There are different rules because they have been chosen to govern and to lead which also means expected to take crap, risk your personal safety and relinquish your private life in a way the hoi polloi are not. There are also a lot fewer of them than the millions of us. I guess with power comes great responsibility – but also great perks.
Fraser Bailey
3 years ago
‘Meanwhile, the election has also drawn criticism from the EU, who have threatened Poland with a suspension of its voting rights.’
The EU criticising the holding of an election. Who’d have thought it?
That aside, it is disappointing to see the Law and Justice Party exposed in this way. It simply seems to be an ineradicable trait of those who seek or gain power. One rule for them, another rule for everyone else.
The official reason given by the Polish Opposition was … wait for it … “killer envelopes” !! Catching Covid-19 by mail. You couldn’t make it up. City Hall in Opposition-held areas refused to supply elector details, so the election didn’t go ahead within the constitutional timeframe. They are now seeking to delay the election further, to trigger a constitutional crisis.
Poland is a mafia state, with the mafia supported by the international community. Starting point: $20 billion fuel import scam arranged with Putin in recent years – tariff free. But he’s small beer compared with the West. First the political front men … In 1989 Communism fell, apparently. Or rather it mutated, with foreign help. Don’t believe me, let’s look at the presidents of post 1989 Poland: General Jaruzelski – bloodthirsty Communist dictator! (Started off well, eh?) WaÅ‚Ä™sa – proven Communist secret agent (extensive evidence written in his own hand) Kwasniewski – Communist minister, son of a non-Polish KGB officer Lech Kaczynski – anti-Communist, assassinated 2010 Komorowski – held a fake job in the 1980s, unknown real employment, goes hunting with Commie era secret police officers, son of a wartime Soviet agent Duda – anti-Communist. West Germany got rid of most East German judges when the Berlin Wall came down. In Poland the judges stayed in place. As did the legacy state media – though we had two new stations set up by (i) two people from the Communist secret service (TVN) and (ii) a Communist secret police agent (Polsat). The printed media was largely shared between old Commies and German Big Business. Property expropriated during Communist times was NOT returned. Instead most of it was sold for pennies to the families of leading Communists. Starting to see a pattern? Oligopolies were arranged for foreign Big Business – this was the big trade-off. Germany made approx. EUR 200 billion from oligopolistic markets in Poland 2004-2014. Paying very little tax. Next point. Pre-2015 Poland had very little social security (no child benefit!!!) but had enormous budget deficits and truly humungous VAT scams (30+% VAT gap, on purpose). Post 2015 the budget deficits more or less disappeared, while social security spending rocketed. The rest was accounted for by honest government. Final remark on chief justices. The outgoing chief justice Gersdorf was a lifelong Communist, supporting Soviet tyranny until the end. She became in-house at TVN (see above). Her husband headed the Constitutional Court. Her son plays an important role in appointing judges – a role previously played by his father. She served 8 years on the bench. The new chief justice has had 25 years on the bench.
Dave X
3 years ago
Transparency International reckons that slashing the VAT gap from 30+% to 12% is symptomatic of corruption! That the stopping of a huge, open and unlawful fuel importation scheme run by the Kremlin-directed mafia that netted Putin $20 billion is equally symptomatic of corruption! That undoing a billion euros’ worth of unlawful property deals is dishonest! Pre-2015 Poland had a Dickensian social security system, devoid of basic things like child benefit. Since then, social spending has rocketed while the budget deficit has fallen dramatically due to honesty in public finances. It would have been just above zero in 2020 had it not been for Covid-19. Where did the money come from? Taxes went down slightly … So, how could TI get it so wrong? Poland was ranked 26th in terms of corruption in 2016 … now 41st and falling sharply!
redbowlgreenbowl
3 years ago
They flout the rules because they know its a bunch BS.
Dave X
3 years ago
Cemeteries could be visited, but permission had to be sought first. In this case permission was sought. “when [President Lech Kaczynski] was killed in a plane crash” According to world-renowned flight crash investigator Frank Taylor there were two bombs on board. Find his Sky News interview on Youtube. The interim report of a Danish-led investigation provides the supporting details. Passenger door 2 blew out before the plane crashed – together with human intestines.
