After the event, Barbara Nowacka faced questions about the message she represents
The gathering in Gdańsk brought together Barbara Nowacka, head of the Polish Initiative, and Member of Parliament Małgorzata Chmiel. Located at the Oliwa Town Hall of Culture, the session included an exchange that highlighted tensions in the current political landscape. When questions were opened to the audience, a man who identified himself as a Civic Platform member spoke up, challenging Nowacka’s rhetoric. He described her party as a forerunner of Donald Tusk’s political bloc and labeled their stance as bland, arguing that simply criticizing PiS would not suffice.
He told the audience that he is a Platform member and explained his purpose for attending. He wanted to understand what the Polish Initiative stood for, asserting that the party’s messaging lacked depth beyond the simple opposition to PiS. He asked whether there were concrete positions or hard stipulations, warning that the existence of the Confederation loomed large in political calculations and that the audience deserved more than broad complaints.
“You have nothing interesting to add,”
The speaker admitted that a growing number of his acquaintances had shifted their political support toward the Confederacy, prompting concern about how to engage with them. He described feeling estranged from friends who now embraced different viewpoints and wondered aloud how to navigate those conversations. He questioned whether simply stating that PiS is bad would translate into electoral success, noting that he had not yet heard a firm or specific message from the Polish Initiative. The concern echoed through his remarks: the impression that the party offered little beyond fault-finding and did not present a strong direction.
As the discourse continued, the audience responded with applause when the questioner concluded his remarks. The response stood in contrast to the next moment, when MP Chmiel dismissed the criticism, suggesting that the individual either did not listen to them or had not read the programme.
When listening to the feedback, Chmiel asserted that there was a disconnect between the audience and the message, emphasizing a perceived lack of engagement with the party’s programme.
The discussion at the Oliwa venue thus reflected a broader pattern in political dialogue: attendees seek clear, concrete commitments rather than broad opposition rhetoric. The exchange underscored ongoing debates about how opposition parties articulate their stance and how they address shifting allegiances among voters. The event illustrated the push and pull between wanting a strong, defined plan and a messaging strategy centered on opposing rival parties. It also highlighted the importance of listening to diverse voters who may be evaluating multiple options as they consider their next moves in Poland’s dynamic political environment.
[Source attribution: wPolityce]