The following article concerns Poland’s recent attempts to regain its independence from Western Europe. Its disapproving tone is no surprise, since it was published by Heute.de, a subsidiary of the state broadcaster ZDF. A German contact describes ZDF:
ZDF is one of the two state propaganda-broadcasters we have to pay for every month (€19), everyone equally, whether you watch them or not, even if you don’t have a television. If you don’t pay, you end up in prison, like a friend of ours, who spent more than two months in prison.
The translator includes this note:
The two videos mentioned at the start of the article are a metaphor for the times — some of those standing up to the totalitarianism of the EU and of Islam are also those who may make use of less than democratic methods.
Many thanks to JLH for translating the article:
Poland’s Departure From Old Europe[1]
by Matthias Szczwerbaniewicz, Warsaw
April 6, 2016
[Photo of Foreign Minister Waszczkowski alternates with 2 videos.
First video, titled the Revenge of Western Europe, is captioned: The EU is threatening a lawsuit. The government in Warsaw still refuses to recognize decisions of the (EU) Constitutional Court.
Second video caption: After Polish government plans for a new media law to give the government oversight of all public broadcasters became known, many reacted with dismay.]
Poland’s foreign minister declares the relationships with Berlin and Paris in the framework of the “Weimar Triangle” to be at an end. In its place, Poland is seeking alliances with countries in Eastern Europe. With this step, the new government in Warsaw is demonstrating that it places little importance on a conversational forum with its Western partners.
Poland considers the Weimar Triangle as a forum for cooperation with Germany and France to be “used up”. “The Triangle was important at the time of our entry into the EU” in 2004, said Foreign Minister Witold Waszczkowski to the daily Gazeta Wyborcza. “This format is now exhausted”, he added.
Trilateral Meetings Since 1991
In 1991, Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher and his French and Polish colleagues Roland Dumas and Krzysztof Skubiszewski agreed on regular trilateral meetings in Weimar. The goal was to introduce Poland and the young East European democracies to Europe and NATO, as well as to develop a consolidated Europe.
In 2006, Poland’s conservative and Europe-skeptic president, Lech Kaczynski, threatened a permanent end to participation in the Weimar Triangle. In point of fact, for a long time the Weimar Triangle had not been a meeting capable of decision-making. Since the EU expansion into the East, it had only been a casual discussion forum.
Revival During the Ukraine Conflict
In January, 2014 there was a dramatic revival of the Weimar Triangle. When the violence in the square in the Ukrainian capital Kiev threatened to escalate, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, and his colleagues Frank-Walter Steinmeier of Germany and Laurent Fabius of France met in Kiev. The Weimar Triangle negotiated a political solution to the power struggle in the Ukraine.
What appeared to be a revival of the Weimar Triangle did not lead to a breakthrough in the crisis. The negotiated suggestions of the foreign ministers were only on paper, never enacted. The negotiations for the end of the Ukraine crisis were continued by the so-called Normandy Format, consisting of [German Chancellor] Angela Merkel, [French President] François Hollande, [Ukrainian President] Petro Poroshenko and [Russian President] Vladimir Putin.
Poland at first reacted huffily to the fact that there was no seat for it at the negotiations, but nonetheless decided to support its partners in enacting the Minsk Agreement. Last year, the three foreign ministers of Poland, France and Germany met in Breslau to prepare together for the EU summit in Riga on Eastern partnership. At the top of the agenda was the Ukraine conflict and fear of a regional assertion of authority by Russia. It was the Triangle’s third chance for a comeback.
New Regime Plans New Alliances
After the elections and change of government in October, it became clear that the Weimar Triangle might have officially outlived its usefulness. In his foreign policy statement, Foreign Minister Witold Waszczkowski announced that he is planning new alliances “between the seas”. Poland intends to strengthen the position of the countries between the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea in Europe and is betting on a close partnership in questions of policy concerning energy and refugees with the partners of the Visegrad Group — Hungary, Slovakia, Czechia and Poland.