Dave X
3 years ago
“The decision to go to the polls” was dictated by the constitution. The president has a fixed term of office. The election had to take place by May 23rd, but the Opposition stopped it happening by refusing to supply elector mailing details in the areas they held – after the Opposition-held Senate delayed emergency postal voting legislation in order to frustrate the holding of the election. The Senate is once again engaging in delaying tactics, seeking to stop any election being held – in order to trigger a constitutional crisis. Just imagine if Trump frustrated the holding of the presidential election in America … because that’s what the “pro-democracy” EU-backed Opposition is attempting in Poland. Back in December 2016 the same Opposition occupied Parliament for a month. In reaction, the government just turned off the heating.
Dave X
3 years ago
Please delete – I see my other comments have passed moderation. I have posted too much 🙂
Dave X
3 years ago
Please delete – I see my other comments have passed moderation. I have posted too much 🙂
Behemoth Cat
3 years ago
Funny how in the article far left is called centre-left, and conservative party similar to USA Republicans – far right 😉
Elections – due by constitution. Difficult due to the pandemic. Ruling party wanted to push through because of polls. “Total opposition” – as they call themselves – said no because no.
Simple solution suggested by conservatives – call State of Emergency (in this case – natural disaster), which legally, according to constitution, delays elections – due 3 months after calling it back. Simple, logical, legal.
Fights between current and previous ruling parties left vacuum – there is no proper legal framework for elections now. So even for Supreme Court it’s a lot of fun – which unlawful solution call the law.
techfell
3 years ago
One rule for them, another rule of us; it’s a common cry, and quite true.
In today’s news we have the story of an MP who went to see a journalist who was holding a barbecue. He claims he didn’t know this and left after eating just half a sausage. Maybe he’s lying, maybe not. But one thing is for sure, nobody is interested in the fact the journalists were having a party.
The theory goes that responsible people must be held to higher standards, lest they move on to more serious stuff like taking bribes.
But I think that if we criticise every last speck of dust on the politicians collar then we actually inoculate society against political misdemeanours; we should save our outrage for serious breaches of trust and view perks of job as a fact of life.
Homer Simpson
3 years ago
Political leaders have exaggerated the threat in order to over-compensate. They think that ‘civilians’ are too thick to apply nuance, so they feel they have to scare people so that they follow the rules “in case they kill grandma”. However, they don’t follow the rules themselves because they know the rules are draconian and arbitrary, but do not actually reflect the genuine personal risk to the vast majority of the country.
There are different rules because they have been chosen to govern and to lead which also means expected to take crap, risk your personal safety and relinquish your private life in a way the hoi polloi are not. There are also a lot fewer of them than the millions of us. I guess with power comes great responsibility – but also great perks.
‘Meanwhile, the election has also drawn criticism from the EU, who have threatened Poland with a suspension of its voting rights.’
The EU criticising the holding of an election. Who’d have thought it?
That aside, it is disappointing to see the Law and Justice Party exposed in this way. It simply seems to be an ineradicable trait of those who seek or gain power. One rule for them, another rule for everyone else.
The official reason given by the Polish Opposition was … wait for it … “killer envelopes” !! Catching Covid-19 by mail. You couldn’t make it up. City Hall in Opposition-held areas refused to supply elector details, so the election didn’t go ahead within the constitutional timeframe. They are now seeking to delay the election further, to trigger a constitutional crisis.
It was ever thus.
Poland is a mafia state, with the mafia supported by the international community.
Starting point: $20 billion fuel import scam arranged with Putin in recent years – tariff free. But he’s small beer compared with the West. First the political front men …
In 1989 Communism fell, apparently. Or rather it mutated, with foreign help.
Don’t believe me, let’s look at the presidents of post 1989 Poland:
General Jaruzelski – bloodthirsty Communist dictator! (Started off well, eh?)
WaÅ‚Ä™sa – proven Communist secret agent (extensive evidence written in his own hand)
Kwasniewski – Communist minister, son of a non-Polish KGB officer
Lech Kaczynski – anti-Communist, assassinated 2010
Komorowski – held a fake job in the 1980s, unknown real employment, goes hunting with Commie era secret police officers, son of a wartime Soviet agent
Duda – anti-Communist.
West Germany got rid of most East German judges when the Berlin Wall came down. In Poland the judges stayed in place. As did the legacy state media – though we had two new stations set up by (i) two people from the Communist secret service (TVN) and (ii) a Communist secret police agent (Polsat). The printed media was largely shared between old Commies and German Big Business.
