The Polkast

The 15 October general election finally ended Law and Justice's (PiS) parliamentary majority, allowing the “democratic opposition” to form a government. The results were met with celebratory headlines across Europe, but the picture is more complex.

As the new coalition government takes shape, we’re taking a closer look at what it might mean for Poland. In this episode, Ewa and Ana analyse the contents of the coalition agreement, and what’s missing from it. 

We also discuss the split that has emerged on the Polish left, the risks and opportunities it faces, and what an effective left strategy could look like under a centre-right, Tusk-led administration.

LINKS:

Już 15 października odbędą się w Polsce wybory do Sejmu i Senatu. W głosowaniu wybranych zostanie 460 posłów i 100 senatorów na czteroletnią kadencję. Na ten dzień zaplanowano również referendum ogólnokrajowe.

W tym odcinku rozmawiamy z Małgorzatą Hallewell – Polką, która współtworzy inicjatywę „Polonia Głosuje” i angażuje się w działania profrekwencyjne wśród Polonii. Usłyszycie między innymi o tym jakie trzeba podjąć kroki aby zagłosować mieszkając za granicą, z jakimi utrudnieniami spotyka się Polonia i dlaczego w tych wyborach istnieje poważne ryzyko, że oddane przez Polonię głosy przepadną.

Niezbędne linki:

On the 15th of October, Poland is facing a key election. After eight years of ultra-conservative governments and deepening authoritarianism, there’s finally a glimmer of hope for progressive change - but also a real risk of the country shifting even further to the right. Which direction will Poland choose?

In this episode, we explain the different political parties contesting the election and discuss some of the key topics that have emerged in their campaigns. We also analyse their strategies, examine their appeal - and consider potential outcomes and possible coalitions.

Why is TikTok so influential in this election? Have events like the invasion of Ukraine and the cost of living crisis influenced its themes? And what’s the deal with the referendum happening alongside it?

To find out, tune in to our episode with Guardian journalist Weronika Strzyżyńska. [Episode recorded on 26.08)

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External links:

Polonia Głosuje - an excellent campaign mobilising Poles in the UK to vote, with plenty of useful resources (in Polish)

The Solidarność movement is one of several events in Polish history that nearly every political tendency tries to claim as their own.

Should it be seen primarily as a workers’ struggle? A pro-democracy uprising? A national liberation movement? Or a movement for capitalism? What is the legacy of Solidarność - and who in Poland has got the strongest claim to it? 

In this episode, we analyse the story of Solidarność and discuss how it should be interpreted, with Polish historian and economist Miłosz Wiatrowski-Bujacz. We also use it as a springboard for a conversation about Polish society today, and the forces and ideologies that shape it.

Miłosz Wiatrowski-Bujacz is a PhD candidate at Yale, researching Solidarność, as well as a writer and podcaster commenting on contemporary Polish politics. We strongly recommend following his Instagram (in Polish): @milosz.miedzy.innymi

Other resources:

Jacek Kuron and Karol Modzelewski, Open letter to the Party

Mark Osborn “Solidarność” The workers Movement and the Rebirth of Poland in 1980-81

Karol Modzelewski Zajeździmy kobyłę historii. Wyznania poobijanego jeźdźca 

Tony Judt with Timothy Snyder, Thinking the Twentieth Century: Intellectuals and Politics in the Twentieth Century. 

In today’s episode, we’re discussing a topic that’s impossible to escape when talking about Poland: religion. It’s come up during many of our previous episodes, so it’s time to fill in the gaps.

How did religion come to play such a big role in Polish public life? Is Poland following Western Europe and starting to secularise? What does the process of leaving the Catholic Church look like? And what's the future of the Polish Church?

To find out, we invited Katarzyna Zielińska, Associate Professor at the Institute of Sociology at Jagiellonian University in Cracow. Her research focuses on on religion, gender and democracy in Poland.

We are also discussing our personal experiences of growing up in the Church in 2000s Poland, and leaving it behind.

***More resources***

Poles face a crisis of faith: not in God, but in the Catholic Church - article in Notes from Poland

It’s normally the right accusing the left of being easily offended and engaging in cancel culture. But in Poland, artists can be arrested and face trial purely for offending someone’s feelings…

In the first episode of season 2, we discuss art and censorship in today’s Poland. We’ll talk about Poland’s blasphemy/'insult laws' and their use by the current government, the takeover of arts institutions by the ruling coalition - but also about arts-based resistance.

In the autumn of 2020, Poland saw its biggest wave of protest since the collapse of the Berlin Wall. Women and their allies in cities and towns tooks to the streets to resist the further restriction of abortion law.

What is the legacy of that movement? What led to it, and what has been happening since? And what are the prospects for abortion being finally legalised in Poland?

In this episode, we also situate the Polish struggle for reproductive rights in a global context - discussing the end of Roe v Wade, but also women’s victories around the world.

As our guest, we are delighted to introduce Martyna Jałoszyńska, a pro-choice organiser based in Warsaw, member of Razem party and the European Democracy Youth Network.

Further reading:

Beyond Roe: Strategic Lessons in the Fight for Abortion Rights, by Ewa and Dan Davison