Politicians Making Millions

Greedy Politicians

In 2012, the ruling Civic Platform (PO) registered a total income of more than PLN 53 million, making it Poland’s richest political party. PO’s financial statements for the last year show that without money from the budget politicians would be penniless. The state budget is the main source of income for all of Poland’s parliamentary parties. If they were to rely on payments and donations from their supporters only, they would have no chance of survival. Curiously, the report also shows that the largest party did not make use of professional advice from experts. Contrary to previous announcements, most parliamentary groups spent negligible sums of money on expert economic, legal or social advice, as they prefer to use the money on election campaigns. Of PO’s PLN 53 million, PLN 48 million came from the state coffers. The party obtained less than PLN 2.4 million from contributions from supporters, while only PLN 1 million from donations. Civic Platform spent less than PLN 800,000 on expert advice with the majority of this amount, about PLN 733,000, spent on publishing materials. Law and Justice (PiS) is similarly wealthy, with an income of almost PLN 50 million last year, out of which PLN 47 million came from the state coffers. It would be also impossible for Jarosław Kaczyński’s party to survive if it was financed exclusively by contributions from its members and supporters. Last year PiS made a meagre PLN 2 million PLN from membership fees and PLN 55,000 came from donations from supporters. According to their accounts, one supporter, a banker from Poznań, contributed a record payment of PLN 20,000 to the party. Additionally, PiS made PLN 670,000 on bank interest and spent PLN 2 million on expert advice in 2012. Other parties registered much less. The Polish People’s Party (PSL) registered an income of PLN 15 million, the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) PLN 14.3 million, while Palikot’s Movement (RP) registered an income of PLN 8.5 million.
Rp.pl

Newzar can be emailed to you directly

Constitution Run

Running for Office?

In order to celebrate the 3rd May Constitution, authorities organised a run which took place in Warsaw and was even attended by the Prime Minister Donald Tusk. This year’s five-kilometre route was a perfect distance for beginners, so the event had a wide appeal among Warsaw residents. Both amateurs as well as professionals took part in the run and everyone who completed the run was awarded a commemorative medal. An additional attraction was provided for children who could participate in 700-metre run. “Today’s patriotism is all about being able to bring up our children as well as we can. A real patriot should never harm a child. A liberated Poland should primarily be a good home for our children and about that I am truly convinced,” said Donald Tusk. The Prime Minister said that he is not enthusiastic about a number of provisions in the current Constitution, but he believes that it is a Constitution of an independent state and so we should appreciate it and celebrate this fact. Tusk also commented, “Nothing is perfect, neither is our Constitution, however it includes all the most important things. And after all, the 3rd of May is a day to celebrate freedom and independence”. After the race finished, the head of the Polish government also said that he was able to run 5 km in less than 25 minutes, which he considered a very good result. He joked, “I am still alive, so it’s a success”. The run began on Rozbrat street and finished in Agrykola Park. The route covered a distance of 5 kilometres along the streets of Warsaw. According to the organisers, about five thousand people took part.
Rp.pl

Newzar can be emailed to you directly

Lepper Death Mystery

Shrouded in Mystery

Sandra Lewandowska, a former MP expressed her opinion regarding the suicide of Andrzej Lepper, the former leader of ‘Samoobrona’ (the Self-Defence party). This was a reaction to the discontinuation of the investigation into the sudden death of the former member of the Polish government. Lewandowska said that the assumptions related to his suicide are wrong, since Andrzej Lepper was a practising Catholic who respected life, both other people’s and his own. Lewandowska highlighted that the autopsy was performed unusually late because it took place several days after his death, as was the case with General Sławomir Petelicki (his death was also shrouded in mystery). Sandra Lewandowska ironically added that there is a strange concurrence of suicides committed by people involved in politics on Fridays. Notification of the discontinuation of the investigation was announced on Wednesday. The decision of the public prosecutor is legally invalid, therefore the family of Andrzej Lepper still has the opportunity to appeal this decision. The leader of ‘Samoobrona’ and former deputy Prime Minister of the PiS (Law and Justice), LPR (League of Polish Families) and ‘Samoobrona’ government was found dead by his son-in-law on the 5th of August 2011 at the party headquarters in Warsaw. The initial hypothesis regarding his death was that it was a desperate act due to the financial difficulties he had been experiencing at the time. Andrzej Lepper is believed to have hanged himself. Forensic analyses ruled out any involvement by third parties.
Onet.pl

Newzar can be emailed to you directly

The 3rd Anniversary

Is Tusk Happy?

Today is the third anniversary of the Civic Platform – Polish People’s Party (PO-PSL) coalition. All government ministers have sent their reports to the prime minister in which they have presented their achievements. What can the  government be proud of? Probably with EU grant expenditure and investments for Euro 2012. What is interesting, the government has always willingly summarised its ‘anniversaries’. However, this time, the closer we get to the end of the government’s tenure, the less the government is willing to report on its achievements. Over the last three years, the government has not implemented many of its promises, often making decisions inconsistent with its pledges.

For example, it promised to reduce taxes but Poles are now having to face an VAT increase (from 22% to 23%) from January next year. The government blames this on the crisis, however, Civic Platform has also not succeeded in introducing a one-mandate electoral system for parliamentary elections, limiting the power of the diplomatic immunity of parliamentarians and reforming KRUS (the Agricultural Social Insurance Fund). A pension reform has only just been started. PM Tusk succeeded in withdrawing the Polish army from Iraq, introducing a ‘regular’ army, separating the functions of the minister of justice and the attorney general, implementing regulations regarding the extension of maternity leave and enabling 6-year-old children to go to school. The process of building stadia for Euro 2012 and so-called Orliks (school playing fields) also looks promising.
Rzeczpospolita

US Visas for Poles?

