The Civic Platform (PO) held its main convention in the town of Płońsk in central Poland on Saturday. One of the main points of the event was Donald Tusk’s speech, during which he presented his party as a Christian Democratic one and made the sign of the cross over a loaf of bread. He also emphasized that he was a Catholic.
“Donald Tusk kisses bread and makes the sign of the cross over it… Are you even surprised?” journalist Patryk Osowski commented on Twitter.
Political scientist Krzysztof Kawęcki pointed out that Tusk’s gesture to kiss bread and make the sign of the cross came across as phony given the anti-religious speeches made by other PO politicians and the party’s postulates which go against the Church’s teachings. He noted that PO’s leader recently said that crosses should not be located in public space.
Kawęcki believes that Saturday’s convention of the Civic Platform confirmed the existence of political discord within the party.
“We can see a progressing disharmony in its political message. Tusk seems not only out of control of the statements of some of his party’s PO politicians, but he is also unmasking himself as a non-credible politician. Such was also his attempt to show himself as a moderately conservative politician. A lack of credibility strongly weighs down the image of the politician,” he said.
The expert is of the opinion that there is a strong division within the PO regarding its public image.
Recently at Campus Polska, a radically liberal message concerning worldview and social issues dominated, whereas in Płońsk the party attempted a not very convincing attempt to bet on other ideas.
Kawęcki explained that this was Tusk’s method of changing his party’s direction towards a more moderate one.
“He wants to present PO as more of a people’s party that understands the needs of ordinary people. But Tusk’s alleged worries over the prices of food in a situation where his party shows a lack of understanding for the social situations of some parts of society will not bring PO a growth in support,” said the expert.
