Last modified on August 15, 2024, at 07:11

Law and Justice

Law and Justice
Party leader Jarosław Kaczyński
Parliamentary leader
Founded 2001
Headquarters
Political ideology Conservatism
Populism
Statism
Neoconservatism
Political position Economic centre left to right-wing
International affiliation Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe
Color(s) red and blue
Website pis.org.pl

Law and Justice (Polish: Prawo i Sprawiedliwość, PiS) is a neoconservative and moderately eurosceptic party in Poland, founded on June 13, 2001, by twin brothers Lech Kaczyński and Jarosław Kaczyński. The party was founded on the wave of popularity gained by Lech Kaczyński during his tenure as a Justice minister in Polish government from July 2000 to June 2001.[1] The party has been described as faux conservative-nationalist.[2]

Positions

Law and Justice is a conservative party and is widely considered as the main force of the Polish right-wing. It is socially conservative[3] and opposes legalizing abortion and homosexual "marriage". Law and Justice takes populist[4] and less conservative positions on economic issues, including support for a progressive tax, nationalization of some corporations, universal state-owned healthcare, the welfare state,[5] and the concept of "social justice". It opposes privatization which it considers to be "stealing of national property" and usually justifies increasing economic regulation as fighting potential corruption. The PiS has pushed back against the homosexual agenda in public schools and elsewhere.[6] Despite the party's pro-life stance, some social conservatives have criticized it, along with other European conservatives, for not pushing hard enough for pro-life policies at the European and international levels.[7] The PiS has taken pro-coal stances, but in 2019, its energy policies shifted in a more liberal direction.[8]

The PiS has attempted to de-communize Poland's judiciary,[9] and it believes the country's liberal faction did not go far enough in rejecting communism in the 1990s.[10] The party is critical of liberal Western culture, including the homosexual agenda,[11] and has warned against the "social diseases that dominate there."[12] Like other Eastern European conservatives, Poland's history under communist domination influences the PiS's views.[13] The party holds to a patriotic interpretation of Polish history, as opposed to anti-nationalist revisionism.[14]

The PiS is critical of the European Union and its liberal values.[15] It supports decentralizing the EU[16] and takes a critical stance toward a common EU military.[17] It has criticized the concept of a "United States of Europe,"[18] and it has taken a pro-Israel stance.[19] In 2019, the PiS opposed adopting the Euro until Poland's economy would become as large as Germany's.[20] It also opposed the EU's online copyright law, arguing it would result in internet censorship,[21] and in 2021, it proposed legislation to protect against Big Tech censorship.[22]

Despite the above, PiS is also known to align with the EU when it comes to foreign policy, especially where Russia is concerned.[1] It is also willing to cooperate with the CIA/the Deep State on this issue.[2]

History

Law and Justice won the 2005 parliamentary election. It created a coalition government with the national conservative League of Polish Families and the populist left-wing Self-Defence of the Republic of Poland. The coalition fell in 2007 because of corruption allegations on the part of Andrzej Lepper, leader of Self-Defence and Deputy Prime Minister. The Sejm voted its own dissolution, and early elections were held in October 2007.

In 2006, the League of Polish Families proposed to amend the Polish constitution to protect life from the moment of conception. Initially, Law and Justice supported the amendment, but then the text of the amendment was changed so that it would only claim that "human dignity is inherent from the moment of conception". After the amended bill was rejected by the Sejm, Marshal of the Sejm (speaker) Marek Jurek resigned from the office, left Law and Justice and created a new right-wing party called Right of the Republic, which is supported by less than 1% of voters (only 0,24% in 2011 election). In 2007, some of Law and Justice leaders, including Jarosław Kaczyński, stated that they are against tightening of abortion law, which means they support so-called "compromise" which allows abortion when the women's life or health is threatened, when pregnancy is a result of rape or incest and when the fetus is irreversibly damaged. Nevertheless, in 2011 Law and Justice voted in favor of totally banning abortion, but the bill was rejected anyway.

