Yesterday was the official opening of the new National Stadium here in Warsaw. We might well have braved the -12C and attended the event but we were on our way back from Rome so we missed it. By all accounts it went well although perhaps not as well attended as they would have liked. Many of the photos show plenty of empty space or do their best to make the crowds look bigger then they were. You can see some videos and photos on the TVN website (Polish text).

What caught my eye last week was the article on The News.Pl where they say the Warsaw fire brigade refused to give a health and safety certificate for the stadium last Monday but city hall overturned their decision and granted permission to open anyway. Considering the number of people to be housed in the stadium for a) the opening ceremony, b) Legia vs Wisła cup final match on 11 Feb and c) Poland vs Portugal on 29 Feb, it seems strange to be taking risks with safety so what’s going on here? Just some political shenanigans, the fire brigade dodging their responsibilities or is there really something to worry about? Mind you, another site says “safety officials only gave a green light on Friday” so perhaps whatever was an issue on Monday was fixed by Friday? It would be nice to get some clarity on this as there have been rumours for a while about health and safety issues in the new stadium and for a project as significant and public as this I think a clear public statement should be made.

Although we missed the event, we did drive past in the taxi from the airport and I must say again how much I like the design of the stadium. I think it’s gorgeous both in the design of the building itself and also the location within the city. I can’t think of any other stadium I’ve seen that is quite as impressive so I look forward to my first chance to use it as a spectator.

As Warsaw residents we were getting excited about the possibility that more bands will do gigs here instead of, or as well as, choosing Spodek in Katowice but thinking further it is only likely to be the superstars who do that because of the size of the place. Be a bit embarrasing for many artists to do a gig there and the place looks empty. So, when can we have a good sized (10-15,000 seats) concert hall in Warsaw please? One band who are confident enough to fill the new stadium are Coldplay who will perform on September 19th. Must get tickets but which ones?

The VIP tickets for grossly inflated price include extras like – alcohol, finger food, more alcohol and an “after party” with a DJ. Wow. Not.

A fairly definitive answer on the first question recently came from the ruling party, Civic Platform (PO). A report in the last couple of days on the Polskie Radio website indicated how politicians feel that it is arguably an “uncollectible tax”. This comes as it’s found that approximately 65% of Polish residents don’t pay the RTV (radio and television) licence fee. There is disappointment in government circles with this figure, as the fee of about €45 per year is one of the lowest levels in Europe. However, the main difficulty in ‘enforcing’ payment is that in Poland, inspectors do not have the authority to enter a home or business premises in order to check if a TV signal is in use. Inspectors need to ask permission to enter, and naturally most owners will refuse permission if they feel that it will result in needing to pay more money for something. Thus the figure of 65% of people not paying makes sense, when estimates say that 45% of households and 98% of business do not pay.

“We’re watching you, watching TV”

A suggestion has then arisen in budget discussions to consider using a model similar to one used in Finland, where the population are taxed slightly further to cover the costs usually incurred by public television and radio. In Poland, about 60% of the licence fee goes to Telewizja Polska with the remaining 40% going to Polskie Radio. The services provided by the television and radio stations need increasing government intervention with subsidisation, meaning that in one sense the taxation approach would seem to make sense, if the government needs to pay public money in at the moment anyways.

The suggestion of trying to impose it as a tax method might also be easier to take in Poland though, rather than other options. The option that tends to be used in the UK and Ireland is of the TV inspector and signal vans doing checks and finding those trying to evade the payment. The is advertising, notification and publication supporting the chase to pay the fee. If the Polish government tried to change the law to allow more detailed inspection, it would probably give too much of a reminder of communist times, with the thought of an inspector having the legal right to enter a home or business to perform a search. And from the Polskie Radio report, the PiS party will oppose attempts to include the licence as a further tax.