The Warsaw government is demonstrating once more with its exit from the trilateral alliance that — in conflict with Europe — it places no value on a discussion forum with Western partners. Old Europe, represented by Germany and France, holds no future for Poland.
| 1. | ”Old Europe” — pardon me for thinking of this as “Rumsfeld’s Revenge”. | |
Hat tip: Andy Bostom.
The Dutch state sponsored media keep on hammering one meme: The Poles are fascists. The Polish government is a fascists government. The Polish government and the Polish people hate their constitutional court for doing this and doing that…
The Polish people and Victor Orban are devils if i believe the Dutch government and the free- eh—- state sponsored media in the Netherlands.
Long live the free Poles! [Engage in carnal knowledge with] the Dutch Gov and her state controled anti-Polish media..
I have decided that the rulers of the EU are the REAL fascists and their supporters are as well. THEY call the anti-jihadi folks fascists to hide their own evil black hearts.
Yes, I wonder where all this new-found “concern” about Poland in Western media comes from. A couple of days ago at work here in England someone asked me “hasn’t Poland got a far-right government?”. I had to explain that there were 2 parties that were regarded as “far right” in Poland, but the current government isn’t one of them and that, economically at least, the new government’s policies are closer to Jeremy Corbyn than David Cameron.
I go back to this “fascist state” at least once a month – and so far, haven’t witnessed any brownshirts, goosestepping or even state-sponsored attacks against minorities. Many Brits also go to another popular, even more “fascist” destination – Budapest… I wonder if they see any goosestepping? Or if this is just another instance of media dramatisation and whipping up hysteria?
Lech Kaczynski, he was killed in that really odd plane crash in Russia in 2010. Air traffic controllers kept telling the pilot NOT to land due to dense fog. The pilot disregarded and crashed the plane.
Poland was trying to blame Russia but the black boxes and Russian recordings too, proved the Russian claim that the pilot refused to go another airport because some General in the background could be heard saying JUST land, we do not want to miss a very special ceremony .
That ceremony was to held honoring those ( 4 of my relatives as well) who were murdered in the Katyan Forest by the Commies during WWII.
If this President was becoming less EURO-CENTRIC, he may have needed to be silenced by the NWO creeps.
Thank you so much for your continual up to date info on my late Papa’s homeland. I long to travel to his birth country. As a former captain in the Polish Army, he never returned to Poland after the War. He met Mom in England and they both left Europe behind for the “land of Golden Opportunity” in Cali. Where I grew up. We all returned to England for a month, but they never went back to Europe after that.
I am so proud to be Polish, today more than ever. The decision to extricate themselves from the lunacy of Germany and France regarding “immigration” and the safety or lack thereof for their citizens is brave and brilliant.
God bless Poland and the Polish people.
I must tell you I have a great respect for the Polish people.Nothing moves me quite so much as the thought of the honorable fearless and gallant Polish cavalry ( on horseback and armed only with sabres ) valiantly going into battle against Hitler’s tank battalions in defense of hearth and home.
Nothing could be finer and more heroic .And it ranks on a par with the battle at the pass of Thermopylae and the charge of the Light Brigade (Immortalized in the eponymous poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson i.e “The charge of the Light Brigade ).
This is the immortal flame of Polish manhood. Treasure it and tell it to your children and your grandchildren.
Don’t forget the Poles saved Europe at the Gates of Vienna !
Yep! thank god for the poles arriving on time to save the Hapsburgs. Little thanks they got.
The “sabre charge” was a german propaganda. Germans tried to portrait Poles as idiots, hence the “sabres vs armor” myth.
In reality, the cavarly brigade was surprised during a charge on the german infantry. Tanks have flanked them and started the assault. As continuing the charge would be suicide, the brigade has changed the direction: it was much safer to run toward the tanks and get out of their line of fire, than turning around. As the soldiers were moving between the tanks, they would occasionally struck a tank with the sabre, in a west indian bravado style.
Just google the stuff. Polish history is great.
My Papa was Polish Cavalry, in the Army Corps of Engineers. Thanks so much for that background and I will share it now with his grandson and great grandson. God bless.
