“Their [Platformy Obywatelskiej – przyp. red] there is no village in the countryside, they are not interested in the countryside and do not understand it, and the inclusion of Agrounia in their electoral lists does not change anything here,” said Prof. Krzysztof Szczucki, President of the Government Legislation Centre, Head of the Academy for Law and Justice.
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wPolityce.pl: How do you rate the start of Agrounia based on the civic platform lists?
Prof. Christopher Szczucki: I look at it from different perspectives. It must be said that Agrounia’s decision should make Polish farmers aware that the real interests of the Polish countryside and farmers are represented only by Law and Justice. We consistently focus on different types of investments and structural programs in the Polish countryside, directly on farmers, but also on municipalities. Agrounia, who supposedly wanted to improve the status of peasants, enters into an alliance with the Liberal Party, which ignores the concept of social justice and solidarity, and which has shown during its reign that the interests of peasants are of little importance to them and in crisis situations it did not assist the farmers. It can therefore be said that Agrounia definitively crosses out its attitude, which should be concern for farmers.
Donald Tusk’s move to weaken and strip Third Way support is also evident. This best shows what kind of politician Donald Tusk is – focused solely on his own particular party interest. Activists from other opposition parties should be aware that it is impossible to form alliances or cooperation with him, as he ultimately only thinks of his own interests.
Can you indicate to what extent there is a sense of threat in Law and Justice due to the fact that the alliance of PO and Agrounia could undermine support for the ruling party in the countryside?
We have our own program for agriculture, which was partly announced during the election campaign, and more postulates will be presented. We are convinced that farmers and residents of the Polish countryside will evaluate our program rationally, paying particular attention to its credibility, and support it. I also believe in the common sense of the Polish countryside, which will find that Agrounia’s postulates were more populist than specific, and participation in the civic platform lists even leads to the scrapping of pro-agriculture postulates that echoed somewhere around Agrounia. You can suspect Civic Platform of anything, but not that it solves the problems of the Polish countryside and that it understands the Polish countryside.
I have the opportunity to visit rural areas quite often, talk to farmers and attend various local events and I have yet to meet a single Civic Platform politician. They are not in the countryside, they are not interested in the countryside and they do not understand it, and the inclusion of Agrounia in their electoral lists does not change this. I do not assume that these changes on the political scene can threaten us in any way, because Polish farmers have common sense and know who can really support and help them.
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This sort of realignment is no coincidence that PiS can more easily engage a potential post-election coalition with PSL, and Kołodziejczak’s alliance with Tusk will eventually complete such a scenario?
We do not intend to enter into coalitions. We are really fighting for a single majority in parliament. Talking about possible coalitions at this stage of the campaign would be decidedly premature. We can only speak of a coalition if that need arises, and we are working intensively to ensure that no such need arises. We want to achieve an independent majority that will allow us to implement the political program of Law and Justice and the United Right in the third term. We do not assume the need to cooperate with other political parties that have not yet formed a United Right.
Do you think Agrounia’s supporters will welcome the Civic Platform alliance or will Kołodziejczak’s party fall apart?
I think it’s going to fall apart because this deal is exotic. If one follows the activities of Platforma Obywatelska, the Polish countryside was not so much neglected as despised. Reasonable farmers, who could see in Agrounia the implementation of their convictions and interests, should – in my opinion – surely come to the conclusion that Agrounia simply wants to win parliamentary seats, and not to implement a program for farmers and to protect the interests of the Polish countryside. It is as if the communists and the radical right are united in one party. This is warm ice – a construction created by Tusk and Kołodziejczak.
Interviewed by Pawel Nienaltowski
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Source: wPolityce