Several weeklies slam Polish parliamentarians as lazybones and discuss ways of attracting enterprising and dynamic people into politics - this is a spin-off of a discussion on nepotism and conflict of interest situations involving MPs and government members. Also – specialists appeal to Poles to change their eating habits – meanwhile parliamentarians ban the sale of alcohol on all mass public events, including concerts and picnics, a move which is described as absurd by many observers.

Press reviewed by Krystyna Kolosowska

Several weeklies have zeroed in on the parliament or rather its members this past week. This in connection with a heated discussion sparked off by examples of nepotism and conflict of interest situations, involving MPs and government members. Wprost is straightforward saying that politicians in Poland earn little money so they turn to tricks. But it slams the idea of the ruling Civic Platform to ban MPs from engaging in business activity. It would be acceptable if deputies received hefty pay rises, says Wprost. It also suggests that Polish politicians should turn professional. Low wages and the amateur status of politicians place Poland on the antipodes of the British model, closer to the Russian or Ukrainian model, where the official earnings of politicians are nothing compared to their illegal incomes, says Wprost brutally. 

Newsweek does not beat about the bush saying that the Polish parliament is not good because it is composed of inadequate people. The weekly comes up with its own, subjective list of unnecessary deputies – it labels them as media celebrities, political pensioners and no name deputies. The parliament has perhaps the worst public image of Poland’s public life institutions. According to the latest survey conducted by CBOS it is given poor marks by about 70 percent of Poles. Only one in five is ready to praise it. Indeed, out of 460 MPs, about 100 do work. The rest simply exist. The weekly says this situation could be changed if the proportional election law, which means that Poles vote for political parties, is replaced by the majority principle. The deputies would then have to woo the electorate rather than their party leaders. 
Polityka, on its part, says that the walled off party system is already preventing the influx of new, dynamic, enterprising people into politics. It is favoring instead those, who know perfectly well how to win the top place on party election lists. If politicians turn professionals, this will mean their even stronger separation from economic life and civic organizations. 

Tygodnik Powszechny looks at the recent EU summit, saying that hardly anyone had expected it to be so successful. Two hundred million euro were earmarked for the Nabucco gas pipeline, an alternative to the North pipeline. It is a part of a huge energy and internet package. Apart from that the EU leaders decided to spend 600 million euro on the Eastern Partnership Program and 25 billion to help crisis-hit state of Eastern Europe. The summit overcame the rule, whereby European integration is progressing at times of prosperity, while the crisis is the time when national egoisms prevail. The French faux pas – the protectionist backing of French automakers is described by the weekly as a PR gimmick and a lost occasion to keep silent, which can hardly make a dent in European solidarity. EU politicians realize that we are all travelling on our common European wagon and if its eastern wheel comes off, all the passengers will be injured.

Newsweek again – claiming that hamburgers are killing Polish children. About 20 percent of young Poles are overweight, 11 percent suffer from hypertension. Each newly opened fast food restaurant is making the situation look even worse. These statistics are not as bad as in the US, for example, but Polish experts believe that in 20 -30 years about 90 percent of today’s children and teenagers will suffer from circulatory diseases. So, change you eating habits for the better – specialists appeal.

Parliamentarians, meanwhile, have decided to change our drinking habits. Przekroj comments on the amendment to the mass events law, which now bans the sale of alcohol not only at matches but also during concerts, festivals, open air events and picnics. The weekly welcomes this concern of the law-makers over public safety and health. It fears that soon sellers of snacks and fizzy drinks will be banned from stadiums and concert halls, as part of the fight against obesity and diabetes as well as high cholesterol.