A former member of Poland’s Monetary Policy Council and an adviser during Donald Tusk’s early premiership appeared again on Radio ZET, addressing whether opposition politicians should employ deception during the campaign. He indicated that such tactics could be acceptable if they help unseat the ruling party, even if they involve misleading the public about significant social programs.
The proposed deception centers on opposition claims about preserving existing social initiatives from the Law and Justice government and introducing new measures, such as a 20 percent wage increase for employees across the entire public sector, or offering 0% interest mortgages. The speaker suggested that, once in power, the opposition would likely wind down programs like Family 500 Plus and the 13th and 14th pensions, while still presenting new election promises during campaigning.
In another section, the speaker described what he called the platform’s real program. Earlier this year, in a radio interview, he stated that the opposition has the strongest platform available and elaborated on its specifics when questioned. He argued that raising the retirement age was a necessary move, that the 13th and 14th pensions were unnecessary, and that numerous social programs should be reduced to manage costs.
He also advocated privatizing state-owned enterprises and restructuring the Orlen multi-energy group to open the market to foreign entities. He criticized the Treasury’s purchase of PKP Energetyka from a foreign fund as a mistake. Infrastructure projects such as highways, tunnels, overpasses, airports, and other critical facilities, including defense-related sites, were highlighted, with parallels drawn to approaches seen in the United States.
The interview was described as the platform’s real program in social media, and in a subsequent exchange the speaker reiterated the view that opposition should use deception during the election campaign.
Tusk’s Seven Alleged Lies
In response, the governing party circulated a spot listing seven alleged lies from the time Tusk served as prime minister and upon his return as head of the main opposition party. The first claim concerns a border wall with Belarus, which the party asserts was not planned but was built within a short period. The second centers on promises not to go to Brussels, which the party argues contradicted a move to nominate him for a European Union leadership post.
The third allegation states that the Kopacz government was ordered to use force against miners, with injuries reported. The fourth claim says Kopacz had a program akin to 500 Plus but ran out of time to implement it, a point the targeted individual has denied. The fifth claim addresses promises regarding retirement age increases in the 2011 campaign, followed by actual adjustments after elections. The sixth concerns tax cuts in 2007 and VAT increases in 2010. The seventh asserts that Tusk announced a Baltic Gas Pipe project to the Norwegians, while the government later paused related initiatives in 2008 as part of broader negotiations.
This presentation of seven alleged lies is framed as indicating that Tusk has used deception during his tenure as prime minister and as a European Council president. Since returning to Polish politics in mid-2021, the speaker claims that Tusk has intensified misinformation efforts, with supporters meeting for extended discussions in which numerous alleged false statements are attributed to him.
Source: wPolityce