The politics of confusion – The fifth fragment: Where does it leave the citizens?
The contemporary political narrative is loud, filled with politicians fighting over wealth and power. This leaves little space for issues that are relevant to Polish citizens, such as economic security, freedom of speech and social stability. So what is really going on in Poland, an entity defined not by a group of megalomaniac politicians, but by the inhabitants, which make it all work?
The questionable status of the Polish Opposition
Amidst a raging pandemic, the Polish government published the decision by the Constitutional Tribunal in October 2020, which makes abortions in the instance of severe and irreversible impairment of the fetus illegal. Unsurprisingly people are on the streets, protest, rebel or decide to organise bottom-up dispersed forms of activism. However, the existence of these movements in themselves is not enough to create a strong counter system for the ruling, right-wing party PiS and thus the question: where is the opposition?
Who is in Charge of the Direction of the Public Thought in Poland?
This year amidst the Corona Crisis, the Polish party PiS (Law and Order) has managed to push through a bill, which gives the polish public media TVP and Polskie Radio two billion zloty as a compensation for the losses they have faced during the pandemic. This among others, gives room for debate about who gives the direction of the public discourse and what are thus the conditions of existence for other players such as independent media.