The lady's not for turning

Law and Justice's obsession with keeping itself free of any residue from the communist secret services has cost it its most capable Minister. Zyta Gilowska vociferously denies any links to the communist era, but the faintest whiff of an allegation from the Public Interest Commissioner (RIP) was all it took for the Prime Minister, who insists he is Gilowska's staunchest ally, to show her the door.

Now, out of office, she is apparently no longer an appetizing target for the court, which refuses to either try her or substantiate the RIP's allegations as she is a public figure no more. The Prime Minster has reopened the door to government for Gilowska, but the former Finance Minister, still smoldering from her untimely ejection, is approaching the offer with skepticism. Should she get back into a ministerial position, it's unclear if the vetting court will renew its interest in her past. Gilowska is determined the case should go ahead and has pressed the court to launch its investigation.

This merry-go-round between court and cabinet could spin for some time yet, but either way Gilowska is likely to outlast many of her former cabinet colleagues in a position of power. A seat at the Monetary Policy Council would be a smart appointment, and she could even find her way into the Warsaw mayoral race.

Meanwhile, her successor becomes the third Finance Minister in less than a year, a turnover rate impressive even by Italian standards. He comes into office at an auspicious moment, with solid economic fundamentals giving him some breathing space to ease himself into the task at hand. He has already capitulated on a key issue that Gilowska had built up, namely cutting the number of officials in the tax department. It looks like he is going to need that head start.