Aleksandra Tchórzewska: How does the prof. measure president Karol Nawrocki's speech today?
Prof. Marek Migalski: I am positively surprised. This speech could have been much more violent, but it had rather a balanced tone.
On the another hand, I would draw peculiar attention to the passage in which the president announced that he would make decisions not according to organization divisions, but "cross" them. This could be a distress signal for Jarosław Kaczyński.
Yes, this speech had a conservative, right-wing character – but it was not necessarily clearly written. possibly it was just a wishful wish, but the first speech of the fresh president amazed me alternatively positively than confirmed in fear.
Our fresh president said that he is behind Poland in the European Union, but not behind the European Union in Poland. There's no contradiction?
I don't see the contradiction. It is simply a line characteristic of the parties that say "yes" to Europe, though not necessarily in everything. This position was clearly addressed to those Poles who support Poland's membership of the European Union, but do not want for besides deep interference by Brussels in everyday life. And I feel that they are the majority of society.
And how do you realize the president's announcement that he will only nominate judges "defensoring the Constitution"? What does this mean in practice? Is the president truly the individual who can decide whether there are adequate institutions to do so?
I consider the full speech rather conciliative. I take them with any satisfaction, though not necessarily with joy
On the another hand, the most confrontational passage was the regulation of law. There it is clear that there will be no agreement with the ruling camp. This is most likely the area where there will be a real dispute – possibly even a serious conflict – between the presidential palace and the government.
What you have quoted can be seen as a foreshadowing of an uncontested attitude – there will be no concessions here. In another matters, the fresh president has been sending out signals of openness, but as far as the regulation of law is concerned, it is clear that he intends to make full usage of his constitutional powers.
I wonder how the prof. evaluates the passage in which president Nawrocki spoke of the contempt he experienced. He introduced himself a small bit as a victim of the system. Doesn't that build divisions?
I think it's the opposite. This was at the very beginning of the speech and was set in the context of forgiveness. The president clearly said he would forgive the contempt he experienced during the campaign. It was a motion of reconciliation, not confrontation.
I don't think those words are going to deepen the division. On the contrary, it is hard not to announcement that in the election run he actually faced contemptible treatment. Whether it was justified or not, that is another matter.
But the fact is that as much as part of the society was despised by Rafał Trzaskowski, so now by another part Nawrocki is despised. It's more of a message of fact than an assessment.
And recalling the brutal attacks on him—whether right or wrong—was utilized to open the speech in the spirit of Christian concision. I believe that this speech prevailed throughout his speech.
