Englishman Reacts to... What does Tusk’s Victory Mean for Poland and the EU?

So the election results are in for Poland, so let's see what it means for the country and the EU!

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#poland #elections #eu

[RobReacts]

If you are enjoying my reactions to all things Poland, make sure you go and watch out trips to Poland on our vlog channel and subscribe! We have vlogs from Gdansk, Kraków and Wrocław.

[mahu]

It is much more complicated, but this video worked just well to show basics of politics in our country.

[Richus]

The fun thing is, that Kaczyński is being dubbed "duck". So we can choose between Donald and Duck.

[rafalkaminski]

No, it is not better for poland. It is better for the eu commission. 😅

[rafalkaminski]

Poland, stop this growth right now! - germany has spoken. 😅

[kacpersokoowski]

Both the video and your reactions to it are "politically correct" 🙂.

I want to underline some blatantly false statements I noticed in the original video: The Polish PM didn't say anything about "stopping" military support for Ukraine. Donald Tusk doesn't seem dedicated to assist Ukraine's fight (it were the leaders of Law and Justice who were the first EU politicians to visit Kiev after the outbreak of the war. Tusk has never met Zelensky). The President isn't a member of Law and Justice.

The video wants to present the Civic Platform as "good" and the Law and Justice as "bad" (nearly "fascist", isn't that so?). Many elements of the video (like the false statements I noticed, but also the photographs of the leaders of both parties) are designed to create sympathy for one side and dislike for the other.

It seems you got bought into it 🙂.

But, well, I don't consider Poland's sovereignty an offence to anybody. Nor the federalisation of the EU "a must".

From my perspective calling Poland and Hungary "unruly members of the EU" (illustrated by a map of Europe with a "behave yourself" addressed to the two countries) is simply arrogance.

Poland didn't join the EU to be "ruly". The Lisbon Treaty nowhere said anything about subordinate position of any member states.

I consider Law and Justice reminding about that a very positive act.

If somebody values sovereignty of his state (and I believe one should), a rule of those who want to dismantle it isn't something to be approved of.

[arturoclementi]

I was laughing so badly waching this poor video about polish politics. Yes, yes, I know, that's only my opinion. But things are so much more complicated. don't forget. Nothing about Poland without Poland. It's about our indenpendence. IMO the veto rule in the EU is good and it shoud stay like that. Take care!

[azyl]

It is waaaay more complicated than this video shows.

[marekjureczko]

regardless of your political views, you are making a bold move here.

I'll just say this - be careful with the topic of politics in Poland, especially if you don't live here.

[BykuSwinioMordo]

The problem in Poland is that every new government instead of continuing what was boeing done tries to undo all the decisions. Politics can't communicate and their voters can't too, it hurts that we can't talk anymore to people who vote differently from us. I'm tired of the campaign, it was really brutal from all sides of political scene. I hope for the best now but I realise it will be a long process. What makes me happy though is that so many people voted (in comparison in 2005 it was just 40% so big progress since then!)

[krzysiekpawluk]

Tusk is one of those things people dont want, but have it anyway ..

[jakubwyczokowski]

Current Polish politics is like that: KO - Koalicja obywatelska (civic coalition) is a mix of left/center parties, like PO - Platforma Obywatelska (Civic Platform), Z - Zieloni (Greens), N - Nowoczesna (Modern), IP - Inicjatywa Polska ( Polish Initiative). L - Lewica (Left) is a mix of left parties like: PPS - Polska Partia Socjalistyczna (Polish Socialist Party), NW - Nowa Lewica (New Left Party), R - Razem (Together). TW - Trzecia Droga (Third Way) - is a mix of right/center parties like: PSL - Polskie Stronnictwo Ludowe (Polish Folk Party) and P2050 - Polska 2050 (Polish 2050). So that is very huge, but very different parties against PiS, Prawo i Sprawiedliwość (Law and justice) There will be many problems in many things and ideas to push in debates. Polish Politics system is divided in three ways, Sejm, senat and president. President have a right to sign up or reject aan act from sejm. IF president have signed an act so then an act is going to senate where these peoples is checking if it is right with constitution. If President have rejected an act or has doubts about an act so may direct it to constitution tribunal to check if such act is right with constitution and if may sign it. I hope that i have explained our political system. Sorry for my english.

[RafałMalczewski-ev]

Poles understand words defining political affiliation differently compared to English people, based on experience from the past of Polish politics as well as the way the country is governed by political parties that have historically obtained a parliamentary majority. Poland is a country where you have to look at the actions of politicians and parties to determine their degree of affiliation to the right or left, although sometimes these concepts are mixed within one party, which is reflected in the way it operates.

The Civic Coalition, called the center-left, can be very misleading for an Englishman, because it refers to everything else but money and finances (on the financial side, D. Tusk is more similar to Margaret Thatcher) and it bears absolutely no resemblance to the Labor party from the UK.

The "far right" are basically conservatives/ideological traditionalists who leaned towards the center in these elections, pressing for lower taxes and at the same time avoiding social benefits to a minimum, agitating for looser regulations for business and simplifying the complicated Polish tax law.

