Conversation with Agnieszka Górska, MP of Law and Justice in Radom territory
The election's behind us. You were elected for the second time as an MP of the Polish Sejm in Radom District. Was it harder this time than in 2019?
- Yes and no. In 2019, PiS had a clear advantage over competition, so it was theoretically easier. I ran for the Sejm in the 2007, 2011 and 2015 elections, but without success. In those years I was a councillor of the Sejm of the Mazovia state and this was my place. In 2019, I went to the advanced league, which is the Sejm. I got 9134 votes, which gave me a ticket. Now, i.e. in the 2023 election, I managed to get 11.494 votes, i.e. I increased my achievements, even though our committee recorded a decrease in support compared to 2019 by almost 9 percent (from over 57 to 48). So I can be satisfied due to the fact that in these hard elections for the Law and Justice, people gave me more support than 4 years ago.
I don't think you're right to talk about it, but you have overtaken 2 prominent PiS politicians in the region, including the b. president of the city of Radom. You had your 5th score on the list. But I'm not talking about that. It is acceptable for our readers to remind you that you started your political activities in the Polish household League and from that period you besides have connections with our weekly?
– Yes, I was a councillor of the Sejm of Mazowieckie state from 2005 to 2006, then the LPR Club counted 7 people. I besides started reading "Thinking Poland", so we know each another very well, besides from working in the local government. I had national views, and I did not change them, due to the fact that the LPR ended its political activities in the way that it was a sad experience for us, but life had to continue. Since 2007, I've been connected to the Law and Justice.
Mrs. Agnieszka, how do you justice the election campaign? It begins to talk more and more loudly about the fact that the PiS made any mistakes in it, which decided for a worse consequence than 4 years ago. What did it look like from the position of your region?
– People here have another problems than what we've seen in the central media that it's been in. Meanwhile, in local Poland there is much more calm, our voters, but besides a large part of voters of another parties – he is reasoning primarily about stabilising his material situation. And this is no uncertainty where we had an advantage over competition, due to the fact that the average citizen appreciated what had changed for the better in his life over the last 8 years, and at that time the regulation of law and justice prevailed. In my opinion, the bid on the promises made by the Civic Coalition, with these celebrated 100 programme details, did not break, at least in our case, to the general public, due to the fact that people believe that these are not credible promises. another factors decided on the results of the election, from us, down here, independent. These were: a immense mobilisation of fresh voters going to the polls with the conviction that we had to end up with the governments of the PiS, and on the another hand, and I think that is the biggest mistake, due to the fact that this electorate mobilisation against us could be expected, alienating all possible allies from the PSL to the Confederate, and that was already entirely dependent on us. delight be aware that, if it were not for this policy of alienating related ideological groups, today, even after a weaker consequence for the Law and Justices – you could easy make a coalition of PiS-PSL-Confederation. It's very frustrating to me that we're practically in complete isolation.
Let me ask you about the temper in the country, among the farmers. The opposition claimed they lost assurance in the government and the Law and Justice? Did that affect the election results?
– Yeah, there was any tension here, but you shouldn't exaggerate. I think the biggest problem was the question of the alleged grain scandal and the mistakes that were made in the wave of enthusiasm for supporting and helping Ukraine. But that time passed, and the government began to defend the interests of Polish agriculture, deciding even to conflict with Ukraine and Brussels. And people in the country saw it. At the same time, the opposition, which attacked the government in this case, that it was doing nothing – began to criticize us, that we unnecessarily irritate relations with Ukraine. This is the inconsistency of the double standards the opposition used. erstwhile the government began to act, they abruptly no longer liked it, which had to give the farmers who for a time seemed to believe the opposition was any hope for them. I am certain that if there were a government of opposition parties in Poland, Poland would never argue the arbitrary decisions of Brussels, which advocated in this dispute not on the side of an EU associate State, but on the side of a country that has not even begun the accession process. The activities of the Ministry of Agriculture and Government simply threw a serious argument out of the hands of the opposition, simultaneously exposing its actual face. In general, I don't think we've lost the votes in the country and among farmers. This mine was disarmed before the election. We lost elsewhere and in another fields.
I'm asking you about agricultural matters, due to the fact that you had an unpleasant incidental in your erstwhile term, which could have been even your exit from the PiS Club and your dismissal from the party. I'm talking about the alleged 5 Kaczyński, which is the Act on the Protection of Animals. This was in September 2020. You risked a lot by not voting for this bill, to which president Jarosław Kaczyński attached large importance...
– Not only me, but me: Jan Krzysztof Ardanowski, Kazimierz Moskal, Henryk Kowalczyk, Lech Kołakowski, Katarzyna Czochara, Zbigniew Dolata, Teresa Glenc, Teresa Hałas, Jerzy Małacki, Krzysztof Szulowski, Piotr Uściński, Marek Wesoły, Bartłomiej Wróblewski and Sławomir Zawislak. Yes, it was a serious matter, but as early as 17 November that year, the Disciplinary Ombudsman of the Law and Justice had resigned his disciplinary action against us in violation of the Law and Justice Statute. Consequently, the decision of the PiS president of 17 September 2020 to suspend us in the rights of a associate expired. I agree that the hazard was high, but our group represented the voice of many agricultural producers, who considered the bill to be in their interests. We acted in accordance with our sense of national interest.
