After the veto - Poland historically is not a "regressive" state

Dear Editor,

In answer to your leader ("Poland and Hungary's wrecking tactics are cynical and irresponsible" Guardian 18.11.2020) which refers to Poland being transformed by the current government into a "regressive outlier", please remember that this is only a very temporary phase in Poland's one thousand year history. Although Poland has always been a religious country it is also the only Christian country to harbour Jewish refugees from Western Europe since the Middle Ages, enjoyed four centuries of parliamentary government and tolerance of other religions before it was partitioned, introduced the first liberal constitution in Europe in 1791, fought for progressive causes around the world as well as for its own independence in the XIXth century under the slogan "For your Freedom and Ours", inspired Chopin's "Revolutionary Etude", was the first country to say "no" to Hitler, ran the most efficient underground state against German Nazi occupation and launched the "Solidarity" trade union movement in the 1980's which inspired the whole world. It will inspire the world again soon.

Yours faithfully,

Wiktor Moszczynski

Futility and insidiousness of Internal Market Bill

 

 

First, as a retired export documentation officer I recognized at once, when the Withdrawal Agreement was reached with the EU by Boris Johnson last year, that it would require some border checks to be viable, however much the Prime Minister may want to pretend it would not. As his chief negotiator David Frost, who had previously had responsibility for the issuing of certificates of origin, must have explained to him, Northern Ireland being now both in the UK and EU had become de facto a separate legal entity in trade terms. Without documentary checks, whether on the Irish Sea or elsewhere, EU or Irish goods crossing into Northern Ireland could then possibly be re-exported duty free to the United Kingdom, and also on to those countries like Japan or USA with whom the UK was planning to have a trade treaty. Similarly, goods in free circulation in the UK could then freely enter the EU via Northern Ireland. By advocating no customs controls in the Irish Sea to enforce its dual status the PM was facilitating the creation of an eventual fraudsters' paradise in Northern Ireland. The EU, which will defend its precious single market to the death, could not tolerate any attempt by the UK to subvert it in this way. Nor is such a solution in the interests of the UK's internal market.

 

Secondly, as a former Chairman of the Polish Solidarity Campaign, who has campaigned and continues to campaign for democracy in Central and Eastern Europe, let me assure "Sunday Telegraph" readers that were a bill that states "have effect notwithstanding any relevant international or domestic law with which they may be incompatible or inconsistent....." be passed through the Mother of Parliaments it will be quoted unremittingly by any tinpot authoritarian leader in that area to justify their own future breaches of their international UN or EU legal obligations. How shameful that would be for Britain.

Composed 08.10.2020