Tusk for Shane

Hi Shane,

Here is the brief summary of Donald Tusk's article in Gazeta Wyborcza (19-20.03) I promised. I'm gonna try to be as non-judgmental in recounting his ideas as possible.

He says Poland is about to embrace (or be embraced) by what he calls the third wave of modernity (after post-war industrialization and 1989 free market transition) and to make the most of its possibilities the country needs a “predictable and trustworthy” political leadership. It means, first, grounding Poland further in a network of international partners (especially EU) and avoiding arrogance or grandstanding towards other nations. Second, it means opening up to technology, education and innovation since there is plenty of potential in this area still untapped. In practice, Tusk promises to continue raising teachers' and start raising academics' salaries until they match private sector earnings. He also says that more money will have to go into research, especially in areas of high technological potential. Third, he says how important it is to provide the youngest generation with greater employment stability, without – at the same time – endangering flexibility and competitiveness of the economy. He expresses his readiness to take up the topic in the future. Finally, he says government institutions will have to change to bring state services up to modern standards. In this point, he talks about anything from simplifying legal regulations to changing bureaucratic mentality to involving more women into public life.

One recurring theme is normalcy. Tusk argues a couple of times that, when it comes to governance, there is nothing Poland requires more than stability, predictability and avoidance of trouble. Another strong thread has to do with his insistence on rejecting delusions and concentrating on what can be realistically achieved here and now. Instead of pandering to history-induced grudges, obsessions and misguided ambitions of Poles, politics should be about practical improvement that anyone can in in their standard of living. The text is full to the brims with statistics for such real-life concerns, from school football pitches to community centers to sanitary installation to cycling lanes, some of them completed or work in progress, others in the planning stage.