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A makeover for Poland (Read 341 times)
bogarde73
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A makeover for Poland
Dec 30th, 2017 at 8:58am
 
Mateusz Morawiecki, the new Prime Minister of Poland for the conservative-nationalist Law and Justice Party government, has laid out a Trump-style programme rejecting both socialism and globalist neoliberalism.
The 49-year-old, who took over from predecessor Beata Szydło in order to spearhead the battle to reform what Law and Justice see as a corrupt, nepotistic judiciary devised by the Soviet-backed military dictator Wojciech Jaruzelski in the dying days of the old Communist regime, said his government would work to build up a competitive, modern economy — but one which puts the needs of country and family first, rather than the interests of multinational corporations.

Much of the programme laid out by Morawiecki echoed the original goals and aspirations of U.S. President Donald Trump and former White House Chief Strategist Stephen K. Bannon, with a strong emphasis on job creation, infrastructure investment, and defending coal workers under constant attack from the European Union and the climate change lobby.
He also pledged his government would address concerns beyond the purely economical, announcing a new Institute of Urban Planning and Architecture inspired by the British philosopher Sir Roger Scruton, who has spent much of his life campaigning against modern architecture and town planning — because “We need to pass on to our children and grandchildren a Poland that is well-kept and arranged in an aesthetic fashion… we must not neglect the science of beauty.”

“Nothing is more important to me than rebuilding what we have lost as a result of partitioning, wars and Communism,” said Morawiecki. “We now have a unique opportunity in our hands and we must not waste it.”

He observed that “Polish people are among the hardest working nations in Europe,” working around 2,000 hours a year — but broke with standard neoliberal dogma by pointing out that “work efficiency and the number of hours worked is not the sole determinant of economic success.”

Alluding to his government’s populist policy of gradually phasing out Sunday trading for large stores, in order to help retail workers spend more time with their families and help independent shopkeepers compete with chains, he said: “We don’t want Poles to work the longest hours, we want them to work efficiently for decent pay. We want them to have more time for their families, for their loved ones… this is the goal of our development strategy.”
He confirmed that Law and Justice — known in its native country as Prawo i Sprawiedliwość, or PiS — stands “far from neoliberalism, and equally far from socialism”.

The party has long-confounded establishment critics, who have described it as ‘right-wing nationalist’ and ‘ultra-conservative’, among other pejoratives, for its refusal to conform to their usual categories.

For example, it is broadly eurosceptic, fiercely anti-Communist, and actively promotes a key role for Christianity in the nation’s cultural life — but it has also worked to lower the retirement age, establish social programmes to support poor rural communities in the countryside, and provided support for mothers who wish to stay at home with their children rather than be conscripted into the labour force.

They have adopted this last policy, like their Visegrad allies in nearby Hungary, in order to encourage citizens to have larger families — an alternative to the mass migration and multiculturalism which has been the favoured approach of the governing parties in Western Europe and their corporate backers for tackling the supposed problems of an ageing population.

“The role of a mother and the situation of women is different and often more difficult than in the case of men,” said Morawiecki, in comments likely to enrage radical feminists on U.S. and British university campuses.

“In a reasonable way, we must help our ladies – our wives, sisters, daughters and mothers – both in the workplace and in everyday life. And when it comes to maltreatment, rape, oppression and injustice, will not be accepted it in any way, shape or form. The state must wield a very heavy hand in this matter.”

Making it clear he felt globalism had not proved the unqualified success many had expected after the fall of Communism, the prime minister pledged to pursue a form of Trump-style economic nationalism — as far as is possible within the confines of the European Union, at any rate.
“Western capital [has] colonised Poland and other Central European countries,” he said frankly.

“This is the reality we are living in. So, the masks have fallen off. We are facing a gigantic challenge. We are all facing a gigantic challenge. The taboo topic, this taboo topic has become an obvious truth – although Poles manufacture a lot, not everything our economy produces stays in our wallets.”
Declaring that the country must “move on from the capitalism of loan-based consumption installed by foreign institutions in the early 1990s to the capitalism of savings and investments,” Morawiecki said Poland was in “a fight for Polish ownership, for Polish capital” — and an end to the days of Poland’s young people emigrating en masse to work in Western Europe, while between 4 and 5 percent of Poland-made GDP is “posted as profit abroad”.
He concluded with a call reminiscent of President Trump’s rallying cry to “Make America Great Agai
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Know the enemies of a civil society by their public behaviour, by their fraudulent claim to be liberal-progressive, by their propensity to lie and, above all, by their attachment to authoritarianism.
 