Property expropriated during Communist times was NOT returned. Instead most of it was sold for pennies to the families of leading Communists.
Starting to see a pattern?
Oligopolies were arranged for foreign Big Business – this was the big trade-off. Germany made approx. EUR 200 billion from oligopolistic markets in Poland 2004-2014. Paying very little tax.
Next point.
Pre-2015 Poland had very little social security (no child benefit!!!) but had enormous budget deficits and truly humungous VAT scams (30+% VAT gap, on purpose). Post 2015 the budget deficits more or less disappeared, while social security spending rocketed. The rest was accounted for by honest government.
Final remark on chief justices.
The outgoing chief justice Gersdorf was a lifelong Communist, supporting Soviet tyranny until the end. She became in-house at TVN (see above). Her husband headed the Constitutional Court. Her son plays an important role in appointing judges – a role previously played by his father. She served 8 years on the bench. The new chief justice has had 25 years on the bench.
Transparency International reckons that slashing the VAT gap from 30+% to 12% is symptomatic of corruption! That the stopping of a huge, open and unlawful fuel importation scheme run by the Kremlin-directed mafia that netted Putin $20 billion is equally symptomatic of corruption! That undoing a billion euros’ worth of unlawful property deals is dishonest!
Pre-2015 Poland had a Dickensian social security system, devoid of basic things like child benefit. Since then, social spending has rocketed while the budget deficit has fallen dramatically due to honesty in public finances. It would have been just above zero in 2020 had it not been for Covid-19. Where did the money come from? Taxes went down slightly …
So, how could TI get it so wrong? Poland was ranked 26th in terms of corruption in 2016 … now 41st and falling sharply!
They flout the rules because they know its a bunch BS.
Cemeteries could be visited, but permission had to be sought first. In this case permission was sought.
“when [President Lech Kaczynski] was killed in a plane crash”
According to world-renowned flight crash investigator Frank Taylor there were two bombs on board. Find his Sky News interview on Youtube. The interim report of a Danish-led investigation provides the supporting details. Passenger door 2 blew out before the plane crashed – together with human intestines.
“The decision to go to the polls” was dictated by the constitution.
The president has a fixed term of office. The election had to take place by May 23rd, but the Opposition stopped it happening by refusing to supply elector mailing details in the areas they held – after the Opposition-held Senate delayed emergency postal voting legislation in order to frustrate the holding of the election. The Senate is once again engaging in delaying tactics, seeking to stop any election being held – in order to trigger a constitutional crisis.
Just imagine if Trump frustrated the holding of the presidential election in America … because that’s what the “pro-democracy” EU-backed Opposition is attempting in Poland. Back in December 2016 the same Opposition occupied Parliament for a month. In reaction, the government just turned off the heating.
Please delete – I see my other comments have passed moderation. I have posted too much 🙂
Please delete – I see my other comments have passed moderation. I have posted too much 🙂
Funny how in the article far left is called centre-left, and conservative party similar to USA Republicans – far right 😉
Elections – due by constitution. Difficult due to the pandemic. Ruling party wanted to push through because of polls. “Total opposition” – as they call themselves – said no because no.
Simple solution suggested by conservatives – call State of Emergency (in this case – natural disaster), which legally, according to constitution, delays elections – due 3 months after calling it back. Simple, logical, legal.
Fights between current and previous ruling parties left vacuum – there is no proper legal framework for elections now. So even for Supreme Court it’s a lot of fun – which unlawful solution call the law.
One rule for them, another rule of us; it’s a common cry, and quite true.
In today’s news we have the story of an MP who went to see a journalist who was holding a barbecue. He claims he didn’t know this and left after eating just half a sausage. Maybe he’s lying, maybe not. But one thing is for sure, nobody is interested in the fact the journalists were having a party.
The theory goes that responsible people must be held to higher standards, lest they move on to more serious stuff like taking bribes.
But I think that if we criticise every last speck of dust on the politicians collar then we actually inoculate society against political misdemeanours; we should save our outrage for serious breaches of trust and view perks of job as a fact of life.
Political leaders have exaggerated the threat in order to over-compensate. They think that ‘civilians’ are too thick to apply nuance, so they feel they have to scare people so that they follow the rules “in case they kill grandma”. However, they don’t follow the rules themselves because they know the rules are draconian and arbitrary, but do not actually reflect the genuine personal risk to the vast majority of the country.