Polish Political Sexism

One of the interesting things about the parts of Europe East of Berlin is the way ‘Western’ ideologies are there but still have only shallow roots.

Sexism rears its ugly head! Male politicians on all parts of the political spectrum just can’t resist making remarks which (they think) show them in witty gallant form but in fact peeve many feisty women voters.

Former communist turned Social Democrat PM Leszek Miller is the latest one to blunder, by suggesting that ugly women repel voters.

Previously current PM Donald Tusk tried this quip:

… "outrageous and unacceptable" remarks made by Mr Tusk in response to a question from Sylwia Bialek, a female radio reporter, about whether Polish preparations for the EU presidency, which the country assumes in July, were "buttoned up"…

"I’m looking at the lady’s dress and buttoning up is not what comes to mind," said an amused prime minister, adding that he "liked the summer".

Another Polish Civic Platform politician earlier this year was asked about homosexual marriages, and replied: "you can forget about gay men but I would gladly watch lesbians".

This one reminded me of the visit of the then newly elected Polish PM Marcinkiewicz to London in late 2005. I was in the car accompanying his senior accompanying officials into London before the meeting with Tony Blair.

At that time there was a flurry of interest in the UK gay political world about the fact that the new Polish President Lech Kaczynski previously had banned a Gay Parade in Warsaw. Attempts were being made to drum up some protests during the Marcinkiewicz visit.

In the car I warned the Polish side that they might find it hard to believe, but the ‘gay rights oppression in Poland’ noises might attract UK media attention during the visit, so they needed to find a good press line.

"How about "We don’t much like gays – but we really like lesbians!" as the press line?", came the droll reply.

I did my best to suggest that that one was unlikely to help squash the story in their favour.

In the event there were two or three gay rights demonstrators politely holding up some small protest signs near Mr Marcinkiewicz’s hotel. Tony Blair did not raise the issue when they met. So much for later wild burblings from Labour that the Tories in Europe were cosying up to raging Polish homophobes.

Life moved on.

As it does. Read this wonderful article by Walter Russell Mead on how a strong steady tide of individualism is eroding the ‘moral’ positions of the Christian Right and the ‘economic’ positions of the Secular Left:

If anything, what we are seeing is the continued triumph of individualism in American life — a force before which both the Christian Right and the Secular Left must bend. The Right sees the advance of individualism and fears that all is lost, that the socialists are about to take over; the Left sees the rise of libertarian individualism in economic life and policy and fears that this is part of an impending total triumph of the Right…

Like virtually everyone in the United States, I find that this national tendency toward an ever greater, ever more radical individualism is not without problems. Even as I revel in some aspects of our increasingly free social life, other aspects of it give me pause.

But this great human movement toward less external constraint on individual freedom seems to be the essence of American life. It is the mighty Mississippi River flowing down our national history, fed by tributaries from its right and left banks, gathering force and volume in its irresistible progress from colonial times right up through the end this very week of DADT.

That river will roll on, swamping teacher unions trying to prop up the old school bureaucracies, drowning religious groups fighting issues like gay rights. The trend toward greater individual choice is too deep, too strong, too wide to be dammed (or damned, for that matter).

And so I say it again to all my many friends on the secular and religious left: relax. The Christianists aren’t coming to lock you up in camps. George W. Bush was the first president to choose a vice presidential running mate with an openly lesbian daughter; the dark night of fascism isn’t preparing to fall.

The Left likely must resign itself to a long term trend of less compulsory social solidarity and more individual economic freedom; the right must accept that individuals in our society can only be compelled by their own consciences on an ever growing list of social and cultural issues.