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bogarde73
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Re: A makeover for Poland
Reply #1 - Dec 31st, 2017 at 6:49am
 
"It is Poland who decides if we are able to accept refugees or not. It is our sovereign decision, which lies in the hands of Poles, not in the hands of a group of officials (ie Brussels) who have never been here and know little about us"
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Know the enemies of a civil society by their public behaviour, by their fraudulent claim to be liberal-progressive, by their propensity to lie and, above all, by their attachment to authoritarianism.
 
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Bias_2012
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Re: A makeover for Poland
Reply #2 - Dec 31st, 2017 at 1:45pm
 
Poland resisting "Postnational" status - good job

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bogarde73
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Re: A makeover for Poland
Reply #3 - Jan 21st, 2018 at 10:48am
 
Part of President Trump's speech on visit to Poland, July 6 , 2017:

"This is my first visit to Central Europe as President, and I am thrilled that it could be right here at this magnificent, beautiful piece of land.  It is beautiful.  (Applause.)  Poland is the geographic heart of Europe, but more importantly, in the Polish people, we see the soul of Europe.  Your nation is great because your spirit is great and your spirit is strong.  (Applause.)

For two centuries, Poland suffered constant and brutal attacks.  But while Poland could be invaded and occupied, and its borders even erased from the map, it could never be erased from history or from your hearts.  In those dark days, you have lost your land but you never lost your pride.  (Applause.)

So it is with true admiration that I can say today, that from the farms and villages of your countryside to the cathedrals and squares of your great cities, Poland lives, Poland prospers, and Poland prevails.  (Applause.)

Despite every effort to transform you, oppress you, or destroy you, you endured and overcame.  You are the proud nation of Copernicus — think of that — (applause) — Chopin, Saint John Paul II.  Poland is a land of great heroes.  (Applause.)  And you are a people who know the true value of what you defend.

The triumph of the Polish spirit over centuries of hardship gives us all hope for a future in which good conquers evil, and peace achieves victory over war.

For Americans, Poland has been a symbol of hope since the beginning of our nation.  Polish heroes and American patriots fought side by side in our War of Independence and in many wars that followed.  Our soldiers still serve together today in Afghanistan and Iraq, combatting the enemies of all civilization.

For America’s part, we have never given up on freedom and independence as the right and destiny of the Polish people, and we never, ever will.  (Applause.)

Our two countries share a special bond forged by unique histories and national characters.  It’s a fellowship that exists only among people who have fought and bled and died for freedom.  (Applause.)

The signs of this friendship stand in our nation’s capital.  Just steps from the White House, we’ve raised statues of men with names like Pułaski and Kościuszko.  (Applause.)  The same is true in Warsaw, where street signs carry the name of George Washington, and a monument stands to one of the world’s greatest heroes, Ronald Reagan.  (Applause.)

And so I am here today not just to visit an old ally, but to hold it up as an example for others who seek freedom and who wish to summon the courage and the will to defend our civilization.  (Applause.)  The story of Poland is the story of a people who have never lost hope, who have never been broken, and who have never, ever forgotten who they are."  (Applause)
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UnSubRocky
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Re: A makeover for Poland
Reply #4 - Jan 25th, 2018 at 3:29am
 
I thought Poland was doing "shortest straw" competitions to see which one stays behind to be the last to turn off the rest of the lights.
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aquascoot
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Re: A makeover for Poland
Reply #5 - Jan 25th, 2018 at 6:54am
 
yeah,  europe as an idea is probably doomed.

the USA has trouble with centralised power in washington and its been going for 2 centuries and they all speak a common language .

europe was always going to have even more trouble with brussels not being accepted as a central power base.  and why should it?
there isnt a lot of similarity between say, the germans and the greeks.
the greeks dont even see a need to pay income tax.

the EU was always a bad idea.

would all the local farmers near me just tear down fences and let dairy herds mix with beef herds and with pigs and goats.

you must be kidding.

after a fire or a flood, at the crack of dawn, everyone is out fencing .
good fences keep all those diverse critters safe and secure
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