So we have a new government - the former Premier Tusk says he will continue with the old government until the end of Poland's Presidency of the EU. All well and good - people and markets like stability and continuity - but what about the Polish president, Bronisław Komorowski?
The goy? Who cares!*
Donald Tusk shows his mastery of the strategic politics. He is saying to erstwhile junior coalition partners PSL (the peasant party, with communist-era roots), "don't get in the way of the reform process, or I'll replace you as junior coalition partner with Palikot's mob". To Palikot and his movement, Tusk is saying: "tone down your populist social liberal stance, or you'll have no chance of being taken in as a replacement for PSL as the junior coalition partner."
Just a brief reminder of the mathematics of Sunday's poll (you will remember the figure of 231 seats needed for a parliamentary majority):
PO [207 seats] and PSL [28 seats] = working coalition [235 seats]
PO [207 seats] and Palikot's movement [40 seats] = stronger working coalition [247 seats]
Bear in mind that PSL is essentially old-school 'jobs-for-the-boys' while Palikot and Co. are successful opportunists who've replicated Samoobrona's feat at the 2001 parliamentary elections, coming third with 10.2% of the vote by offering a radical alternative to established politics.
Palikot's roots are in PO; if he's brought into the coalition as PO's 'attack dog' gunning for all enemies of reform, things may possibly start to move faster in Poland (transport infrastructure, de-bureaucratisation etc.) - as long as his sacrilegious marijuana-smoking trans-gendered gay abortionists don't upset Poland's innate conservatism too much.
Hence a cooling off period. Parliament returns on 27 October; from then it's just two months and four days until the end of Poland's EU Presidency. Long enough for Palikot's hastily assembled crew to show their true colours - either as people who could indeed help reform Poland and move it briskly in the direction of normal countries, or else a circus freak-show.
This time last year:
Massacre on the road, Nowe Miasto nad Pilicą - Remember? Has Poland learned anything?
* Throwaway quote from the end of the Goy's Teeth scene, from the Coen Brother's film A Serious Man.
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8 comments:
@Mike
Absolutely! You are right like the mind of the old British conservative. Donald Tusk is a genius, for it does take a genius to work out such a unique plan. To take the two and tell them: "Be good. Otherwise one of you will get dropped."
Being, as you well know, a genius myself, before Donald Tusk came out with this amazing scheme, I would have never imagined something so clever.
But now I have thought of something perhaps equally smart. Why not co-opt SLD to this deal, and ask them: "Be good, otherwise...". You know what I mean? I'm sure they will go for it.
But there is something even more clever. There are about 150 PiS votes there being wasted. These would not even have to be good to become part of "The Project for Poland" as we call it. They would have to just declare the access, and this would certainly do.
Can you imagine? 459-vote-coalition. With Kaczor as the one-man opposition partai. Isn't it something historical?
Just waited for the comment from the Author above...
Even the style is akin to what I read on Toyah's blog :)
@Michał
That's right Tusk is a genius. The King has no clothes and only the deranged shout out that he's naked. But they're drowned out by the Enlightened POPulus's ejaculations of Love 'Yes, yes your Majesty what fine clothes you have!'.
Everybody else just keeps their head down (see election turnout).
Unfortunately it's not amusing to watch.
Mister, PSL has its roots in pre WW-I agrarian movement and as an organisation it dates back to 1918.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_People%27s_Party
@Anon: The last leader of a genuine agrarian movement was Stanisław Mikołajczyk, who fled Poland for fear of his life in 1947. The remaining party was countermanded by the communists, re-branded ZSL and thus it remained until 1989. Remember that PSL leader Waldemar Pawlak joined the ZSL in 1985.
@adthelad
Firstly, don't be vulgar.
Secondly, your diagnosis is not that very apt. King wears some rags, but at least they are genuine, while imposter wear some fake beautiful clothes. To put simply, PO's power is in being "lesser evil". It should not capitalise on scaring people with PiS. But PiS on the other hand has no other agenda than pursuit of power.
Everybody else just keeps their head down (see election turnout).. Four years ago too many people went to the polls and the turnout was to blame for the result of the election. This year the turnout was in turn too low and is also to blame for the bad choice the nation have made.
@Michael
Why doesn't it surprise me that you didn't find words to respond to adthelad's comment???
It's really not amusing to watch this helplessness.
@studentSGH
Firstly - your right - saying Tusk is a genius is indeed a vulgarity - he's only as smart as those who support him are not.
Secondly - in the story there are no rags only a naked king - read up on it sometime. Also, regarding "... PiS on the other hand has no other agenda than pursuit of power" - do you understand the concept of an oxymoron?
Thirdly - the turnout at an election is always to blame for the result. Try to remember this.
Actually, I suspect that what you're really doing with your comments above is pulling my leg as the alternative doesn't bear thinking about
@studentSGH
;)
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