Something is rotten in the state of Denmark
"The society has failed the government. Perhaps the government should elect a new society." Bertold Brecht
June is a month of important votes in Polish history. Fifteen years ago the electorate had a chance to elect 35 percent of the deputies to the Sejm, or the lower house of parliament, as well as all the 100 senators in the first free ballot since 1926. The overwhelming victory for the democratic opposition, which won all the seats up for grabs, sparked the velvet revolution that sent the country on an unprecedented journey that ultimately led us to another vital June vote last year, when 77 percent of the people voted for EU accession, with some 58 percent turning out to the polls. These two events were milestones on the road that has led us to where we are now.
And where exactly is that? It is a situation where nearly 80 percent of Poles are quite comfortable in abstaining from voting in the European parliament elections. That surely is a great luxury. Just 20 years ago probably a similar proportion also refused to go to the polls and still the turnout statistics were reported in the region of 99 percent.
But to President Aleksander Kwaśniewski this is a sign that "the society is immature." Whence this strange urge to offend the people that politicians in this country seem to succumb to on a regular basis? When, in 1991, Bronisław Geremek saw his candidate for president come third in the polls, he decided this was evidence that "Poles were not grown up enough for democracy." Incidentally, Geremek has now been voted a member of the European parliament, which is perhaps a sign that society likes being insulted by its leaders.
But the suspicion remains that the fault lies not so much with society but with the leaders or even with the state at large. And that problem is not so much immaturity, but its exact opposite. In short, one could be excused for thinking that the political class is overly mature; in fact, it is downright rotten.
But setting aside the causes of the low turnout, voter apathy has also had significant consequences. The League of Polish Families (LPR) benefited the most from the low turnout. It is the one party that campaigned for a "No" in the run-up to last year's referendum and although Roman Giertych, its leader, says he does not want to lead the country out of the EU, it clearly remains the most serious euro-skeptic force in Polish politics. That the LPR should grab almost 16 percent of the votes and ten seats at Strasbourg should come as no surprise. It is the same old story as with the UK Independence Party. When turnouts are low, the extremists benefit, and the LPR is nothing if not extreme.
True enough, some of the leaders have been educated in the West and carry doctoral degrees. Take Maciej Giertych, the father of the LPR's leader. He is a professor of geology who has taken it upon himself to prove that Darwin's theory of evolution is a Masonic lie designed to destroy the true faith. This creationism fan would probably feel more at home out in the American Midwest than in Brussels, but that is where he's headed now.
His son has declared the results as a sign that a new alternative to liberalism is emerging. It is a "conservative and nationalist alternative" and it means a new course in political, social and economic matters, says LPR's Roman Giertych. He cites the Tory party and Lady Thatcher in particular as inspirations for his plans, but the party's manifesto does not exactly follow the same path set out by Britain's "Iron Lady."
The LPR envisions the "maximum of economic self-sufficiency" of the country as a "basic aim of the new economic policy," as well as energy prices below European levels and full employment. The last of these goals would be achieved through abolishing the independence of the central bank and setting interest rates "at or somewhat below" the rate of inflation. Ah, by the way, the LPR would also ensure that all Poles would own homes. So much for Thatcherism.
But the party that won the most seats in Brussels is the Civic Platform (PO), which fielded Jerzy Buzek, former prime minister and the candidate who won the most votes in the whole country. Considering that he failed to get into parliament in the 2001 elections, this is quite a remarkable comeback. Interestingly enough, when Buzek lost three years ago, he did not blame his defeat on those stupid voters.
June is a month of important votes in Polish history. Fifteen years ago the electorate had a chance to elect 35 percent of the deputies to the Sejm, or the lower house of parliament, as well as all the 100 senators in the first free ballot since 1926. The overwhelming victory for the democratic opposition, which won all the seats up for grabs, sparked the velvet revolution that sent the country on an unprecedented journey that ultimately led us to another vital June vote last year, when 77 percent of the people voted for EU accession, with some 58 percent turning out to the polls. These two events were milestones on the road that has led us to where we are now.
And where exactly is that? It is a situation where nearly 80 percent of Poles are quite comfortable in abstaining from voting in the European parliament elections. That surely is a great luxury. Just 20 years ago probably a similar proportion also refused to go to the polls and still the turnout statistics were reported in the region of 99 percent.
But to President Aleksander Kwaśniewski this is a sign that "the society is immature." Whence this strange urge to offend the people that politicians in this country seem to succumb to on a regular basis? When, in 1991, Bronisław Geremek saw his candidate for president come third in the polls, he decided this was evidence that "Poles were not grown up enough for democracy." Incidentally, Geremek has now been voted a member of the European parliament, which is perhaps a sign that society likes being insulted by its leaders.
But the suspicion remains that the fault lies not so much with society but with the leaders or even with the state at large. And that problem is not so much immaturity, but its exact opposite. In short, one could be excused for thinking that the political class is overly mature; in fact, it is downright rotten.
But setting aside the causes of the low turnout, voter apathy has also had significant consequences. The League of Polish Families (LPR) benefited the most from the low turnout. It is the one party that campaigned for a "No" in the run-up to last year's referendum and although Roman Giertych, its leader, says he does not want to lead the country out of the EU, it clearly remains the most serious euro-skeptic force in Polish politics. That the LPR should grab almost 16 percent of the votes and ten seats at Strasbourg should come as no surprise. It is the same old story as with the UK Independence Party. When turnouts are low, the extremists benefit, and the LPR is nothing if not extreme.
True enough, some of the leaders have been educated in the West and carry doctoral degrees. Take Maciej Giertych, the father of the LPR's leader. He is a professor of geology who has taken it upon himself to prove that Darwin's theory of evolution is a Masonic lie designed to destroy the true faith. This creationism fan would probably feel more at home out in the American Midwest than in Brussels, but that is where he's headed now.
His son has declared the results as a sign that a new alternative to liberalism is emerging. It is a "conservative and nationalist alternative" and it means a new course in political, social and economic matters, says LPR's Roman Giertych. He cites the Tory party and Lady Thatcher in particular as inspirations for his plans, but the party's manifesto does not exactly follow the same path set out by Britain's "Iron Lady."
The LPR envisions the "maximum of economic self-sufficiency" of the country as a "basic aim of the new economic policy," as well as energy prices below European levels and full employment. The last of these goals would be achieved through abolishing the independence of the central bank and setting interest rates "at or somewhat below" the rate of inflation. Ah, by the way, the LPR would also ensure that all Poles would own homes. So much for Thatcherism.
But the party that won the most seats in Brussels is the Civic Platform (PO), which fielded Jerzy Buzek, former prime minister and the candidate who won the most votes in the whole country. Considering that he failed to get into parliament in the 2001 elections, this is quite a remarkable comeback. Interestingly enough, when Buzek lost three years ago, he did not blame his defeat on those stupid voters.
