Notes from Poland

In our new podcast, Notes from Poland's editor-in-chief Daniel Tilles speaks with deputy editor-in-chief Alicja Ptak about her research into how four contentious issues - migration, women’s rights, Jewish heritage and LGBT+ rights - have played out in 19 smaller towns and cities in Poland.

They discuss how national far-right talking points are being imported into smaller towns, how these issues are covered and contested at the local level, and what this all means ahead of next year's parliamentary elections.

This conversation was based on a report produced as part of Notes from Poland’s new bespoke service offering our expertise to clients.

Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

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This week, Notes from Poland editor-at-large Stanley Bill talks about Donald Tusk’s current Polish government with Daniel Tilles, editor-in-chief of the Notes from Poland website.

They discuss the government’s record since coming to power in December 2023, the reasons for its falling popularity, including the failure to deliver on key election promises, and ongoing controversies over rule of law.

Also take a look at our previous podcast about the Polish government’s controversial new migration strategy with deputy interior minister Maciej Duszczyk.

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This week, Notes from Poland editor-at-large Stanley Bill talks about the Polish government’s controversial new migration strategy with deputy interior minister Maciej Duszczyk.

They discuss accusations of a "nativist" shift in migration policy among mainstream liberals in Poland and across Europe; the Tusk government's proposals to suspend the right to apply for asylum; the wider transformation of Poland into a major immigration country; and the Polish government's plans to avoid the "mistakes" of Western Europe in the integration of migrants.

Producer: Sebastian Leśniewski

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This week, in a reversal of roles, Notes from Poland editor-at-large Stanley Bill is in the podcast hot seat, speaking about the life and politics of Lech and Jarosław Kaczyński in an interview with Tom Leeman, a researcher based in London.

This conversation was recorded jointly with Leeman’s podcast, The Hated and the Dead, which features discussions of the most influential contemporary political figures from across the world. Recent episodes cover Angela Merkel, Viktor Orban, Xi Jinping, and Mikhail Gorbachev, among many others. In this episode, we explore the success and significance of the Kaczyńskis and their politics.

Also check out our recent interview with Poland's deputy foreign minister Arkadiusz Mularczyk on the Polish government’s war reparations claims of approximately $1.3 trillion against Germany.

Producer: Sebastian Leśniewski

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This week, Notes from Poland editor-at-large Stanley Bill talks about the Polish government's war reparations claims of approximately $1.3 trillion against Germany with Arkadiusz Mularczyk, an MP from ruling party PiS and chair of the Parliamentary Group for the Estimation of the Amount of Compensation due to Poland from Germany for Damage Caused during the Second World War.

They discuss the substance and politics of the compensation claims, Germany’s response, controversy over Jewish victims, and what next steps Poland might take.

Producer: Sebastian Leśniewski 

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This week, Notes from Poland editor-at-large Stanley Bill talks with Paweł Jabłoński, Poland's deputy foreign minister, about Russia's war on Ukraine and its ramifications for Poland.

They discuss what Poland is currently doing to help Ukraine, a new proposal to send NATO peacekeepers into the embattled country, energy sanctions, and the unfolding refugee crisis.

Also take a look at our previous interview with the deputy foreign minister on the conflict between Poland and the EU over rule of law.

Producer: Sebastian Leśniewski

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This week, in a special episode, Notes from Poland editor-at-large Stanley Bill talks to internationally-acclaimed film director and screenwriter Agnieszka Holland. They discuss the role of art in times of crisis, the burdens of history and politics, and Holland's cosmopolitan experience working in different countries and languages.

The conversation originally took place as a live online event as part of the XV Congress of Polish Student Societies in the UK, of which Notes from Poland is a media partner. You can also watch a film of the full conversation at notesfrompoland.com.

Producer: Sebastian Leśniewski

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This week, Notes from Poland editor-at-large Stanley Bill talks with John Scott-Railton, senior researcher at Toronto-based Citizen Lab, whose work has recently uncovered the use of spyware to hack the phones of individuals connected with Poland’s opposition.

They discuss the details of Citizen Lab's key findings, how the team does its work, and what it might mean for Polish democracy and the fairness of elections.

Also check out our previous podcast about the migrant crisis on Poland's border with Belarus.

Producer: Sebastian Leśniewski

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This week, Notes from Poland editor-at-large Stanley Bill talks with Mateusz Wodziński, a Polish citizen reporting on the current migration crisis from his home inside the restricted zone on Poland’s border with Belarus.

They discuss what the crisis looks like on the ground, the challenges faced by migrants in the forest, the state of emergency declared by Poland's government, and the danger of a humanitarian disaster.

Mateusz Wodziński, known on social media as Exen, is a wildlife photographer in the area of the Białowieża Forest. He has published some of his photographs with Notes from Poland.

Also check out our previous podcast about the latest developments in Polish politics.

Producer: Sebastian Leśniewski

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This week, Notes from Poland editor-at-large Stanley Bill talks with journalist and political commentator Marcin Makowski about the latest developments in Polish politics.

They discuss Poland’s continuing confrontation with the European Union over rule of law, the internal machinations of the ruling coalition, and Donald Tusk’s effect on the opposition.

Marcin Makowski is a journalist and opinion writer for Wirtualna Polska, and a commentator appearing regularly on TVN24 and other outlets in Poland.

Also check out our previous podcast on rule of law and the spectre of Polexit .

Producer: Sebastian Leśniewski

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