Bar behind bars and drunk MPs
The subject of alcohol in the Polish Sejm comes back like a boomerang. In talks with politicians, there is simply a question of the celebrated "bar behind bars" in the parliament hotel. ‘Bar behind bars’ is simply a restaurant in a residential seismic complex. According to any Members, alcohol should be eliminated there, and according to others, it is not different that politicians drink. Antoni Macierewicz in a conversation with us denies that specified a place even exists.
Seym like a closed town
MP Jan Krzysztof Ardanowski of the parliamentary ellipse The Free Republicans points out that the Sejm is simply a circumstantial place, a closed town where respective 1000 people work, and many MPs spend respective or 4 days a week there. – This is simply a bit like a closed fortress – he says, stressing that it would be hard to introduce restrictions on alcohol. Similarly, Dorota Sunday, associate of the Citizens' Coalition, points out that the parliament hotel is simply the residence of Members. “This is their decision whether to drink alcohol or not,” he emphasizes.
A promilian MP? work or fiction?
Adrian Witczak, associate of the Civic Coalition, points out that the Sejm is simply a workplace where key decisions are made. “We should make decisions consciously, not in a state of intoxicatedness,” he says. Mariusz Witczak admits that in the celebrated “place behind bars” there were “worse events”.
Voters have the right to anticipate parliamentarians to represent them in a dignified manner. However, all now and then, the public witness alcohol scandals among politicians. The question so arises: should Members be subject to stricter regulation? Or is it more crucial to enforce political and social responsibility?
Time for a breathalyzer?
The thought of Marshal Simon Holowna to survey MPs with a breathalyzer raises controversy. any Members feel that this is unnecessary, arguing that if individual wants to have a drink and enter the plenary room, they will find a way. Others say that politicians are not workers and are not subject to the same rigors as those employed for employment contracts.
Legal issues concerning the sobriety of Members
In fact, under Polish law, Members are not workers within the meaning of the Labour Code. Under the Act on the exercise of the mandate of a associate and Senator, parliamentarians are not employed on the basis of a contract of employment, but they service by choice. Thus, their rules on sobriety control which employers may apply to their employees do not apply. However, if an MP appears in the Sejm in an intoxicated state, this could consequence in imagery, political or even disciplinary consequences. The introduction of mandatory surveys with a breathalyst for Members would require amendments to the Rules of Procedure of the Sejm and the laws. These procedures are presently under way, but their effectiveness and legality stay the subject of debate.
Drunk MPs – Past cases
Journalists were banned from entering the parliamentary hotel many years ago erstwhile a drunken MP came to sing a wedding song on camera. In 2013, Mr Dębski had difficulty keeping balance during the voting. In 2015, MP Przemysław Wipler was detained under the influence of alcohol after a fight with the police. In 2020, recordings with MP Sławomir Neumann, who was babbling during the interview, ran social media. Recently, Confederate associate Ryszard Wilk was moved out of the Sejm's sitting area due to the fact that he was acting strangely and looked like he was under the influence of alcohol. It's not his first accident, due to the fact that in 2024 he was found drunk on the road. 1 of the last cases was besides the Left Senator Maciej Kopiec, who got drunk in a seismic bar with fellow Confederates. My colleagues showed the PiS MPs a video of the senator's actions and the case came to light.
For years politicians have explained themselves differently – fatigue, illness, and sometimes they just denied it.
Loss of trust
According to the polls, Poles' assurance in politicians is steadily decreasing. The problem of drinking alcohol by Members in the course of their duties is 1 of the reasons.
Although drunk MPs are controversial, it is worth remembering that the problem of alcohol abuse concerns society as a whole. According to the planet wellness Organization, the average Pole consumes nearly 12 litres of pure alcohol a year, which puts us at the forefront of Europe. Alcohol abuse is the origin of many health, social and household problems, and the number of addicts in Poland is estimated at over 800 thousand.
The Polish culture of drinking, where alcohol is present at social, household or professional meetings, is conducive to the problem. Although social campaigns and education on the effects of excessive drinking are increasingly visible, much remains to be done. In this context, an example going “from above” — from the Sejm — could be of large importance in shaping more liable attitudes.