“We are broke so we are going to chase you for every possible €uro”

Once the debate on having or paying for an RTV licence arises, the discussion will almost always be swung around to the quality and value of having such public service based broadcasting. Everyone will have their own opinion, but I believe that such public broadcasting will usually fall under the category of ‘You don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone’ – or in other words, it may often seem that there is nothing worth watching or listening to, but it will be the small things you would miss if it was not available, especially those items which you tend to remember from days gone by which trigger fond memories and nostalgia. Thus, while the quality of what is presented might not always be to everyone’s liking, it should probably be seen that as long as the licence fee is reasonable, it gives more value than people will realise.

The topic of RTV licences is not going to rest, especially as how people view TV is evolving. With increasing numbers watching through computers, laptops and other Internet-based connections, trying to enforce payment will get more difficult in all countries. There is also an undercurrent of people who are disposing of their TV sets (for various reasons) and should a government bring in a ‘universal charge’ it will annoy those who get no value for paying for it. This means that the topic of the RTV licence will always be one someone is always annoyed by the setup.

All just an EU propaganda agenda?

In 1987 the Iron Curtain was strong and the idea of anything different was hard to contemplate. As soldiers, we trained for WARSAW PACT tanks coming through the Fulda Gap and to survive NBC (nuclear, biological, chemical) warfare. From my perspective listening in on the Soviets and her allies every day was an electronic war of cat and mouse, looking from light into darkness. Then suddenly it was over. I remember seeing trains coming through German train stations at the end of 1989 and/or early 1990 full of cheering Germans (west and east)… the wall was down…. the Iron Curtain that divided nations and peoples was no more.

Even so, the idea of me someday visiting Poland or other Eastern Block countries was still very much an unattainable dream (I made my first visit on a weekend trip to Czechoslovakia in 1992 as a college student). This year, 2011, is being celebrated in many places as the Centennial (100 years since his birth) of President Ronald Reagan. Many people credit President Reagan’s leadership and tough stance toward the Soviet Union as ultimately bringing about the collapse of the USSR and helping to free Poland (I do know Pope JP II played a big role too).

I invite you as readers of Polandian to comment on 21 years since the crack appeared in the Iron Curtain in Berlin (I do know Poland played a big role going back even further). All these years later does the memory or Pres. Reagan mean anything to you? What was your life (or your parents) like back then? Do other public figures such as the Pope or your politicians at the time hold more prominence in your memories? Do you feel you life is better now than if events of 1989 had not occurred the way they did?

I have asked some of my students and local friends about Reagan, the fall of the wall, and what memories they have. Surprisingly the comments have ranged from life is to busy apathy to hostility towards my question and the United States. I get the impression in today’s younger generation no one really thinks much about back then and the events that unfolded and how things were. I do apologize in advance if my Americanized perspective offends anyone, that is not my intention.

"Honey, I forgot to duck."

(Guest writer Mochafueled, after many visits to Poland is currently in Warsaw and trying to make Poland home for a while. Mostly he is exploring all the best locations for eating potato pancakes and goulash while sharing a few words of American English with students).

To summarise the martial law period in Poland for those that might be unfamiliar with it, it was as follows. Pro-democracy movements such as Solidarność were gaining momentum throughout 1980 and 1981. The communist leaders initially wanted to show leniency and be open to some discussion with the agitators; however as time went by, they began to realise that their authority was being challenged. Fear grew that the disruptions would develop into something more revolutionary such as had happened in Budapest in 1956 or in Prague in 1968. In both instances, Soviet military intervention had been used to quell efforts at democratising the countries. In both examples, the Warsaw Pact had been invoked to justify sending in the troops. In 1980 and 1981, the Polish leaders including General Jaruzelski began negotiations with Moscow to use the same option to force authority once more in Poland.

