjoying the biggest public support in pre-electoral opinion polls, didn't even turn up. The remaining participants flooded the audience with a sea of vague ideas.
If there appear any sensible concepts, they lack coherence. Single solutions will not make the Polish economy go forward. Its future shape cannot depend on decreases of CIT, PIT or VAT.
What we need are structural solutions implemented concurrently with a suprapolitical, national debate. None of the political parties presented an overall political plan for the forthcoming seven years. The problem is, no governmental or non-governmental institution can provide them with one. The concrete problems the Polish economy will have to face remain without solution. How to decrease the unemployment rate? How to reform the health care system? How to repair public finances?
In the two most important matters that are going to have a major impact on the future shape of our country - i.e. how far should the state interfere with the economy and what should the social policy look like? - we don't even know in which direction to go.
Dear politicians - without that we will never progress. Which of you will finally present a plan for the Polish economy? The electoral clock is ticking relentlessly.
Eliza Durka
Editor-in-chief
However, some seem to profit from this stupefying cacophony. In the surrounding chaos it is hard to distinguish between the sensible and nonsensical, between a worthwhile economic program and empty, populist political slogans.
This noise drowning out any content-related debate is beneficial to all parties running in parliamentary elections. Why? Because none of them has come up with a viable economic plan for Poland. It became blatantly obvious last week - one of the business organizations invited party representatives to present their solutions to the problems of the Polish economy (see article page 8). Civic Platform, a party enjoying the biggest public support in pre-electoral opinion polls, didn't even turn up. The remaining participants flooded the audience with a sea of vague ideas.
If there appear any sensible concepts, they lack coherence. Single solutions will not make the Polish economy go forward. Its future shape cannot depend on decreases of CIT, PIT or VAT.
What we need are structural solutions implemented concurrently with a suprapolitical, national debate. None of the political parties presented an overall political plan for the forthcoming seven years. The problem is, no governmental or non-governmental institution can provide them with one. The concrete problems the Polish economy will have to face remain without solution. How to decrease the unemployment rate? How to reform the health care system? How to repair public finances?
In the two most important matters that are going to have a major impact on the future shape of our country - i.e. how far should the state interfere with the economy and what should the social policy look like? - we don't even know in which direction to go.
Dear politicians - without that we will never progress. Which of you will finally present a plan for the Polish economy? The electoral clock is ticking relentlessly.
Eliza Durka
Editor-in-chief
