Editor's note: The trial of 100 days

Despite the results of opinion polls that present Prime Minister Kaziemierz Marcinkiewicz as the most popular Polish politician, its overall achievements are underwhelming, especially if you look at Marcinkiewicz's and his government's real contribution to the development of business and the economy in Poland.

During the last week, entrepreneurs have been analyzing Prime Minster Marcinkiewicz's first century of days from all possible angles, and they have picked the man to pieces.

According to them, the government hasn't taken any reforming measures and didn't fulfill a single electoral promise given to businessmen. It's sad but true - the majority of promises given by the new Ministers exist on paper only.

Not a single piece of motorway has been constructed, no savings have been made in administration, and not one of the boldly announced three million flats has seen the light of the day.

How can you then explain the surprising popularity of Marcinkiewicz's government? Unfortunately the answer is rather simple - instead of concentrating on painful and socially unpopular reforms, the government is focusing on providing a positive spin to its meagre achievements.

Thanks to this policy we have the baby bonus (a one-off benefit for new mothers) instead of  new motorways, and in the Sejm there's already a bill on the prolongation of maternity leave by two weeks.

The government hands out presents but finds no satisfactory answers when the economists ask how it will be paid for.

The problems of the Polish economy cannot be solved with good results in opinion polls. The recent data shows unemployment is back on the rise. Society, still hushed with pre-electoral declarations, will soon hear entrepreneurs' and economists' warnings and realize that the image of the country painted by a cheery Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz from their TV screens is not exactly reality.

Eliza Durka

Editor-in-chief