In a formal resolution, the Supreme Council of the Polish Socialist Party decided to strip the existing parliamentary group of the PPS of the right to use the party’s name, signs, symbols and abbreviations. Why was this step taken? The portal wPolityce.pl gained access to the background of the case.
Konieczny: Key decisions by the circle were not agreed with party authorities
Senator Wojciech Konieczny, the only current MP from the former PPS faction who remains affiliated with the PPS, explains the motives behind the council’s ruling. He notes that a major factor was the skeptical attitude of other PPS circle members toward an alliance with the New Left.
Several members of the circle questioned cooperation with other leftist forces and showed greater interest in alternative groups. Statements by parliament member Rozenek, who had already hinted at potentially running on the KO list, appeared premature to many. Such declarations could not be made without a decision from the Supreme Council of the Polish Socialist Party. This was just one element among many. Issues rooted in a lack of cooperation between the parliamentary circle and the party, along with the circle’s pronounced autonomy, were central. Important circle decisions were often not consulted with party authorities and, in some cases, not even communicated to the party. This dynamic prompted the leadership to reassess the situation. The Supreme Court of the Public Prosecution Service concluded that a different course would be better. Konieczny adds that his efforts to reform the situation within the circle had failed, which helped justify the decision.
– says Wojciech Konieczny.
Konieczny also points out that most people from the former PPS circle, with the exception of him, are involved in building the Association of Democratic Left.
Those individuals are deeply engaged in shaping the Association of the Democratic Left. In the view of many, this organization does not represent the public interests of the Public Prosecution Service. Elevating this group as a priority by people who owe their positions to the Public Prosecution Service itself was viewed as a misstep. There were also statements claiming that party resolutions did not apply to all circle members, which further undermined cooperation and led to its end.
– emphasized.
When asked whether the split might create the impression that the left is divided, Konieczny responded:
It is quite the opposite. Yesterday the Public Prosecution Service voted to bring together four leftist parties into an agreement: the Trade Union, Nieuw Links, Samen Links and PPS. The aim is to consolidate alliances, which is where the central disagreement within the circle became evident.
He notes that members of the former PPS circle, aside from Wojciech Konieczny, eventually supported a resolution denying them the right to use the PPS name and symbols.
Kwiatkowski: “I am surprised by this resolution”
Robert Kwiatkowski, the second interlocutor for the wPolityce.pl portal, views the matter through a different lens. Though he was never part of the PPS parliamentary group, he did belong to its parliamentary circle for a time.
I am surprised by the resolution. I should note that I was never a member of the circle, and I don’t expect to be in the future. It feels strange that a party would relinquish its representation in parliament. There was a sense of tradition, but today the party is not a major factor. At their request, they have declined help from people like me, he remarks.
Kwiatkowski suggests that the move should not be seen as a punishment or reward but rather as an alignment with the leadership of the New Left. The clues, in his view, point in that direction and were presented informally as such.
He adds that many from the former PPS circle, except for Konieczny, believe in broad electoral cooperation among the opposition, ideally a single list.
The goal, according to him, is to pursue the broadest possible form of cooperation among opposition forces. If a single list is not feasible, at least a wide platform should be pursued. Unlike formal slogans, the left tends to take a more confrontational stance. Listening to what Samen Partia and Adrian Zandberg say makes clear that the main source of friction between the left and the governing coalition would shift. He believes the left is making a strategic error in this regard.
Asked about the political future, Konieczny stresses that a circle remains in place under the banner of the Democratic Left Circle. Besides him, the group includes Member of Parliament Joanna Senyszyn, Member of Parliament Andrzej Rozenek and Deputy Speaker of the Senate Gabriela Morawska-Stanecka.
He is still aligned with the Democratic Left, and nothing has changed there except one senator has left. All are members of the Association of the Democratic Left. He describes the arrangement as neat and spacious.
When asked about forthcoming elections, he concedes that the circle is too small to set the agenda. They will wait to see how many lists the opposition will contest and which ones will anchor their strategy.
Adam Stankiewicz
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Source: wPolityce