Piasecki’s perspective. United-Divided Opposition States

“Piasecki’s perspective” is a series in which we publish the comments of our journalist Konrad Piasecki.

However strongly supporters of the opposition would be convinced that one of its lists is the best thing that can happen to Poland, it would be worth getting used to the idea that individual opposition groups, apart from thinking about scenarios for Poland, also think about what will be the optimal solution for themselves. And even if they agree that a joint start in the elections is the optimal solution (or is it – more on that in a moment), the road and reaching this start does not have to look the way it seems Donald Tusk and the Civic Platform have planned. For what for the largest opposition party is a dream scenario, for all other parties it appears as a threat, making them stress and fear for their own future.

If Hołownia, Czarzasty and Kosiniak-Kamysz announced today that they are coming under the wings of the Civic Coalition like chicks and will run in the October elections together with it, then polls of all these groupings will make an immediate congress. Some of the opposition’s sworn voters will decide that why choose as their favorite a party that is just melting into a greater being, in which the role of the hegemon is played by someone else – and will declare support for this hegemon. On the other hand, for some (and here is the question of whether a joint start is certainly optimal) such a merger will be an argument for not voting for such an opposition at all, because they valued the fact that it is separate, speaks in its own voice, stands in a slight counter to the left/conservatives/liberals, and if it decided to connect its life with them – it just stopped liking them. Of course, there may also be voters who will see an alternative only in a large opposition coalition PISa promising force, consistent and worthy of support – and this, in turn, together with the privileges resulting from the D’Hondt system, is an argument that can guide the unification of opposition forces.

However, even if the advantages of the unification of forces outweigh the disadvantages, the new situation and party imbalance, which would result from announcing it today, would create numerous problems for smaller parties in the coming months. People talk differently about creating and listing their people if the party has 8, 10 or 12 percent in the polls, and differently when it drops to 4 or 5 percent. But even if the “four” agreed today who and where gets which place, and what will happen with the polls in the coming months will not matter for the shape of the lists, the existence of satellites will still AFTER would be less comfortable. Because they would enjoy less media attention, worry about the dwindling polls, care about the future and face questions about whether their separate existence makes any sense at all. And while the left and the peasants would at least not have to worry about their finances, because monthly budget transfers would come to their accounts anyway, for Poland 2050, supported by donations from supporters and sponsors, it could mean lean months and fundamental questions of how, what and what to live for. Hence the enthusiasm (at least the publicly demonstrated one) Szymon Hołownia the smallest to start together, and hence the various demonstrations of disgust towards the older, platformer brother. Not necessarily – as I hear – which is confirmed during face-to-face talks with Tusk-Hołownia, because there is supposedly sympathy, Versailles, ease and mutual understanding of the separateness of opinions and views on political reality.

There is no compelling reason to announce possible pre-election alliances today. Nothing terrible will happen if the supporters of the opposition do not know in what configuration they will go to the elections for a few more months. If today the opposition four were to make any moves, it would be enough for them to conclude a more or less formal non-aggression pact and, instead of devoting time and energy to verbal, media and media-social scuffles, start forging some plans to rule. And even if not all of them have to be buttoned up before the elections, it would be good to determine, at least more or less, what will happen next with social programs, public finances or armaments programmes. It would also be useful to have ready answers to questions about the future of the Constitutional Tribunal, the National Council of the Judiciary and judges nominated with the participation of the National Council of the Judiciary or the National Bank of Poland and its authorities. Because for the time being, questions asked in television and radio studios about plans and programs of the cities to be used for their presentation are met with vague or contradictory answers, which rather increase the impression that the opposition really wants to take power away from PiS, but how does this power after PiS he will not do – he does not know that much anymore.

Konrad Piasecki – radio and television journalist, historian. He conducted interviews on RMF FM radio in the “Kontrwywiad RMF” broadcast and on Radio ZET in the broadcast “Gość Radio ZET”. For 10 years he was the host of the program “Piaskiem po eyes”. In 2015, he was awarded the title of “Journalist of the Year” by the “Press” monthly. On TVN24, Konrad Piasecki also hosts the programs “Rozmowa Piaseckiego” and “Kawa na Ława”.