Tusk is afraid that if Poland signs the rights charter, which Kaczynski opposes, the president will use his influence to prevent the reform treaty from becoming law. Ratification of treaties requires a two-thirds vote of Poland's lower house. Tusk's ruling coalition, consisting of his Civic Platform party and the Polish Peoples' Party, has only a 10-seat majority in the 460-seat lower house. Kaczynski's Law and Justice party, the lower house's second-largest, has 166 seats. Many members of the conservative Law and Justice party oppose provisions in the rights treaty dealing with families, including language that gives tacit approval to homosexual marriages.
Tusk decided to capitulate on that issue so he could obtain ratification of the Reform Treaty - the first political defeat of his young prime ministership, observers say. TTusk said discussions with Lech Kaczynski indicated that if the government pressed for charter ratification, Reform Treaty ratification will be in danger. He said he needed Law and Justice's support to obtain the two-thirds majority required to ratify the Reform Treaty. Poland cannot become president of the EU in 2011, as scheduled, unless it ratifies the treaty.
[Tusk's] capitulation on the charter suggests that, once more, Poland is isolating itself from the rest of Europe - an allegation often level against the more conservative Law and Justice government.
You can read the full text of the article here.
On a different note (but one that might be tangentially related), here is the latest article that I have submitted to the Winona Daily News:
'Tis the Season
This year is the first time I will be spending Christmas away from my family, and to miss out on a celebration that is typically centered on family has given me some mixed emotions. Given that the holidays involve various time-honored traditions, I have been doing a lot of thinking about what those traditions mean to me. On Christmas Eve, I will to go to a church service and sing carols like I always have, but it will feel drastically different.
Some traditions are ancient, passed along from one generation to the next and difficult to pinpoint where they began. Others can be formed merely by saying so. Some traditions can be restricting and oppressive, depending on which side you are. Some traditions are so important that people are willing to lay down their lives to defend them.
Contemplating the significance of traditions brings to mind Tevye’s lines from “Fiddler on the Roof,” “And because of our traditions, every one of us knows who he is.” Separated now from the culture and the traditions that have formed me, I have time to think about how I fit into all of the cultural puzzles to which I belong.
It is inevitable that when I sit down for coffee with a table of my friends here in Poland our conversations always include a discourse on certain customs that exist in our respective countries. We, who come from so many different places and backgrounds, are endlessly fascinated by these differences among us. Of course it is a cliché to say that our differences are what bind us together, but I have to admit that to a certain extent it is true. Besides, I bet you didn’t know that in Iceland they have 13 different Santa Clauses.
Differences in traditions can have repercussions in the political arena and affect more than just those in our immediate circles. Traditions confront politics especially when it comes to religion. Remember that our country was created for the right to practice a religious tradition without fear of persecution. Trying to protect that tradition in our contemporary world can be problematic. Take, for example, the polemic over the phrase “One Nation under God” in our Pledge of Allegiance.
The clash between Eastern and Western religious traditions is the basis for many a conflict, although it is not the only thing. The news we hear from the Middle East every single day is a result from our intention to promote the American tradition of democracy in Iraq. However, we can also look at France who is also riddled with social unrest even through it tries to smooth over the wrinkles of the religion question with a national policy of secularism.
During the 123 years when Poland was partitioned and didn’t exist as a sovereign nation, the spirit of the people and the staunch preservation of their culture was what enabled the country to come back once it regained its statehood. They kept their songs, their literature, and their traditions all in tact. I’ve heard it said that “Culture WAS Poland,” meaning that borders are arbitrary when it comes to defining a people.
That issue brings me back to the question of how I am living my life outside of my country. In this foreign place, all of the small traditions and cultural practices really stand out to me. I cannot rightfully call this culture “mine.” Yet, Poland is the land of my ancestors. So when I celebrate Christmas here, will I be breaking new ground by spending the day in a way I never have before, or am I picking up on the trail that was left behind when the Merchlewitzs and the Kukowskis crossed the ocean?
One thing I know for sure: when it comes to major holidays, it is not that the date is marked in red ink on the calendar which makes a day special. It is how and with whom we celebrate. Traditions –like eating my grandma’s kolaczkis or ringing a Swiss cowbell at midnight– are what make the season special.
However you enjoy your holidays this season, whether with menorah, eggnog, or not at all, there is a larger scheme, a pattern of concentric and intersecting circles, that you are a part of. Just like Tevye also sings, tradition is what helps us keep our balance in a world increasingly full of changes and insecurities. It helps remind us who we are, wherever we might be.
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