In 2011 a few prominent members were excluded from the party due to internal conflict and lack of acceptance for their ideas for reforming the party. In 2012, they founded a new party called Solidary Poland (Polish: Solidarna Polska) with Zbigniew Ziobro, former Minister of Justice, as its leader.

2015 landslide elections and aftermath

In May 2015 Polish presidential election, the conservative and Euroskeptic challenger Andrzej Duda of PiS won in an upset, defeating the pro-EU incumbent.[23][24] In the October 2015 general election, PiS won in a landslide,[25] becoming the first Polish party to win enough votes to govern the country alone since the fall of communism in 1989.[26][27] This landslide election frightened Europeanist leaders and politicians.[28] It was also the first election where no left-of-center parties sat in the Polish parliament.[29][30]

The PiS went to work immediately after the elections.[31] In March 2017, PiS Prime Minister Beata Szydło stated that "I hear in Europe very often: do not connect the migration policy with terrorism, but it is impossible not to connect them."[32] It chose to defy the European Union on various issues, such as on reforming the nation's courts to weaken globalist influence in them and decreeing that Christian principles be a factor in their decisionmaking.[33] A CBOS poll in September 2017 found that PiS was enjoying record popular support,[34] and subsequent polls showed similar results.[35]

The European Union began taking legal action against Poland in July 2017 due to its enacting, and attempted enacting, of conservative judicial reforms that went against EU ideology.[36][37] However, Poland received support from the conservative Hungarian government.[38] However, the PiS has fallen to EU pressure and was forced at times to revise conservative laws opposed by the globalist organization.[39]

PiS also enacted a law gradually banning businesses from being open on Sundays so families can remain together that day.[40][41] In December 2018, the PiS, along with Hungary, killed a proposed EU statement speaking favorably of "LGBTQI" people.[42][43] In January 2019, the PiS-controlled lower house of parliament passed a bill providing pensions to mothers who raised four or more children.[44] The PiS worked to balance Poland's budget.[45][46]

2019 elections

The PiS performed strongly in the May 2019 European Parliament elections, outperforming expectations and giving the party its best-ever result in the parliament.[47] In the October 2019 national elections, the PiS increased its share of the popular vote from its 2015 results, though because several liberal opposition parties united together, the PiS lost control of Poland's senate.[48]

