Poland is sliding back towards populism. Democrats elsewhere should heed our mistakes | Karolina Wigura and Jarosław Kuisz

Donald Tusk has failed to offer a positive vision for the future. Without one, liberals will just be an interval between populist actsWe were travelling across Poland by train the day after the country’s sensational parliamentary elections in autumn 2023. When news of the results came through, passengers in our compartment fell into each other’s arms, rejoicing as though a great weight had been lifted from their shoulders. Hard as it was to believe after eight years, the national populists of the Law and Justice party had been ousted from power on a record turnout of 75% of voters. We felt the potential of democracy to change things for the better as a physical sensation.Less than two years have passed but this enthusiasm has disappeared without trace. The Law and Justice-backed candidate Karol Nawrocki won the presidential election run off in June with 50.89% of the vote, securing the admiration of Donald Trump in the process. Days before Nawrocki’s swearing in on Wednesday [6 August] a new poll suggested that almost half of voters would like the prime minister, Donald Tusk out. The ruling coalition is wobbling. Tusk’s liberal democratic government may turn out to be nothing more than an intermezzo, a pause between rightwing populist governments.Karolina Wigura is a Polish historian and co-author of Post-Traumatic Sovereignty: An Essay (Why the Eastern European Mentality is Different). Jarosław Kuisz is editor-in-chief of the Polish weekly Kultura Liberalna and the author of The New Politics of Poland: A Case of Post-Traumatic Sovereignty Continue reading...

Comments

Opinions

Adams, Tisch and the NYPD have crime headed firmly down — but Mamdani would send it back up

Hysterical Hochul vowing to flout law to redraw voting map

Democrats howling at Texas redistrict push should take a look in the mirror

Jew hate is surging in public schools and teachers’ unions lead the way

Mayor Adams’ misguided answer to gun violence: Letters to the Editor — Aug. 6, 2025

DAVID 'BUMBLE' LLOYD: Why Rehan Ahmed is England's golden ticket to win the Ashes

Shame on those who don’t care about starving Israeli hostages

Letters to the Editor: Neither wildfires nor ICE can take Los Angeles' joy for good

Letters to the Editor: Edison's shareholders, not its customers, should be replenishing wildfire fund

Letters to the Editor: There are still too many questions facing hydrogen energy projects

Letters to the Editor: Is duplex backlash in Pacific Palisades fire prevention or NIMBYism?

Cynical reason why Albo may lower Australia's voting age to 16 - and why it would be a colossal mistake. PETER VAN ONSELEN

My awakening: How Gen Z’s relationship with religion is changing

EDEN CONFIDENTIAL: Why Alison can no longer cast Sussexes' lookalikes...

I've been forced to move in with my daughter after my third property sale fell through. The housing market's collapsing... and my removal man's terrifying words show exactly why: NADINE DORRIES

Don’t whine about federal budget cuts, lefties — put your money where your mouths are

California, here we come: A new Post is racing to the rescue

‘Club Fed’ is no place for a certified sicko like Ghislaine Maxwell — she deserves hard time

Blaming ‘the system,’ Kamala Harris falls for the oldest temptation

OF COURSE New York’s bungled weed legalization fueled a wave of addiction

Stephen Colbert is just the latest in a long line of CBS hosts to bite the dust

Palestinians’ unrealistic two-state solution: Letters to the Editor — Aug. 5, 2025

Lenders deserve a pasting over the motor finance misselling scandal, says ALEX BRUMMER

Who’s afraid of the big, bad New York Post? Zohran Mamdani

‘Luigism’ is a threat to all, Dems’ clown show and other commentary

Don’t trust the ‘influencers’ — Trump’s base isn’t breaking over Israel

There is more to Mohammed Siraj than England's nickname for him - he is a born entertainer with skill, heart and passion, writes NASSER HUSSAIN

How to stop paying for Mounjaro and Wegovy and get them free on the NHS, reveals DR ELLIE... and the two steps you should take if you've slimmed down too much to be eligible

How the ‘social justice’ movement distorted what Kyle Rittenhouse really did

Letters to the Editor: City council meetings exist to address the issues, not for profanity or racism

My Suits Me bank account was hacked and I lost £4,200: TONY HETHERINGTON investigates

If you cash in your pension early can you qualify for council tax benefits later? STEVE WEBB replies

Dear President Trump: ‘Don’t let my little brother die like this’

Miranda Devine: Russiagate lies are being exposed — and everybody is watching, even the Dems

STEPHEN GLOVER: Starmer is signing his political death warrant with his futile 'smash the gangs' policy. Deterrence is the only solution

Zohran Mamdani’s views on Palestine are embarrassing

Active shooter training instructor on what you can do to stay safe: ‘First step is situation awareness’

MPs who want to show the door to Keir's pal Powell: ANDREW PIERCE

Punters denied fitting finale as cricket shoots itself in the foot - NASSER HUSSAIN

KEVIN O'LEARY ranks the most expensive, rare and outlandish watches worn by your favorite athletes, actors and musicians

ALEX BRUMMER: Bank under populist siege

I've worked in beauty for 16 years. These are the makeup tricks every woman should know - but hardly any do: POLISHED with Elise Wilson

To keep NYC as a leader in world medicine, the City Council must OK Lenox Hill Hospital’s expansion

Beyond Trump’s trade deals, consolation for the little guy and other commentary

NYC shooting would never have happened if mental illness were handled properly

After blacks in Cincinnati beat white adults, why was there no nationwide, racial outrage?

From gravity to gender, scientific truth stands above human feelings and politics

Trump’s EU trade deal win: Letters to the Editor — Aug. 4, 2025

Here’s Jersey’s chance to let drivers pump their own gas — like the rest of America

Big Tech has cut over 100,000 jobs this year — and the AI revolution is just getting started

Letters to the Editor: 'Shame on corporate America for once again putting profit before public service'

Accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza is a luxury belief— and utterly divorced from reality when there’s a real one happening in Ukraine

My mother-in-law drunkenly let slip a dark family secret. It's ruined the summer vacation: DEAR JANE

This Lions tour was an SOS and they desperately need a revamp - from ending the media paranoia and stopping the one-nation domination to the four future stars who can take down the All Blacks, here's my blueprint for 2029: CHRIS FOY

Michael Goodwin: The 2-state delusion must be scrapped — a ‘jihadist’ state would solve nothing

MAIL ON SUNDAY COMMENT: Forget nuclear bluster... only getting tougher can curb cruel Putin

I've watched Meghan since the beginning, and have no problem calling out her monstrous behaviour. But here's why EVERY woman needs to follow her example: JAN MOIR

I was one of the first to take Ozempic. Seven years on, this is what it's REALLY done to my body: SARAH VINE

FLOURISHING AFTER 50: I've found love again - but now my kids are worried they'll lose their inheritance

In Meghan's worst year yet of flops and total failures, you have to ask why Harry REALLY just went off-grid for days. MAUREEN CALLAHAN has a theory...