It is impossible to hide that the leader of your group was Jan Krzysztof Ardanowski, b. Minister of Agriculture. any said that your “rebellion” could endanger the majority of the Sejm that the Law and Justice had. However, everything has been relaxed.
– Yes, Jan Krzysztof Ardanowski was the most recognizable figure in our group, hence the issue took on specified political significance. As we know, everything ended well, due to the fact that our goal was not to break the club's unity, but to argue an unthinkable bill. Jarosław Kaczyński withdrew from her push and we returned to the Club. In this year's election, Jan Krzysztof Ardanowski, despite the difference he made, passed with any elements of the government's policy, competed on the lists of the Law and Justice and won the mandate without problem.
Jan Krzysztof Ardanowski powerfully criticized the alleged grain scandal, which he violated any taboo, which was the uncritical support of Ukraine on all issues, Since then, PiS has been forced to change its policy towards this country. As a consequence of the grain scandal, there was besides a change of moods in the PiS electorate, which the office had to take into account. any aid programs began to stop, and this angered liberal media. And how do people in the alleged area look at this problem?
– There is no question that during the first period of the war the aid which Poland granted to refugees was widely accepted, but that time had passed, which was to be predicted. Now there are different sentiments. First of all, specified aid is not accepted, which is implemented, in a social sense, at the expense of Polish citizens, and specified cases have been. Generally, we look well at those refugees who have taken up work, they do not make problems, they focus on achieving something in Poland. It is worse with those who usage the strategy of social privileges and do not show a desire to work. I believe that the announcement that any aid schemes will be completed was a step in the right direction. And delight note that the opposition, as with food imports from Ukraine, has besides begun to scold and criticize. This mechanics repeats itself all the time. Let me just remind you of the insistent demands to halt importing coal from Russia at the beginning of the war. erstwhile this happened, and there was a problem with coal for individual recipients, the opposition accused the government of stopping imports besides early, even though it demanded it immediately!
Let us now proceed to the post-election situation. It all jumps into the fact that the opposition will embrace the governments in Poland and the PiS will be in opposition. What do you think this means for Poland?
– I believe that the main threat will be left-wing extremism present in the fresh Left programs, but besides the PO and among any Polish 2050 activists. Take their postulates on the Polish school. erstwhile I read and hear their suggestions, it scares me. I mean, what are they after? What is their “modern” school? It is best that there are no grades at all, no requirements, no teaching of past and the discipline of modernity, and of course no religion. What about in return? – light school, easy and pleasant, with complete incapacitation of teachers and demolition of the remnants of discipline, which inactive exists in schools, especially in the province. And, of course, you're already in the LGBT agenda. Let's not be delusional, that's the main intent of these treatments. It is about mastering the education system, as is the case in the West, with what consequences – we know well. True, in the authoritative opposition organization programs, specified extremist demands do not fall. For example, the PO does not request the rejection of spiritual lessons, due to the fact that this would gotta affect Poland's declaration of concordat with the Vatican, but this is only the alleged wisdom of the stage. After all, we know how the Platform has turned hard to the left in a very short time, just to bid with the Left and turn into a match for the European pattern. We are dealing with an astonishing phenomenon that a large centre party, specified as the PO, accepts the programming demands of utmost groups and groups, which begin to dictate its conditions, is as if the tail was waving the dog. On the occasion, the Platform removes from its ranks people with a more conservative attitude, which was a symbolic culmination of the removal from the list of KO of a well-deserved MP from Warsaw, Joanna Fabisiak, known for her impenetrable position on life defence. And specified a individual was removed from the list due to the fact that this candidacy did not like the leftist faction in the PO. All of this makes people in the province, but most likely not only in the province, afraid of “reformist” opposition ideas in the care of their children and their future.
Since we are talking about concerns, 1 of the main topics of this run was the issue of illegal immigration outside Europe. Is that the subject that's keeping people busy?
– Yes, but I don't think it's the number 1 subject for them yet, due to the fact that it's just outside of large cities – it doesn't feel that way at all. This does not mean, however, that people do not see a threat in the long term. After all, members of their families frequently travel across Europe and see what is happening there. All you gotta do is go to not far distant Berlin to find out. They besides know how the European Union conducts a incorrect and unreasonable policy. Therefore, I believe that the clear position of the Law and Justice on this substance was absolutely right. delight note that possibly outside the Confederate, another parties are alternatively avoiding explicit declarations on this subject due to the fact that they are afraid of crossing the border, which is determined by political correctness. That's a lot to think about.
How do you think the policy of the Law and Justice should look if it is in opposition?
– I think that we should be a brake, in a affirmative sense, for extremist ideas in areas specified as education, culture or the alleged green revolution. We should respect the transformation of the European Union into a superstate, which is an undisclosed nonsubjective of the Brussels bureaucracy. We should defend Polish agriculture from Ukrainians and from attempts to reduce it and rotation it up for the sake of climateism, stand on the ground of the alleged agricultural twelfth. But we can't do this alone. In my opinion, we should look for allies in this fight for Polish interests in the PSL and the Confederation. This fight together can bring us closer together and bury us buried in the years past. Law and Justice must become a cooperative and dialogue-oriented formation, not a continuous fight against ideologically related formations. It's a large challenge, but I believe it can be done, and the future will show what the results will be.
Jan Engelgard spoke
Think Poland, No. 47-48 (19-26.11.2023)
