News /
Demonstrations in Poland in defence of democracy. [2554]
Privatisation in BAlcerowicz's book meant selling things off to FOREIGN INTERESTS FOR A SONG.
What you're failing to mention is that those 'interests' were pretty much unviable in the free market. They were often relying on COMECON structures to provide them with markets, and once it became obvious that other countries would no longer purchase things at an inflated rate (mainly the Soviet Union) or provide raw materials below cost, they became suddenly unviable. That's exactly what condemned the Gdansk Shipyard, as it was entirely relying on subsidised steel which in turn relied on subsidised iron ore imports from Ukraine.
If you actually read what happened in 1989-1990, a lot of these businesses needed huge capital injections to even have a hope of producing goods that could be sold internationally. Ursus in Warsaw was a great example, but there are countless others. Poland couldn't have provided the cash and neither could most Polish companies.
Polish corporation could have been built up under the Bsalcerowicz plan and given first crack at privatised assets.
Where was the money coming from? Polish corporations would have needed loans and capital - but the West simply wasn't willing to lend any more, especially once it became obvious that East Germany was also deeply in trouble financially. Jeremy Sachs did a hell of a job with convincing Western lenders to forgive some of the debts, which is what allowed Poland to rise out of the mess in the mid 90's.
But he was so greedy for instant cash that he never even considered that.
Poland needed hard currency and investment. There wasn't much room to move - to keep people employed and to keep factories open, they needed investment - not in 1995, but in 1990.
If the ski lift is to sold to Slovakia or any foreign party, then better not to privatise it.
Which means that it will be deprived of needed investment and expertise. There's absolutely no reason for the state to own ski lifts - it's a relic of communism, and PiS only oppose it because it means less jobs for the boys.
Perhaps we should organise some demonstrations to protest against that and to demand that foreigners who bought Polish property for a song due to their dodgy connections should have their money returned to them and the property they cheated Poland out of returned to Poland?
Absolutely. I think it would be a good start to name and shame such people, so that they would be more...willing to return the property stolen.