However, it turned out the Soviets were unwilling (for the first time) to step in and it meant the Polish leaders had to take their own action. A ‘state of war’ (stan wojenny) was declared. While there was no actual war or external threat, the authorities used the premise of escalating internal threats as a reason to implement martial rule. The following speech made by Jaruzelski on December 13th 1981 shows him trying to pull the patriotic heart-strings of the public:

“The atmosphere of conflicts, misunderstanding, hatred causes moral degradation, surpasses the limits of toleration. Strikes, the readiness to strike, actions of protest have become a norm of life. Even school youth are being drawn into this. Yesterday evening, many public buildings remained seized. The cries are voiced to physical reprisals with the ‘reds’, with people who have different opinions.
The cases of terror, threats and moral vvendetta, of even direct violence are on the rise. A wave of impudent crimes, robberies and burglaries is running across the country. The underground business sharks’ fortunes, already reaching millions, are growing. Chaos and demoralization have reached the magnitude of a catastrophe. People have reached the limit of psychological toleration. Many people are struck by despair. Not only days, but hours as well are bringing forth the all-national disaster.” He then finished by reciting the Polish national anthem.

Martial rule imposed tough times on the Polish people. Demonstrators were summarily arrested without charge, pro-democracy groups were banned, curfews imposed and communications disrupted by telephone lines being cut and post being censored. As some Polish people tried to rebel against the system, it caused further crackdowns. Estimates of over 100 deaths in the time of martial law have been suggested. Even for those that did not rebel and suffer directly, there were detrimental effects for all involved, through food rationing, forcing 6 day working weeks, military courts and a ‘verification’ system used to ensure people were not anti-authoritarian.

However, it seems that this could be seen as the nadir of the Communist period in Poland – a sort of ‘darkest moment just before the dawn’ leading to the sunlight of democracy. Surviving such a period would have given confirmation to those groups such as Solidarność that they were on the right path. The shadow of the Soviet Union was also lessening, so it could be seen that in the battle for Polands future, it would be ‘good’ Poles against ‘bad’ Poles in a battle for hearts and minds without waiting to see when the troops from Moscow would land to support the government. It’s also possible that the Polish people themselves would have had more belief in themselves to be the change they wanted to see. If this was the worst that the government could throw at them, then why can’t democracy be forced? The art of kombinować would have ensured that people survived (maybe even thrived) despite difficulties.

Thus, it should be a case that the 30th anniversary of martial rule should be celebrated as a trigger for something more for Poland, rather than as a symbol of the worst of communist times.

The litany of situations which lead to this crisis are outlined below:

- No hooligan elements disrupted any games in November

- No referees were assaulted

- No racist chanting or abuse was heard at a Polish game

- No PZPN officials were recorded discussing improper topics

- No cases of bribery were uncovered

The PZPN logo

This has left many wondering how the PZPN can go on. With capable and steady administrators in charge, it can only be doomed to failure. The Polish public will be clamouring for the Minister of Sport to implement sweeping changes, in order to bring in someone who can perform at the levels of corruption, buffoonery and idiocy expected. An unnamed bystander commented that “We expect a real boob to be in charge, someone we can rely on to screw things up and spout drivel on a daily basis. We cannot stand for things going well for much longer”.

The current head of the PZPN, Jan Kowalski, was unavailable for comment but a friend of the family mentioned “He is distraught, and it won’t be of any comfort to those reading/listening, but he has been doing his best to screw things up and do what is expected of the role. He has left filing cabinets open with official documents waiting to be reviewed. He invited in the tax authorities and auditors to review the books, but they couldn’t find anything. He went to the most expensive restaurant and ordered the most expensive item on the menu stuffed with the second most expensive item, all while claiming it as ‘expenses’. He has really been working hard and it’s not enough. Everything in the organisation just keeps going without scandal and that isn’t right.”

Or is this the PZPN logo?

While Kowalski has not yet been replaced, it is rumoured that the Minister for Sport already has a number of replacements lined up to fill the prestigious role, including criminal mastermind Dariusz Wasilewski and PKP chief Piotr Piotrowski. However, at the moment former Polish football star goalkeeper Wojciech Michnik looks like the favourite to be installed to the position promising a “clean sweep” approach where he expects Polish league games to be fixed to suit betting groups, black players to be abused, hooligans to take charge of the stadiums and millions of Polish złoty to mysteriously go missing. And you get the feeling that the Polish people would welcome him with open arms, allowing for such a return to normality.

This might be the PZPN logo…

Names changed/formulated from thin air to protect the innocent/guilty.