During a conversation with RMF FM, Tomasz Trela, deputy president of the New Left club, discussed the potential for local governments or a governmental agency to create communal housing. He emphasized the idea of housing projects that are publicly owned and managed, rather than privately owned, while remaining accessible to residents through rental arrangements. Trela outlined a vision where the state builds rental flats and citizens can lease them from public ownership.
He described a model of community housing that local authorities could undertake, possibly through a dedicated government body. The aim, in his view, is to provide housing that serves as a public asset rather than a personal property, with residents benefiting from long-term leases.
The host pressed for details on concrete outcomes, asking how many social housing units Łódź had constructed between 2014 and 2019, a period when Trela held the role of vice president in the city. Trela responded by noting that he was not responsible for housing at that time.
According to Mazurek, Łódź had built 133 rental or social rental apartments during that span, and he pointed out that none of these were municipal flats. Trela challenged this assertion by highlighting ongoing revitalization efforts in tenements and the numerous apartments created within those rehabilitations.
In a factual recount, Mazurek summarized the 2022 statistics for Łódź: roughly 39.5 thousand municipal flats, with more than 14,000 lacking toilets, about 3,000 without water, and fewer than 10,000 equipped with central heating. He framed these figures as evidence of persistent neglect, suggesting that they reflected the city’s leadership’s five-year tenure. Trela countered by linking such neglect to historical context and the political shifts since 1989, inviting Mazurek to visit Łódź to witness the ongoing revitalization firsthand. Mazurek accepted the invitation, promising to assess the social housing developments that Trela claimed had not been built.
Trela reminded listeners that the subject of housing extends beyond mere numbers; it involves the lived experience of residents and the condition of housing stock. The discussion underscored a broader critique of how municipal housing policies have been implemented and the gaps between stated goals and on-the-ground results. The exchange also touched on the importance of accountability and the role of public housing as a matter of social policy rather than mere fiscal accounting.
Prime Minister Tusk?
Trela addressed remarks by Paulina Matysiak, who recently told Polsat News that the Together party might veto Donald Tusk’s potential bid for the premiership. Trela expressed the view that the party that wins an election should have the prerogative to nominate the prime minister, and he suggested that if his party co-governed with PO, Donald Tusk could become prime minister. He asserted that this framework reflects the party’s approach to coalition governance and the political process of forming a government after elections.
Trela stated that his party would work to persuade Matysiak of this stance, emphasizing the priority of winning the election and securing the ability to nominate a candidate for the prime minister’s position. The dialogue pointed to the practical dynamics of forming a government and how strategic negotiations influence leadership choices in a parliamentary system.
“The right to abortion, let the woman decide”
Trela’s remarks touched on Poland’s abortion policy and the left’s stance on reproductive rights. He characterized the 2020 protests across major cities, towns, and villages as a referendum in spirit, driven by a broad coalition of participants who advocated for abortion rights as a matter of personal autonomy for women. Trela recalled that women and supporters joined the Women’s Strike demonstrations following a constitutional ruling, with Trela noting his own participation in three such protests.
He described this stance as a benchmark for the left’s engagement with the public, arguing that MPs have a duty to respond to people’s needs when there is a social mandate. Trela reiterated the left’s firm position that the decision on abortion should rest with the woman, and he asserted that the party would vote in line with this principle when the issue comes before Parliament again.
Mazurek reminded Trela that the left had previously pursued a referendum on abortion in 2016. Trela referenced remarks by a party elder, noting a willingness to learn from past statements while reaffirming the current stance: the law should be debated, and the president should be persuaded to sign it, if necessary, in the future. He stressed that the matter must be implemented in law and that the left would remain vocal on the issue as elections approach.
The discussion closed with a sense of ongoing political maneuvering and the expectation that abortion policy would continue to be a dividing line between political camps. The participants reflected on how social movements, parliamentary strategies, and coalition-building intersect in shaping policy on women’s rights and reproductive freedoms. The tone suggested a commitment to public accountability and continued dialogue with voters about the direction of social policy and governance.
FM coverage and related political discourse across Polish media discussions.