Me, too! My dziadzia came to the US before WWI and due to his seminary training in Poland, got a job as an interpreter for US generals and became a US citizen. I hope to go to Poland next year and march in the March for Independence on Nov. 11.
Jan Sobieski, King of Poland, saved Europe from Islam in 1683. I’ll bet there is a future Jan Sobieski in Poland right now who can liberate the continent.
Hat tip to the brave prescient and perspicacious leaders of Poland ,Hungary ,Czechoslovakia and Slovakia.
They should consider forming an alliance with the Netherlands when Geert Wilders becomes president in 2017 .If Marine Le Pen finally comes to power in France they should then consider reviving relations with France.
Also when Trump comes to power in the U.S ,he will certainly be a good and trustworthy ally for the Visegrad4 .
Yes, real heroes are those who defend their Christian faith, [Truth based one solid principles of Christianity, not manufactured truths to force us appease jihadis], family, community, country and their Continent.
Heroes like Sobieski, who saved Christianity, only to be destroyed by modern Subservient Traitors. Wiki is very useful: Long live Poland, Israel and anyone who defends Judaeo-Christian ideals of love your neighbour as yourself.
We should not forget Richard the Lion heart.
John III Sobieski (Polish: Jan III Sobieski, Lithuanian: Jonas Sobieskis; 17 August 1629 – 17 June 1696), from 1674 until his death King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, was one of the most notable monarchs of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.
Sobieski’s military skill, demonstrated in wars against the Ottoman Empire, contributed to his prowess as King of Poland. Sobieski’s 22-year reign marked a period of the Commonwealth’s stabilization, much needed after the turmoil of the Deluge and the Khmelnytsky Uprising.[1] Popular among his subjects, he was an able military commander, most famous for his victory over the Turks at the 1683 Battle of Vienna.[2] After his victories over them, the Ottomans called him the “Lion of Lechistan”; and the Pope called him the savior of Christendom
Lechia is a historical and/or alternative name of Poland,[1] stemming from the word Lech (which is also a common first name). It is still present in several European languages and some languages of Central Asia and the Middle East.
Note “Lion of Lechistan” epithet by the Ottoman/jihadi Beasts: They respect only the strong, courageous with wisdom and prescience.
Many Eastern Europeans have lived under decades of Communist domination, and centuries ago 500 yrs. of Ottoman domination, believe me they are fiercely independent. They are not looking for a rerun of the Caliphate, nor will they accept a Dictatorship from the ‘Throne In Brussels’. They will not easily accept the ‘governance’ of the globalists.
“EU should ‘undermine national homogeneity’ says UN migration chief”
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-18519395
The United Nations is destroying Europe deliberately – and many European leaders (the Bilderbergers) believe that the destructin of the countries and cultures of a Europe is a great good. These people are insane. The ‘leaders’ are traitors to the people who elected them – those ‘leaders’ consider the people to be parochial buffoons and so the ‘leaders’ have to destroy Europe on their behalf. The arrogance of these elites is astounding – it never occurs to them that perhaps the People are full of intelligent people and could be right and the ‘leaders’ have it wrong.
We are not headed toward “1984”, we are in “1984” – and the ‘elites’ are lying to us and are sure their plan is the best one – just like their Soviet Collectivist predecessors, they are wrong, but too arrogant to understand this.
This is why they work to destroy truth tellers like Tommy Robinson. The Collectivist elites are the true enemy, the Islamists are merely their tool for frightening the People into accepting the tyranny of the elites. These are truly EVIL people who delusionally think they are doing great good.
A propos Poland, what’s up with Takuan, Baron? I lurk in here much less often than I used to. Kinda miss his comments/articles.
Takuan is no longer publishing here. He was unhappy with my policy on some of the antagonistic comments on this threads, so he decided he didn’t want to use this venue anymore.
Hmm, I remember he tended to be whimsical. Shame. Anyway, I recall both of you and Dymphna had some health problems. I hope you are okay now. You do an exquisite job. So good that I will pray for you … although I’m not even a believer, but hey, that doesn’t mean he will not like to listen, right?
From Poland with care. Pozdrawiam.