Will Komorowski be Poland's worst ever president?

Many thanks for that, Dougpol. You're probably the first poster to attempt such a lengthy and well considered posting :) :)

1) Well, I would have disagreed if it were JK but BK is of the same party and will thus be expected to follow the party line.

2) Cautiously, yes. Poland chose to become part of the EU. It made its bed and must lie in it. Part of that decision was to cast the net wider but be careful when setting off down certain roads.

3) Agreed. Kommie could benefit from this.

4) True! He's the one in the Presidential seat, not her.

5) He won't do that, esp in the context of Smolensk. It's more of a French thing to be inquisitorial.

6) Absolutely! However, he is a slogan man. This won't change! The man is pro-EU yet seems to know little of the lack of democracy that goes on within that very institution. Maybe in his heart he has issues with that but he should stay focussed on Poland and let Tusk deal with those Eurocrats more.

7) Why? PiS focus on agriculture workers, those that produce the great dairy and crops that have graced dinner tables across Poland. I'm all for farmers getting a better deal.

8) Oh, the moustache comes with the territory. He's over 50 and has thus initiated himself into Taches R Us :) In Scotland it's pretty much the same. Many middle-aged men sport them.

9) Very true! He should look at secular options and more accountability.

10) True in that time is needed to instigate meaningful reform. However, how do you know those folk are lazy? Maybe it is that there are just too few jobs for uni graduates in Poland?? Many go through the education system here (tertiary level) and it is hard to match jobs to them. As long as he pursues an expansion in the number of internships and apprenticeships, he will be moving in the right direction.

A better deal? You mean KRUS isn't a great deal as it is? Farmers are probably in one of the best positions in Polish society - they gain EU money from the CAP, plus they pay next to nothing in taxation. I'd love to be a farmer here!

As for me - I expect Komorowski to follow Kwasniewski's path and get the job done. The veto should only be used in truly exceptional cases of public anger - like the Icesave deal in Iceland was understandably vetoed.

KRUS is a good deal, I agree. However, is it really the case that, when taken in average terms, that farmers here enjoy as good a deal as in Scotland, for example? I'd say nothing like it when you factor in those from the poorest regions of Poland.

Komorowski will prove to be Poland's version of Obama (and that's not a good thing). He, like Obama is a liberal who is against free-market systems, both favor big government, big business, are pro-homosexuality rights, and favor abortion. Seems like one in the same to me. Komorowski also wants to eliminate the zloty in favor of the Euro. Just another example of Polish idenity falling by the wayside in favor of globalization.

Poor Poland, you can take the socialism out of Poland (the breaking up of the Soviet Union) but you just can't change the mindset of some people there. You wanted this. You had a good guy with Jaroslaw Kaczynski on the ticket but you rejected him to go back to the same old liberal Centrist Party with people like Donald Tusk. When will you Europeans ever learn? I guess you are just too dependent on the government (socialist) to get off of the government teet.

The Law and Justice Party that the Kaczynski brothers started was a good thing. Traditional, conservative values that was just too foreign to most Poles, but you can't really blame them. They are brainwashed Europeans nontheless. I only hope they wake up some day.

backwardness isn't good for the future...

Hahaha. Yet another person who only believes what he wants to believe.

Actually, Komorowski is a model Catholic - he has a wife, several children, has great personal relations with several bishops and so on. Calling Komorowski a "liberal" is about as idiotic as it gets - he's conservative through and through. As for abortion - can you provide me with one scrap of evidence that suggests that Komorowski is pro-abortion? Course you can't.


Well done, you've just shown how clueless you are. The "Centre Agreement" was actually headed by Jaroslaw Kaczynski. And - just to add to this - may I remind you that Jaroslaw Kaczynski is pro-trade union, pro-welfare and generally very socialist in nature? You know, one of the biggest groups supporting "Law and Justice" is - surprise - the Solidarity trade union. Let's not forget that the same Kaczynski supports state-subsidies towards all manner of inefficient State owned businesses. Komorowoski doesn't.


Cute. They didn't have conservative values at all - in fact, they had very socialist values. I know Americans are generally too dumb to understand this, but the Kaczynski twins were classic socialists. Look at their supporters - many of them rely on government handouts. PO voters tend to be financially independent. Who is "conservative" here?

Now, get lost. You don't even understand how the Polish Presidency works - so really, you don't have a clue.

"Actually, Komorowski is a model Catholic - he has a wife, several children, has great personal relations with several bishops and so on. Calling Komorowski a "liberal" is about as idiotic as it gets - he's conservative through and through. As for abortion - can you provide me with one scrap of evidence that suggests that Komorowski is pro-abortion? Course you can't"

Komorowski is a typical Catholic, I'll give you that. Liberal.

