Abortions for All! What the Hell’s Happening in Poland? ~ FWIW Episode 17

According to the media in the West, since being elected in October 2015, the ruling ‘Law and Justice’ party has curtailed democratic freedoms, run the country in an authoritarian fashion, and attempted to move laws in a socially conservative direction by, for example, proposing changes to abortion legislation. So what IS life and politics really like in Poland in 2016? Well, who better to ask than the average Pole! My friend Mike was born there, emigrated to Canada in 1991 at age 7, and returned to live in Poland in 2003. He has his ear to the ground as far as politics are concerned, and, like everyone he has his own take on things, but he’s there experiencing those things first hand and so he’s a great person to give us an account of what is going in the country that has seen so many political changes over the last 100 years and continues to be in the news for its politics.

Links to parties, etc. mentioned in the episode:

Governing Law & Justice Party (referred to in theepisode as “PiS”, pronounced “pees”: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_and_Justice

Opposition Civic Platform Party (referred to in the episode as “PO”: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civic_Platform

2010 Crash which killed Polish President and otherd ignitaries: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Polish_Air_Force_Tu-154_crash

Committee for the Defense of Democracy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Committee_for_the_Defence_of_Democracy

Abortion in Poland: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abortion_in_Poland

Bomb explosion in Wroclaw in May 2016 mentioned by Mike: http://www.gazetawroclawska.pl/wiadomosci/a/wybuch-bomby-w-centrum-wroclawia-ladunek-byl-w-autobusie-145,10012322/

Recorded on October 8th, 2016

Music: Hazardous - Light