Agnieszka Górska: “If there were a government made up of opposition parties, Poland would never oppose Brussels’ arbitrary decisions”

“When I read and hear their proposals, I am terrified. What do they actually mean? What should their ‘modern’ school look like? It would be best if there were no grades at all, no requirements, no history or contemporary studies, and of course no religion. What in return? – a light, easy and pleasant school, with the complete incapacitation of teachers and the destruction of the vestiges of discipline that still exist in schools, especially in the provinces. And of course the blatant violation of the LGBT agenda in schools. Let us have no illusions, this is the main goal of these efforts,” said Agnieszka Górska, an MP for Law and Justice, who is running from the Radom constituency.

The election campaign is entering a decisive phase. What does it look like from the perspective of your local government district in Poland?

Agnieszka Gorska: People are living with slightly different problems than what we see in the central media, which is boiling over. Meanwhile, it is much calmer in local Poland, our voters, but also a large part of voters from other parties, are mainly thinking about stabilizing their financial situation. And here we undoubtedly have an advantage over the competition, because the average citizen appreciates what has changed for the better in his life over the past eight years, and during this time Law and Justice have been in power. In my opinion, bidding on Civic Coalition promises, with its famous 100 specific program items, does not appeal to the general public because people believe these promises are not credible. And this is the opposition’s biggest problem. For us, however, a particular problem is the question of meeting the demands of small and medium-sized entrepreneurship, which feels threatened and coveted by, for example, the Confederation or the Third Way. If we win, we must find a balance between continuing social programs and providing help to entrepreneurs…

And what about the mood in rural areas, among agricultural producers, with the opposition claiming to have lost confidence in the government and PiS?

Yes, there is some tension here, but don’t overdo it. I think the main problem was the so-called grain scandal and mistakes made in the wave of enthusiasm for supporting and helping Ukraine. But that time has passed, today the government and the Ministry of Agriculture defend the interests of Polish agriculture and even decide on a conflict with Ukraine and Brussels. And people in rural areas see it. At the same time, the opposition, which attacked the government for inaction on this issue, is now beginning to criticize us for unnecessarily irritating relations with Ukraine. This is an inconsistency that proves the opposition’s double standards. Now that the government has taken action, they suddenly don’t feel like it anymore, which should give food for thought to farmers who for a while seemed to believe that the opposition was their only hope. Now it is certain that if there were a government composed of opposition parties, Poland would never oppose the arbitrary decisions of Brussels, which in this dispute did not side with an EU Member State, but with a state that has not yet even joined the accession process had begun. The actions of the Ministry of Agriculture and the government have simply taken away a serious argument from the opposition and at the same time revealed its true face.

This also raises the question about the mood regarding the assistance provided by the Polish state to Ukrainian refugees. The government announces that some aid programs will end, sparking outrage among the liberal media. And how do people in the so-called area do?

There is no doubt that Poland’s assistance to refugees in the early period of the war was widely accepted, but that time has already passed, which was predictable. The mood on this subject is somewhat different now. First of all, such aid is not accepted if, in the public opinion, it comes at the expense of Polish citizens, and there have already been such cases. In general, we look closely at the refugees who have gone to work, do not cause problems and focus on achieving something in Poland. The situation is even worse for those who benefit from the system of social privileges and are unwilling to work. I believe the government’s announcement that some aid programs will be ended is a step in the right direction. And beware: the opposition, as in the case of food imports from Ukraine, is also starting to complain and criticize. This mechanism repeats itself continuously. I would like to remind you of the continued demands to stop importing coal from Russia at the beginning of the war. When this happened and a problem arose with coal for individual customers, the opposition accused the government of stopping imports too early, even though it had asked for it immediately! In my opinion, the opposition does not draw conclusions and is guided in its behavior by emotions and the desire to discredit the government at all costs, even if this offers no chance of success.

The opposition is still trying to score points by sharply criticizing the current education system, a school that does not meet modern requirements, has an overly extensive curriculum, etc.

When I read and hear their proposals, I am terrified. What do they actually mean? What should their ‘modern’ school look like? It would be best if there were no grades at all, no requirements, no history or contemporary studies, and of course no religion. What in return? – a light, easy and pleasant school, with the complete incapacitation of teachers and the destruction of the vestiges of discipline that still exist in schools, especially in the provinces. And of course the blatant violation of the LGBT agenda in schools. Let us have no illusions: this is the main purpose of these treatments. It is about taking control of the education system, as is happening in the West, and with what consequences – we know that all too well. It is true that such radical demands are not included in the official programs of opposition parties (perhaps apart from the New Left, which has no such resistance). For example, PO does not propose to eliminate religious classes, because this would mean that Poland would have to end the concordat with the Vatican, but this is just the so-called stage wisdom. After all, we know how the Platform made a sharp turn to the left in a very short time, only to compete with the left and transform itself into a party that fits the ‘European’ model. We are dealing with an astonishing phenomenon that a large centrist party, such as the PO, accepts the program demands of extreme groups and small groups, which begin to dictate its terms; it’s like the tail is wagging the dog. At the same time, the Platform is removing people with more conservative attitudes from its ranks, which symbolically culminated in the removal from the KO list of a leading Warsaw MP, Joanna Fabisiak, known for her intransigent stance on defense. of life. And such a person is removed from the list because the left faction in PO did not like this candidacy. All this makes people in the provinces, but probably not only in the provinces, afraid of the ‘reformist’ ideas of the opposition, for the sake of their children and their future.

Speaking of concerns, one of the main topics of this campaign is the issue of illegal immigration from outside Europe. Is this a topic that interests people?

Yes, but it seems to me that this is not yet the number one topic for them, because outside the big cities it is not felt at all for the time being. However, this does not mean that people do not see the long-term threat. After all, their relatives often travel through Europe and see what happens there. All you have to do is go to Berlin, which is not that far away, to see it for yourself. They also know how wrong and unreasonable the European Union’s policy is in this area. Therefore, I believe that PiS’s clear position on this issue is completely correct. Please note that, perhaps apart from the Confederation, other parties tend to avoid clear statements on this subject for fear of crossing the line into political correctness. This gives you a lot to think about. On the one hand, the opposition is trying to gain something from the so-called visa scandal, on the other hand, it cannot call into question Brussels’ current immigration policy, which is suicidal. However, for the sake of clarity, we must explain the visa trade issue quickly and competently, so as not to give the opposition political fuel.