The specter of communism never left Poland. In fact, in the second half of the last decade, it is doing pretty well. The most concerning is the tangible extension of this specter not only in the now-passing generation of communists from the Polish People’s Republic (PRL) era, which is alive and unfortunately still politically active, but their successors who have been shaped in the already free, post-communist Poland. Today, these successors are in their 40s and 50s, two generations younger than the dinosaurs from the PRL.
There are no significant differences between former secretary of the communist party Leszek Miller and the new younger activist of the New Left Krzysztof Gawkowski, who is over 30 years younger. All of the younger left generation have a gene somehow inserted into their DNA that makes them renounce freedom and sovereignty as an individual and a nation. They are ready at all times to submit to the stronger force only for a material existence of dubious quality in return.
Unfortunately, a soft landing for communism that was taken down by Poles was made easier by treacherous Polish elites of the underground Solidarity, penetrated by the communist Security Service (SB). It was joined by underground activists who considered themselves the most enlightened; they sought the country’s stabilization during times of extreme change by fraternizing with the so-called reformatory wing of the Communist Party.
I would not dare to judge if the strategy of those willing to make an alliance with the communists was influenced by factional or personal interests, or naivety combined with blindness. They were dealing with experienced and cunning players, whose ideals always were a camouflage for their ambitions for power.
That is why I am not surprised when I hear Leszek Miller, who, referring to Poland’s conflict with the European Commission on recovery funds, insults Poland and the majority of Poles by saying: “Poland reminds him of a screaming brat that needs to be put outside, and that will happen.”
I am not surprised also when a moment later, Krzysztof Gawkowski, who firstly calls upon the leader of Law and Justice (PiS) and the prime minister to end their quarrel with Brussels and later makes the following accusation: “Those who are involved in not receiving the National Recovery Funds are involved in high treason.”
What I see here is, in fact, what those both “post-communist thinkers” — the old and the new — have in common. It is the attitude of the slave, expressed by both in a slightly different language.
To both of them, normality is the most important state of being. The fact that it would be dictated by the stronger force — in this case, the elite in Brussels — is played down. Previously Moscow utilized sheer force to maintain the status quo; today, it is Brussels using the power of money. There will always be those drawn to this power no matter the cost it brings, regardless of losing freedom and sovereignty.