You don't honestly think he's conservative? If he isn't then why were the Kaczynski's seen as so foreign in their "controversial" right-wing beliefs of pro-life, pro-traditional marriage? According to you Komorowski is just the latest in a long line of conservatives, right? If he was so conservative then why was the Pis party, that works closely with the Catholic church even necessary? Why would they be created in the first place?

As for your claims, I can provide you with more than one "scrap" of evidence.

Poland's New President Opposed by Pro-Life Leaders: catholicexchange.com/2010/07/09/132104/

Specifically from the article verbatim

"Komorowski "shows off as a Catholic with five kids. However, his Catholicism is very specific, as he supports the killing of embryos known as the IVF procedure," journalist Lukasz Adamski told LifeSiteNews. "Komorowski treats as sacred the rotten 'abortion compromise' which excuses the killing of unborn babies just because they happen to be physically and mentally disabled, or were unlucky enough to have been conceived in rape."

Polish bishops defend embryonic children by opposing IVF

spuc-director.blogspot.com/2010/11/polish-bishops-defend-embryonic.html

While the Pis party shifted to the left in 2005 it was because of one guy, Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz, and one issue (economics) but the original intent in 2001 (the founding) was right-wing conservatism.

The Pis is anti-communism, anti corruption, pro-defense, pro-family. Who wouldn't want that? The only socialist thing that I will grant you is their favorable stance on free socialized healthcare but I understand that to be standard in Europe so they are just following the unfortunate trend of this government handout.

I think it does not matter any damn thing whether BK is catholic, agnostic or whatever. The president's foremost's role is to represent his country with dignity.

Whether he is a model catholic...Polish model catholic? Belgian model catholic? Italian?
That does not matter at all.
I think BK is doing this very good. Opposite to that moron LK who was carrying his grudges wherever he went. His anti-German obsessions. Not speaking any foreign languages. Behaving clumsy in any kind of foreign environment. Only representing PIS and not the country.

In order to evaluate him, we must be aware of the expectations of him by the broader population. To tell you the truth, I think Kommie could have a few days of vodka-fuelled madness and nobody would really notice the difference to his present activities.

Because you, as a typical foreigner, don't understand how Polish politics work. You especially find it difficult to understand that in Poland, "liberal" doesn't have the same meaning at all as it does in the USA. Nor do you understand that the "conservative" Kaczynski actually has very socialist leanings - and certainly, he's far more socialist than Obama.

Kaczynski, with his seducing of the "have-nots" and the trade unions is your typical socialist. He supports the nationalisation of industry, is suspicious of the free market, wants to grant State funding to selected "Solidarność" companies, he supports such socialist policies like giving everyone 1000zl for every child - really, the list is endless. By American descriptions, he would be called "Socialist".

Komorowski on the other hand is your typical conservative - all for the free market, doesn't believe in any such policies, isn't a fan of trade unions. You know, the type of thing that American conservatives like - especially the way that he likes low taxes and isn't a fan of social welfare either.


Evidence? From what, biased, hysterical pro-life sources? Komorowski is close personal friends with several bishops - would they really be friends with someone who was against Catholic teachings?

No, what Komorowski defends is the status quo in Polish politics, whereby it was agreed years ago that they wouldn't bring up the abortion debate in return for the present situation - where it's allowed in very limited circumstances. This is what Polish society (something that you're obviously unfamiliar with) supports in general. We don't need or want the abortion debate to be brought up again - it's better to have a steady law than the situation where the law keeps changing according to which party is leading the conutry.

Incidentally, can you provide me with "evidence" that Komorowski has ever supported the abortion of disabled children? You can't, because he hasn't.


Hahahaha. Marcinkiewicz fell out with Kaczynski long ago over economics - but it was because Marcinkiewicz believed in the free market, not in Kaczynski's socialist policies. Where do you read this rubbish?


Who wants socialism? I don't - but Jaroslaw does.


How can you explain Kaczynski's friendship with and support by Solidarność, hmm? Why does he support the subsidising of inefficient, State owned enterprises? Why does he oppose the privatisation of many Polish businesses? Could it be because he's...a socialist?


Yup. And this is why Kwasniewski mostly enjoyed huge popularity.

It's far faaaaaaaar too good. I have to pay full ZUS and farmers pay peanuts regardless of their profits. I'm all againsta KRUS!

I will consult my crystal ball.

:)