Poland’s traditionally conservative, nationalist government is experiencing record support, despite widespread international media coverage of a number of protests that have been launched by foreign-funded groups.
The Law and Justice Party (PiS) made history in 2015 when it became the first party since the Cold War to win an election outright — meaning that for the first time the modern Polish state could be governed without the constraints of coalition.
Yet that landslide 37.58 per cent vote at the ballot box has been dwarfed by the growing popularity of the government since the vote, with a new poll by CBOS finding 43 per cent of Poles support the ruling party.
Even more significantly, Prime Minister Beata Szydło enjoys even greater personal support at 53 per cent, reports Polish Newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza.
Despite the historic democratic mandate and sustained support in Poland for Law and Justice, foreign media reports on the government’s policy programme have been overwhelmingly negative, with significant airtime given to anti-government protests.
Amongst the programmes being pushed through the government is a reduction in retirement age and reform of the nation’s Communist-era holdovers in the judicial system, both of which have been vigorously opposed by the European Commission’s Jean-Claude Juncker.
Protests and moves against the reforms have been linked to billionaire social-justice funder George Soros.
The involvement of the Commission in Polish politics in these matters has also triggered anti-Juncker protests in the country.
Another area in which the Polish government has triggered the criticism of foreign governments and news media and boosted its own profile at home is a strong opposition to mass migration, and opposition to the European Union’s plan to redistribute migrants received during the migrant crisis around the continent.
Whilst the European Union has threatened the Polish government with sanctions, including suspension of voting rights and even fines for refusing to change course on these issues, the government has remained unbending.
Breitbart London reported the remarks of Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski in August, when he stated the position of the nation plainly, saying: “The security of Poland is more important than the unjustified decisions of the European institutions on refugee issues.”
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