Poland’s government eases coalition tensions with a spending splurge
Such things tend to work
HANDOUTS WIN votes. Poland’s ruling party, Law and Justice (PiS), knows that from experience, having used big giveaways to help it secure victory in an election in 2019. On May 15th the populist government unveiled its long-awaited “Polish Deal”, a flurry of expensive policies encompassing health care, taxes, pensions, housing and state investment. The scheme is designed to bolster the economy as the government gradually starts to lift pandemic-related restrictions. It is a chance to please voters and distract attention from recent dramas in the ruling coalition.
This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “The PiS dividend”
Europe May 22nd 2021
- Italy’s populist right looks menacing
- Germany is apologising for crimes a century ago in Namibia
- Balkan money-laundering is booming
- Poland’s government eases coalition tensions with a spending splurge
- NATO increasingly sees its soldiers’ phones as a liability
- How Greece became Europe’s unlikely model student
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