No More Visas?

During 2010, the American embasssy has refused visas to fewer than 10% of those applying. For Polish politicians, this will be an important argument in negotiations with the American government. At present, Polish people (together with Romanians and Bulgarians) are the only EU citizens who need visas to visit the US. For many years, this issue has been a thorn in the side of the usually cordial relations between the two countries. Successive Polish presidents, prime ministers and foreign affairs ministers have been promising to solve this problem. However, the US administration has been unswerving in its stance due to the high number of rejected visa applications. 2 years ago, the US increased the maximum threshold from 3% to 10%. According to the latest data from the Department of State, in the previous fiscal year, the percentage of rejected Polish visa applications came to only 9.8%. “This is great news for us because finally we managed not to cross this ‘psychological’ barrier of 10%. We therefore hope to join the other countries which are free from visas,” said Paweł Maciąg, Polish embassy spokesman in Washington.
Rzeczpospolita

Newzar can be emailed to you directly

Designer Drugs Dumped

Designer Drugs Known as 'Boosters' in Poland

Polish MPs voted through a bill which enables a ban on  the production and sale of designer drugs (pl. dopalacze). Most likely, these regulations will come into force at the beginning of November. 400 MPs voted in favour of the bill, three were against and three abstained from the vote. The government bill introduces regulations which forbid the production and sale of ‘boosters’ (a literal translation of dopalacze) in Poland. According to the bill, the term ‘designer drugs’ refers to substances derived from plants or mushrooms which can be used as a narcotics or psychotropic substances. Sanitary inspectors can stop the sale of ‘suspicious’ substances or even close the building in which it is produced or sold if they believe the designer drug is dangerous (i.e. a health risk). This only applies to products not encompassed by other regulations. This would prevent the Department of Sanitation closing down shops selling alcohol or tobacco because the principles of their sale are defined in separate laws. According to members of the opposition, the previous legislative proposal created such a situation. Fines for the sale of designer drugs vary from PLN 20,000 to PLN 1 million.
Dziennik

Newzar can be emailed to you directly

Palikot Attacks PO

Palikot Making Waves

Janusz Palikot, the colourful Civic Platform (PO) politician and member of parliament, has declared that he will be leaving the party in order to set up his own organisation. Today’s Palikot congress (2nd October) is, according to the man himself, set to be the biggest political and social campaign since 1989. Palikot, who has had only positive words for his party, has now decided to attack Civic Platform. On his blog, Palikot asked the question whether we shall find out who has the stronger media presence – the tired Prime Minister who is asking Polish people to tighten their belts or thousands of other people who see that the once seductive young PO has become an old, tired and irritable granny.
Gazeta Wyborcza

Newzar can be emailed to you directly

Nałęcz To Advise Komorowski

Nałęcz - Presidential Aide

Professor Tomasz Nałęcz, the well-known and much-liked historian and left-wing politician who hit the headlines when he became chairman of the so-called ‘Rywingate’ parliamentary investigative commission, is set to become one of President Komorowski’s advisors. In 2009 he declared that he would be running for President, however, in 2010 he put his faith in Komorowski and backed the current President. Tomasz Nałęcz (Social Democracy of Poland) becomes the first left-wing politician to be invited to become an advisor to the (formerly PO) President.
Rzeczpospolita

Newzar can be emailed to you directly

Kaczyński – Pain & Hate

Former PM Criticises Kaczyński

“It’s not the same Jarosław Kaczyński that I once knew. This one seems to be boiling over with emotion, pain and hate,” according to former Law and Justice (PiS) Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz. Another former Prime Minister, Leszek Miller, one-time Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) member, believes Jarosław Kaczyński’s recent comments concerning newly-elected President Komorowski have demostrated his ”cold calculating politicking”. Kaczyński said President Komorowski won the election because of a “mistake” and Komorowski’s victory was a “direct consequence of the death of my brother”.
Wirtualna Polska

Newzar can be emailed to you directly

We Believe In Wałęsa

Faith in Wałęsa

Polish people are finally beginning to appreciate what happened in 1989. In 2004 most Poles believed that the political transformation had done more harm than good for the country.  Now Polish people no longer feel that way. With the 30th anniversary of Solidarity fast-approaching, CBOS and the European Solidarity Centre recently conducted a survey on the way Poles feel about 1989 and which opposition leaders are now seen as authority figures. In the ‘authority figure’ category Lech Wałęsa was the unanimous winner and received 47% of the votes. The survey confirms research CBOS had completed earlier concerning the politicians that Polish people trust the most (in which Wałęsa regularly tops the list). Second place belongs to Jacek Kuroń while the first non-Communist prime minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki came in third. Lech Kaczyński received a mere 2%.

38% of those polled are certain that communism in the entire Eastern bloc would not have come to an end if it had not been for the political upheaval in Poland while 44% believe that the events in Poland accelerated the death of communism. Since the early 1990s, most Poles considered the political transformation beneficial for the country’s well being, currently 83% believe this to be the case. When asked: “Did you gain or lose more from the system change?” about half replied that they neither lost or gained anything while 24% proclaimed themselves “winners”. Which social groups benefited, which didn’t? The following clearly profited: entrepreneurs, politicians and the wealthy, those who take the initiative and the well-educated. The lives of pensioners and the poorly-educated seemed to have changed for the worse. Why is it that a huge majority accept the change of the political system while fewer praise the effects of the transformation? A sociologist explains that “many people are slightly disappointed with the fact that their lives have not turned out to be as happy and successful as they expected, the Poland of today is a far cry from the country they were fighting for”.
Gazeta Wyborcza

Newzar can be emailed to you directly