See also

References

  1. http://www.pis.org.pl/unit.php?o=partia
  2. Poland’s Ukrainization Puts the Final Nail in PiS’ Faux Nationalist Project, Andrew Korybko, May 1, 2022.
  3. Friedman, Victoria (November 20, 2019). Conservative Polish PM Vows to Win ‘Culture War’, Defends NATO. Breitbart News. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  4. Multiple references: See also:
  5. Poland ruling party pledges more welfare spending ahead of vote. Reuters. February 23, 2019. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  6. Duke, Selwyn (October 29, 2018). LGBT Lobby Invades Polish Schools; Gov’t Pushes Back. The New American. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
    See also:
  7. Gennarini, Stefano (May 24, 2019). European ‘pro-life’ nationalist parties fall short on fighting abortion. LifeSiteNews (from C-Fam). May 25, 2019.
  8. Kość, Wojciech (November 22, 2019). Poland’s PiS tweaks climate policy. Politico. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  9. Thompson, Arthur R. (April 16, 2018). Poland's Plight. The New American. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  10. Wlodarczak, Anna; Plucinska, Joanna (June 4, 2019). Legacy of communism hotly debated in Poland 30 years on. Reuters. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
  11. Multiple references:
  12. Montgomery, Jack (September 4, 2018). Hungary Asks ‘What’s Wrong with the Swedes?’ as Poland Vows to Avoid Western Europe’s ‘Social Diseases’. Breitbart News. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
  13. Friedman, Victoria (January 2, 2019). Polish Leader: EU Does Not Understand Post-Communist Eastern Europe. Breitbart News. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
  14. Plucinska, Joanna; Wlodarczak-Semczuk, Anna (August 19, 2019). A WW2 battle reverberates in Poland's national election campaign. Reuters. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
  15. Montgomery, Jack (October 21, 2020). Polish Leader: EU Won’t ‘Blackmail’ Poland Into Giving Up Values, Surrendering Sovereignty. Breitbart News. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  16. Plucinska, Joanna (May 1, 2019). Ex-communist states want more decentralised EU: Polish PM. Reuters. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
  17. Montgomery, Jack (November 26, 2018). Poland Scorns EU Army, Insists America Is ‘Only Real Guarantor of Security in Europe’. Breitbart News. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
  18. Hale, Virginia (December 14, 2018). Polish PM: Federal EU Superstate ‘Not What Europeans Desire’. Breitbart News. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  19. Byas, Steve (January 1, 2019). Right-wing European Parties Seek Jewish Support. The New American. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
  20. Poland's Kaczynski says 'no' to the euro as part of election campaign. Reuters. April 13, 2019. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  21. Nolan, Lucas (May 27, 2019). Poland Fights Back Against EU Internet Copyright Directive. Breitbart News. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
  22. Multiple references:
  23. Conservative Challenger Wins Polish Election, Signaling Rightward Shift. Breitbart News. May 25, 2015. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
  24. In Polish presidential ballot, win by right-wing challenger could signal return to turbulence. Fox News (and AP). May 22, 2015. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
  25. Eurosceptics Claim Victory In Landmark Poland Election. Breitbart News. October 26, 2015. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
  26. Poland elections: Law and Justice party can govern alone. BBC. October 27, 2015. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
  27. Goettig, Marcin; Barteczko, Agnieszka (October 27, 2015). Poland's Eurosceptics win outright majority in parliament. Reuters. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  28. Poland’s Political Course Sparks Alarm in US and Europe, With Fears of Democratic Backsliding. Breitbart News. December 23, 2015. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
  29. Gera, Vanessa (October 29, 2015). Left wing is shut out in parliamentary vote in conservative Poland. The Boston Globe. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  30. Poland elections: Conservatives secure decisive win. BBC News. October 26, 2015. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  31. Poland: Grass-Roots Populist Party Takes Action After Stunning Victory – Left Cries ‘Coup’. Breitbart News. November 22, 2015. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
  32. Montgomery, Jack (March 23, 2017). Polish Prime Minister: ‘Impossible Not to Connect Terrorism with Migration Policy’. Breitbart News. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  33. Lane, Oliver JJ (July 21, 2017). Polish Government Slams Anti-Democratic Protests As Parliament Votes on Judicial Reform. Breitbart News. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
  34. Lane, Oliver JJ (September 20, 2017). Poland’s Anti Mass Migration Government Enjoys Record Popularity. Breitbart News. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
  35. Multiple references:
  36. Zdrojkowski, Wojciech (July 30, 2017). European Union Takes Legal Action Against Poland… For Refusing To Do As They Are Told. Breitbart News. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  37. EU starts action against Poland over judiciary reforms. Reuters. July 29, 2017. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  38. Multiple references: See also:
  39. Byas, Steve (November 23, 2018). European Union Orders Poland to Change a Law — Poland Complies. The New American. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
  40. Lane, Oliver JJ (January 30, 2018). Poland Signs into Law Anti-Sunday Shopping Legislation, Aims to Give Families More Time Together. Breitbart News. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  41. Poland limits Sunday shopping to benefit family life. Associated Press. January 30, 2018. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  42. Herszenhorn, David M.; Bayer, Lili (December 7, 2018). Hungary and Poland say no to LGBTIQ. Politico. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
  43. Cummings McLean, Dorothy (December 12, 2018). Poland and Hungary block ‘LGBTIQ rights’ from being enshrined in EU legislation. LifeSiteNews. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
  44. Friedman, Victoria (February 1, 2019). Poland Agrees New State Pension For Mothers Who Dedicated Lives to Bringing up Families. Breitbart News. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  45. Goclowski, Marcin; Plucinska, Joanna (August 27, 2019). Polish government touts deficit cut ahead of election. Reuters. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  46. Poland approves 2020 state budget with no deficit. Reuters. December 23, 2019. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
  47. Multiple references:
  48. Multiple references:

External links