The blame for the shipyards' problems lies with Poland's successive governments, writes Wprost.

Press reviewed by Krystyna Kolosowska

The weekly Wprost argues that the troubles experienced by Polish shipyards are rooted in political rather than economic realities. In its view, as a result of errors made by Warsaw during accession negotiations the country’s maritime economy had to comply with strict EU market rules as soon as Poland became a member. The European Commission decided recently to give Poland more time to present viable restructuring plans and thus save the yards. Otherwise, they would have to repay state aid, which would be tantamount to bankruptcy. Wprost points out that the EU has for years been very lenient towards Germany, Poland’s obvious rival in the shipyard industry. Shipyards built in former East Germany have survived only because they have not been deprived of aid. Today, when Polish yards face the prospect of repayment of the aid, the German maritime industry in Wismar, Rostock, Stralsund and Penne-Werft is doing fine. Wprost criticizes the Polish leaders for failing to take proper steps during the pre-accession period. Instead of securing long-term transition periods for Polish shipyards, successive Polish governments pursued a foreign policy complying with the German interest, says Wprost in a article headlined – Who is to blame for the likely bankruptcy of Polish shipyards.

The weekly Solidarnosc remembers Poland’s Solidarity icon Bronislaw Geremek, who died in a car accident on July 13th. In an article entitled “Farewell to a strategist”, the weekly recalls that as foreign minister, professor Geremek introduced Poland into NATO on 12 March 1999. But in domestic politics, he did not win similar successes. When he eventually took the helm of the Freedom Union party, it did not win enough support to claim seats in the Parliament. A long time associate of Bronislaw Geremek, Jan Litynski, says his successes on the international scene resulted from his skill of negotiation. "He knew the partner and his problems. He knew how to take the partner’s aspirations into account and present own stand without stirring up conflict." The chapter he earned in history is connected largely with the help he offered to striking shipyard workers in 1980, where he turned up with a letter of support from Warsaw intellectuals and remained there as head of a team of advisors.

Tygodnik Powszechny writes that contrary to Lithuania, Hungary, the Czech republic and other post-communist countries, Poland does not have a museum of communism yet. That despite numerous plans and efforts to create it. Various agreements to this effect have been signed. The latest decision was taken last June, this time perhaps it will be realized. The nucleus of the museum is piled up in the cellars of the Warsaw City Development Board. One venturing behind forbidding metal doors can see rolls of coarse toilet paper, a scarcity during communist time, ebony black dial telephones, vinyl phonograph records, powdered lemonade satchets and so on. This is a result of a public collection conducted several years ago. Tygodnik Powszechny writes it is crucial to create a museum of communism, if only to make sure that its image among young Poles is not built on the basis of comedy films alone.

In its online version, the Polish Newsweek reports that most Polish MPS will spend the summer recess on the beach. Newsweek phoned 460 deputies, out of whom 257 were ready to reveal what their holiday plans were. The weekly informs tongue in cheek that 27 percent of Polish parliamentarians will exchange political wheeling and dealing for enjoying the white crested waves of the Baltic Sea. Thirteen percent opted for holidays in the mountains, while one in ten preferred the charms of the Mazurian Lakeland, in the north-east of the country. Regardless of where they will spend their holidays, most MPs are determined to work out to improve their physical condition weakened by long parliamentary sittings. “When I was playing basketball on the beach last year, a tourism suggested I suffered from consumption pregnancy,” a prominent politician told Newsweek. Twenty percent of MPs are spending vacations abroad – mainly in Croatia. But for some even far-away Siberia is an interesting holiday destination. Twenty percent are not going away anywhere.

There is no any other like Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and a third one like President Lech Kaczynski and his twin brother Jaroslaw, writes Polityka. The Elite Lookalikes Club has been looking for three years now for persons closely resembling the premier and the president, without success alas. – We have placed advertisements, but not one has replied – says Slawomir Kuzbicki, a lookalike of Mr Bean and head of the Club. If they did, they would be very busy, it turns out. Various advertising agencies, firms organizing parties, film and TV clip producers would like to hire lookalikes of premier Tusk and president Kaczynski. A well-off man has hired a lookalike of former president Lech Walesa to appear at his birthday party recently, says Kuzbicki. It costs only about 1 thousand zlotys, or an equivalent of less than 500 dollars to see utter surprise on the faces of guests.