Roman Giertych has become, in Polish politics, a byword for something bottomless that reeks from afar of the basest instincts. It’s hard to say whether this stems from a family “training” he’s undergone since childhood or from purely personal motivations, writes Witold Gadowski in Gazeta Polska.
Even some of Donald Tusk’s most ardent supporters have struggled to understand how the former leader of the League of Polish Families suddenly fit into the prime minister’s inner circle—without causing the slightest embarrassment. Yet in every group, especially one as unscrupulous as Tusk’s coalition, there has to be someone willing to do the dirty work that others avoid. Such a person won’t shrink from anything and will deploy the most extreme arsenal of methods to dismantle opponents.
Tusk’s reasoning seems straightforward: since we allowed you to stay afloat—indeed, to prosper—you must constantly prove your usefulness. Giertych’s value to the ruling camp lies in the fact that, if this onetime right-wing politician manages to disgust most of society, Tusk can always toss him overboard and explain to his electorate that this is precisely what comes from having once been a nationalist or a conservative. Of course, Giertych’s current ties to those in power are far more complex, hinging on the network he’s built—a sort of “satellite” system adept at smearing and vilifying critics. This goes beyond the notorious online groups ready to post the vilest attacks on command; it also includes numerous “friendly journalists.” Of particular note is the group surrounding Jan Piński, who has murky connections to members of the security services and some surprising relationships with politicians—such as a close link to the seemingly implacable Grzegorz Braun.
Posing as a journalist, Piński spreads slander and accusations against anyone who criticizes the ruling camp. I’ve personally been the target of his unfounded allegations, so I know whereof I speak. It’s striking that Piński’s connections even reach some prominent PiS-era managers—people linked to TVP, for instance. Thus, Giertych’s “farm” is far from fully uncovered, and it may yet surprise us.
Roman Giertych himself is clearly grappling with the syndrome of a fallen star that will never shine again. No one in their right mind would form a new party or political alliance with him now, and there’s no reversing the course he has chosen. Any change in government would force Giertych either to flee—possibly to a country lacking an extradition treaty with Poland—or to face a grueling battle in the justice system. He knows full well that no one in Civic Platform is going to stick their neck out for him and that Tusk’s patronage isn’t eternal. This lack of a safety net explains Giertych’s desperate relentlessness: no moral or social constraint can hold him back. He has to stay useful, devising ever newer instruments of vicious attack against Donald Tusk’s political adversaries. Only by continually escalating his destructive tactics does Giertych remain valuable.
Then again, the Giertych family has raised eyebrows for generations. In my circles, it was commonly held that ever since the days of Jędrzej Giertych, they had a knack for caricaturing nationalist ideas in such a way that made them easily mocked under the scrutiny of reason. To this day, I still can’t fathom how Father Tadeusz Rydzyk once fell under Roman Giertych’s spell.