“I think the problem of who is behind Szymon Hołownia is the real problem. One wonders how Poland 2050 received such high support and how long someone from outside politics can maintain such a high position, for example when it comes to trust indicators,” says Prof. Henryk Domański, sociologist from the Polish Academy of Sciences.
READ ALSO: New song of “Sieć”: “There are many indications that Hołownia did not emerge as a new man in politics, but was somehow cultivated”
wPolityce.pl: Who is Szymon Hołownia – already a politician or even more of a showman?
Prof. Henryk Domanski: As an empiricist, I would say that he is still more of a showman, and I would also say that he is unlikely to free himself from the role of showman or presenter, because he has probably been one for too long.
Moreover, being a showman and presenter brings him a lot of satisfaction and benefits. No one would deviate from this, because satisfaction with a social role, social experience, prestige or a certain authority are the values that people strive for. And Szymon Hołownia achieves all this by acting as a ‘third’ person, someone independent of politics. This, in my opinion, is its success.
Moreover, it is not even in his interest to become a full-time politician, because then he will suffer the same fate as Ryszard Petru or Janusz Palikot. They were also ‘outsiders’. They entered politics and gained considerable popularity, which they later lost because they could not keep their distance from this role of politician. However, Hołownia cannot or does not want to step out of the role of showman. I don’t think he wants that because he knows that’s where his success lies.
From his first days as chairman of the Sejm, Poland’s leader 2050 has evoked strong emotions. In the case of left-liberal circles it is often admiration bordering on admiration, emphasizing that Szymon Hołownia was underestimated when he cried about the Constitution, and now he turned out to be great; the conservative side rather regrets its infantilism or various forms of errors, mistakes and stumbling blocks.
When it comes to signs of sympathy, on the one hand it is the sympathy of the electorate, the social assessment, the assessment of an average citizen (because this was probably the main reason for the success of the Third Way in the elections – it was more identified with Hołownia than with Kosiniak-Kamysz), on the other hand – some sympathy combined with gentle criticism or certain predictions when it comes to opposition parties.
When I talk about predictions, I mean whether this will not harm Hołownia, the opposition and the role of the Chairman of the Sejm in the long term. That is why we have such ambivalence in assessing Hołownia’s activities: on the one hand, it is a very useful role and figure, which adds “value” to the opposition parties and was probably one of the causal factors of the success of the opposition, but on the other hand, there is fear of what will emerge from it.
Not to mention the emerging conflicts between Hołownia and the Platform candidates in the presidential elections, or conflicts in general, for example between Trzecia Droga and KO, between Hołownia and especially Donald Tusk, who even consider his closest associates as enemies or opponents treated. I think these are the same feelings among opposition leaders.
I ask the professor about Szymon Hołownia, also because of the cover text by editor Stanisław Janecki in the new issue of the weekly magazine “Sieci”. In the article “Maski Hołownia” editor Janecki asks, among other things: about who is behind the leader of the Third Way. He also puts forward the thesis: ‘There are many indications that Szymon Hołownia did not emerge as a new man in politics on his own, but was somehow raised and promoted by business circles and people with influence in the secret and uniformed services. Above all, they needed a television man, a hero of mass culture.
I think the problem of who is behind Szymon Hołownia is the real problem. One wonders how Poland 2050 received such high support and how long someone from outside politics can maintain such a high position, for example when it comes to confidence indicators.
While we are always skeptical of interpretations or suspicions that the services, be it Russia or the security services, are behind anyone, such questions are worth asking. It is difficult to imagine that Hołownia himself, based on his experience as a presenter, could reach so high. Of course, I cannot confirm what I suspect editor Janecki will present in his text, but there is a certain problem and the journalist’s questions are justified.
Moreover, it is probably difficult to describe Hołownia as a person completely outside politics, given that not only did he run in the elections together with PO’s former coalition partner in the government, but he also included at least several former PO politicians in recorded his party. and finally – he has people close to him who are clearly linked to Donald Tusk, like Jacek Cichocki?
As for Cichocki, I prefer to see a consequence of Hołownia’s successes. The leader of Poland 2050 is probably still seen as a competitor by the Platform. After all, the electorate of Hołownia’s party is the former PO electorate, so someone from PO had to enter Hołownia’s environs, if only to control it somehow.
The successes of the current Chairman of the Sejm, it must be emphasized again, are mainly based on the fact that he is seen by society as someone from outside politics who can therefore be trusted. Someone who appears more trustworthy and credible than politicians whom people are generally critical of and dislike.
Szymon Hołownia has the advantage that he has not yet been able to actually prove himself when it comes to making certain decisions and their effectiveness. He has no strings attached and it all comes together in an interesting way.
Thank you very much for the interview.
Source: wPolityce