Law and Justice only in name is right-wing or ideologically center-right, but when it comes to finances, they are socialists because they give away more in social benefits than any party before them. Pensioners were most satisfied with Law and Justice, as they gained significantly during their rule through reforms in the pension system, or rather revaluation of pensions, and they also lifted the country out of poverty to some extent by providing benefits for children and establishing a minimum wage, which did not exist before.

Unfortunately, the two parliamentary systems in the UK and Poland are significantly different and cannot be compared one to one.

[ewakarowicz]

I agree you shouldnt touch Polish politics. You would be surprised how so many things you think are simple have quit complicated structure. Keep this blog light, please.

[agnieszkazuk]

D.T.sk's relationship with UE is not a good thing for the sovereignty of our country.... :(

[kamilpustula]

That elections were in fact about if Poland want to go pro old EU way, or if Poland want to build central-european coaliton under wings of USA. Since Germany made everything to kick UK out of EU, they rule almost totally here. Now they want to make from EU one country under their economical and political power. Problem is, that last decade shown that they are really shitty in terms of polithics. Imigration crissis - Germany's idea, against Poland. NordStream2 and cooperation with Russia on energetic field - idea of Germany, again against Poland. Covid Policy - total catastrophe. Green Deal - handicapping EU economy so hard, that not much left is profitable to made here anymore - also German idea, against Poland. That playing fool after Russia attacked Ukraine on first months with military help (which still lasts tbh) that was Germany, against Poland. What is even more dangerous, they are not learning a damn thing from mistakes there in Germany - now they closed Nuclear Power Plants, and they want to cooperate closer with other authorytharian giant - China. Law and Justice party was on a position that we have to be stronger and more independent energetically (which they achieved), economically (which they for sure were achieving), politically (after war started the diplomatic ffensive by Morawiecki and Duda was awesome), militarly (legendary polish weapon shopping) - everything under a shield of USA. Center-left coalition are pro federalization of EU, all that green and immigration polithics. Thats why they had full EU help in campaigh. Inside Poland it was crazy circus, cos in fact both sides were offering more or less same thing, but one side was pro abortion, and all that gender polithics and other was against. That basically all what people really cared of in Poland.

[robertkowalski]

What would the English, the inhabitants of London, do if their mayor said "Why do we need an airport near London when there will soon be a large airport in Paris"? And this is what the president of Warsaw (vice-chairman of the Civic Platform) said about the CPK (Central Communication Port) being built, which is of great importance in the transport of people, cargo and security, combined with high-speed rail to every region of Poland - "Why do we need an airport near Warsaw if there will be a large airport soon in Berlin" - and won the elections. By the way, 76% of the media market in Poland is in the hands of foreign capital, mainly German.

[peterkiedron]

PiS was good for Poland nad Poles. They were going in right direction of building economically strong and sovereign country. Not everyone in Europe liked it. Especially Russia and Germany. What comes now are politicians which bring the ceiling of expectations down to medium growth and total subjugation to EU and Germany. This also will make Russia happy. These politicians are not real Polish patriots.

[rejestracjapojazdow]

Rob, I like you very much, but you're on very shaky ground. Many people who have lived their whole lives in Poland don't even really understand it... that's why, unfortunately, their image of reality is created by the media. Liberal mainstream European media hates PiS because it opposes the destruction of nation states and replacing them with a European state. Moreover, PIS respects tradition and conservative and patriotic values, which is very frowned upon in the EU mainstream. That's why I'll show you some comparison in numbers (8 years of PO [Tusk] rule vs. 8 years of PIS [Kaczyński] rule:

*Unemployment - PO 14.4% vs PIS 5.2%

*National minimum - PO PLN 1, 680 vs. PIS PLN 3, 600

Polish budget - PO PLN 283 billion vs PIS PLN 693 billion

Support for children [monthly for 1 child] - PO PLN 0 vs. PIS PLN 500

Minimum pension - PO PLN 831 vs. PIS PLN 1, 588

Army size - PO 80 thousand vs. PIS 172 thousand

Army budget - PO PLN 32 billion vs PIS PLN 97 billion

and much much more, which shows that the PIS government was much better and more effective..

Don't be naive please... Tusk [PO] is the guy who was president of the European parliament when the UK was negotiating Brexit and did everything to make the UK lose as much as possible.... When Tusk was the Prime Minister of Poland, he was constantly at war with the president of Poland, Lech Kaczyński (brother of the head of PiS). He allowed the Polish president to be murdered in Russia in the same way that Putin murdered Prigozin... in a plane crash

Tusk is a disaster for Poland... not all gold glitters and not every guy in a white shirt is a good character

[Groems]

I got anecdote:
When I was in Peru I met tourists who lived in Venezuela for past few years... I asked them what's really going on in there cause I'm watching global news and the picture isn't clear for me enough. They said to me that every news I've heard/seen is usually a peak of an iceberg and the real problem lays few layers below, that you need to be local to fully understand it. After Poland becoming wide spread topic in many world media I finally understand what he ment.