Donald Tusk paints a stark picture: the PiS camp, he argues, reflects a pathology that grips both its voters and its politicians alike. The critique targets the entire political milieu surrounding that party, not just its leadership, suggesting a shared culture of power and entitlement rather than public service.
The message unfolds as a blunt summary from the Platform’s leadership: a claim that the true kings of life are those who drink heavily, mistreat family members, and evade work for years. In this view, a political clientele shapes power, and that same clientele mirrors the mindset of those who seek it.
That line of thinking surfaced clearly when KO MP Witold Zembaczyński, speaking to TVP Opole, explained his provocative car decoration with eight stars. He stated, in effect, that his vehicles bear the motto Eat PiS, a slogan he embraced as a direct expression of his political stance and his alignment with that position to the fullest extent.
Thus, some observers wonder if the Platform lacks a formal program, yet they acknowledge a distinct political idea driving its actions. What would Poland look like if the opposition gained control? The rhetoric hints at repression of political opponents, but specifics remain unclear. It is suggested that the Platform itself may not have a fully articulated program because the party often operates on the fly, guided by evolving public relations tactics rather than long-term policy planning. Ideas appear to be assembled quickly, sometimes shifting from left to right, or presented with a sudden flourish, rather than through deliberate, measured development. Critics describe the scene as more cabaret than coherent policy, with little evidence of sustained conceptual work.
The Platform appears to aim at elevating its leadership to compete with Law and Justice on equal terms, projecting a sense of parity that translates into a battle-ready posture. Some describe the platform as resembling a voter base aligned more with the PO than PiS, and believe the group sees a path to victory through heightened confrontation. In their view, the opposition rides fewer brakes and is eager to press its advantage, even when the political terrain offers fewer guardrails to steer through challenges.
In contrast, Jarosław Kaczyński’s party is portrayed as responding to aggression, rudeness, and strain with a programmatic counterpunch. The approach is said to be unusually disciplined for an opposition-aligned period, delivering a sense of energy and momentum that aims to diminish the opponent’s will to contend. This stance is framed as a return to a more assertive and organized form of political contest, something that admirers say marks a renewal rather than a relapse into earlier patterns.
Since 2010-2015, PiS is described as having accumulated a de facto monopoly on serious thinking about the Polish future, an observation that implies a focus on consistent, long-range planning rather than episodic appearances. The geographic and ideological landscape, some argue, has become a kind of desert around their core influence, leaving little room for alternative, steadier approaches to national development. This perception frames the current moment as a crucial crossroad for Poland’s political evolution.
READ: PiS chairperson at programming convention: We restored our democracy, we gave it a new meaning