The best defense is a good offense

A month after denying the possibility of a return to coalition with Self-defense and describing Andrzej Lepper as a "rabble-rouser," PiS has welcomed its old partners back to the fold. The media, however, are not taking the matter lightly and PiS seems to have adopted offense as the best defense.

Recently Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński's government decried the use of Poland's intelligence services to keep tabs on opposition politicians in the 1990s. "The secret services received an order to infiltrate rightist parties. We can talk about a crime against democracy," Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro commented.

Ziobro has also accused Konstanty Miodowicz, formerly of the counter-intelligence division, and former Minister Jan Rokita of shady involvement with the secret services. Both politicians, members of Civic Platform (PO), brushed the accusations aside as a tactic meant to divert attention from the ruling coalition's woes.

In addition, Prime Minister Kaczyński has suggested that a car crash in which he was involved in the 1990s may have been caused by secret agents inspired by former President Lech Wałęsa. Wałęsa denied the accusations and claims he never authorized any unlawful activities.

All of this comes as the November local elections draw closer and polls show PO leading PiS by a comfortable margin. (Reuters)