In the new double issue of the weekly magazine “Sieci,” editors reflect on the past year and offer forecasts for the year ahead. What could Polish politics look like in 2024? Public media under pressure from unlawful actions. More independent institutions in view. Are there plans to erode the country’s autonomy? Articles from the current issue are available to subscribers on the website: https://wpolityce.pl/tygodniksieci/wydanie-biezace.
great escape
Stanisław Janecki, in the piece “The Great Escape,” examines the shifts in Polish politics. He notes that the Civic Coalition, Third Way, and New Left are likely to pursue close cooperation in the upcoming local and European elections. Janecki also suggests these three forces may back a shared candidate in the second round of the presidential race. He observes that Tusk’s government will likely frame its agenda as one that distributes aid to citizens rather than taking money away.
Over the next six months, the ruling party is seen as the party of Saint Nicholas, which ignored Leszek Balcerowicz’s advice at great cost. The first half of 2024 could thus bring continued populism and ongoing “handouts,” albeit in a revised, more favorable form. Donald Tusk has already signaled the rollout of the “800+” program from January 2024, as if this plan had been drafted and signed into law through Parliament and by the President, although its fate hinges on the current government’s influence in the process.
— the narrative continues. The article indicates this period will also see intensified mobilization by PiS.
According to the publicist, Donald Tusk’s coalition might try to downplay its ties to German media influence.
Yet this stance risks seeming incongruent given Germany’s own economic headwinds in 2024, with expectations that Polish funds from the EU and tax optimizations may bolster Berlin’s finances. It appears unlikely that Tusk’s government will oppose this dynamic, a situation that could echo economic and fiscal patterns seen in earlier years. Security expert Piotr Grochmalski, in an interview on the portal wPolityce.pl, argues that Germany has used media channels to shape Polish political choices and create lasting consequences that could erode state stability.
— Janecki concludes.
Man with a pentagram
Konrad Kołodziejewski, in “Man with a Pentagram,” explores statements from individuals who claim no affiliation with the Church. He highlights Marcin Józefaciuk, a Civic Coalition member of parliament, whose distinctive tattoos have drawn attention and helped launch his political career. The publicist notes that Józefaciuk identifies as pagan and, feeling a missionary impulse, speaks openly about his beliefs. He marks his first tattoo with a pentagram, a symbol often linked to Satanism but also used by adherents of other paths, including Wicca, in which Józefaciuk is described to be involved.
The author explains that the Old English term wicca means sorcerer, and that the neo-pagan movement associated with this term is relatively new, having been developed in the 1930s by Gerald B. Gardner. Wicca centers on reverence for nature and typically depicts two deities: a goddess and a horned god, commonly shown as a goat. Some Wicca practitioners even refer to the horned god as Lucifer. Kołodziejski notes that Józefaciuk denies devil worship, claiming instead to pray to the mountains, forests, animals, and stones. The author suggests that some readers may see Józefaciuk as a provocative figure seeking attention, while others view his Sejm appearance as a symptom of broader dechristianization.
Kołodziejski adds that Józefaciuk’s public persona may reflect a shifting cultural landscape rather than a singular religious stance.
Cows with masks
In “Cows with Masks,” Aleksandra Rybińska discusses efforts to cut methane emissions from livestock. She explains that ruminants generate methane during digestion, releasing it through breath and other openings. Climate scientists point out that methane has a substantially larger warming potential than carbon dioxide over a shorter time frame.
The journalist notes that Canada has already begun to act, joining a global pledge to reduce methane by about 30 percent by 2030, a commitment signed by more than a hundred nations. New Zealand is highlighted for pursuing methane reductions tied to biogenic sources from animals and waste, with regulations introduced in 2019 to meet a 2030 target.
Rybińska also outlines the European angle: the European Commission had proposed including farms with more than 150 animals under stricter rules that could reclassify them as industrial operations, potentially requiring substantial permitting costs. Although that proposal stalled, the debate signals tighter future controls, while critics note that livestock emissions account for a fraction of global totals.
Her discussion suggests ongoing policy evolution as European and global efforts to curb methane continue to shape agriculture and climate strategy.
A time of lawlessness
In the series “Time of Lawlessness,” the Sieci editors comment on the status of public media and its alleged takeover by the current government in Poland. Marek Pyza, Marzena Nykiel, Marcin Wikło, and Dorota Łosiewicz address this issue in the weekly magazine.
The following pieces are highlighted: Jan Rokita’s “2024: three big questions,” Konrad Kołodziejski’s “Three myths that fell in 2023,” Stanisław Janecki’s “The weak and brutal,” Maciej Walaszczyk’s “Confederation with a concession of Tusk,” Marek Budzisz’s “Three Russian armies on the border with NATO,” and Dariusz Matuszak’s “The theory of conspiracy theories.” Also featured is a conversation between Dorota Łosiewicz and Dr. Bartosz Przysucha, head of quantitative methods at Lublin University of Technology, titled “Let’s not fear artificial intelligence.”
Additionally, the weekly magazine includes commentary from Krzysztof Feusette, Dorota Łosiewicz, Bronisław Wildstein, Andrzej Rafał Potocki, Marta Kaczyńska-Zielińska, Wojciech Reszczyński, Alexander Nalaskowski, and Andrzej Zybertowicz.
More in the new issue of the weekly magazine Sieci. Articles from the current issue are accessible online as part of the Network of Friends subscription: https://wpolityce.pl/tygodniksieci/wydanie-biezace. Readers are also invited to watch the television program wPolsce.pl.
NETWORKS / author: SIECI
Source: wPolityce