Interesting move, Mr. Tusk…
The Polish Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, is not going to the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Olympic Games in Bejing. Or so reports the Gazeta Wyborcza today. This coupled with the government’s recent invitation to the Dalai Lama makes me like the current government even more. And I was already rather fond of them.
Of course, Mr. Tusk’s absence will be slightly marred by the attendance of our Village Idiot, otherwise known as Lech Kaczynski, the Prez himself. Because he’s just got to do the opposite to Tusk each and every time.
Update: Angela Merkel, Germany’s Chancellor, is also not going.
March 28th, 2008 at 00:55
[…] writes about Poland's stance on Tibet and China. Share […]
March 28th, 2008 at 06:02
Polish PM should attend the ceremony to celebrate Kosovo’s independence. After helping NATO to snatch Kosovo from Serbia, the next move is to punish the Serbians because not enough of the Serbians were sacrificed during the Holocaust.
March 28th, 2008 at 07:44
Amani,
The Kosovo-Serbia issue is so very delicate and so very complicated that most leaders are a little shaky when it comes to expressing their support for one or the other side. I don’t actually have an opinion. Well, I do, but it keeps swaying from one side to the other.
I’m not sure what you mean by your last sentence…I detect a note of sarcasm, though.
I’m keeping out of the Kosovo-Serbia debate. The Tibet-China issue, however, is something I’ll happily discuss.
March 28th, 2008 at 17:39
You agree that the Polish PM shouldn’t attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Games. Why?
March 29th, 2008 at 10:16
I think Bejing should not have been given the games due to the human rights violations which go on in China. Also, due to its occupation of Tibet. I think Prime Ministers all over the world should stay away as a sign of process. I disagree with the Chinese treatment of its people, lack of free speech, free access to the internet and other abuses.
March 29th, 2008 at 13:49
britain’s prime minister has said a definite no to a boycott….but then, which country has the olympics after china?!
it’s about the only decision the guy has made in his unelected term in office.
March 29th, 2008 at 23:36
[…] Kinuk » Interesting move, Mr. Tusk… Of course, Mr. Tusk’s absence will be slightly marred by the attendance of our Village Idiot, otherwise known as Lech Kaczynski, the Prez himself. Because he’s just got to do the opposite to Tusk each and every time. (tags: Poland politics) […]
March 30th, 2008 at 02:33
Who cares whether a polish politician will come
to our opening ceremony or not !! We care more
about the Russian President or prime minister
than a stupid guy like tusk. I don’t think the
Chinese leader has actually invited him to come.
March 30th, 2008 at 08:09
Tom,
UK can be wishy-washy about these things at the best of times. But, if I were Brown, I’d go too. With my Olympics next in line, I wouldn’t want to ruffle some feathers.
An ordinary Chinese,
You may not care, but this is important to me. I don’t care if Tusk is the only leader staying away (he’s not), as long as he stays away. His absence will mean a lot to me, as a citizen of his country. If the Chinese leaders don’t miss him, that’s fine by me. But the world has sat up and noticed (see the guardian article, if you can) that he won’t be there. And that’s statement enough for me.
And I believe all the leaders of all the participating countries are automatically invited, unless otherwise specified.
March 30th, 2008 at 16:19
Polish soldiers have participated in the bloody
invasion of Irak. Prime minister whose hands
are soaked with Iraki innocent civilians’ blood
should be shamed of himself, Beijing Olympics
is a party for friends, enemies of the Chinese
nation are not welcomed to come to our land.
March 31st, 2008 at 06:45
an ordinary Chinese,
The current Prime Minister (who is not attending the Beijing Olympics) did not send our armies to Iraq, it was his predecessor. The current Prime Minister is withdrawing the troops from Iraq by the end of this year. You need to check your facts before you start making broad statements like these.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/11/23/poland.iraq.ap/index.html
Btw, I do not support Polish troops in Iraq and have felt that it’s a mistake from the beginning.
I’m not sure when Poland became the enemy of China. When they stopped buying the party line?
Mr. Tusk is allowed to have opinions different from the leaders of China and this does not make him an enemy. He is free to speak his mind and he is free to have opinions that differ from both his citizens and the Chinese government. He is also free to stay away from the opening ceremonies, which as I’ve already said, is important to him. Clearly, he has a conscience and his listening to it.
April 3rd, 2008 at 02:52
K,
“The current Prime Minister is withdrawing the troops from Iraq by the end of this year….. Clearly, he has a conscience and his listening to it.”
This is a typical trait of the western hypocrisy. Poland aided Hitler Germany during Holocaust and helped killed 6 millions Jews. Later they claimed they also did help some Jews to escape the gas chambers, therefore portraying themselves to be virtuous. In Iraq, they sent their troops to kill and after satisfying themselves from the task, they now said they have realised their conscience and wanted to pull out. The pattern is repeated in Kosovo, where the Serbs are deprived of their human rights and homeland (Kosovo) which is illegally and forcibly annexed from Serbia and now they want to boycott the Olympiad to show that they are against suppression of human rights and annexation of Tibet. What a double standard.
This is what irks us all around the world: Western hyprocrisy!!
April 3rd, 2008 at 07:52
This is the last I’m saying on this matter and if you don’t agree, then that’s fine with me.
Amani,
You really need to check your history and consider the Poles who were not Jews but who also died in concentration camps, a country overrun in weeks by the Nazis and the Soviets, a country under occupation and a myriad of other facts.
I’m not sure why you keep bringing up Serbia and Kosovo. Clearly this bothers you and maybe you should have your own blog focusing on this issue. On this blog there has never been any mention of either, so please stop bringing it up in an unrelated matter.
As per the “hypocrisy” you mention: different government, different agenda, different actions. The matter of Iraq was decided in a foolish move by a few governments ago. We’re pulling out and not a day too soon. It was a stupid decision. It was a crazy stunt. But we’re going. Thank God.
I don’t know how Poland suddenly finds itself in the West. Having spent most of the 1900s in the East and then moving to Central Europe in post-communist times, has the geography of the world shifted so much that Poland now finds itself in the west?
It’s like that old joke when an old lady is told that due to a shift in the borders, she no longer finds herself in Poland and says: Thank God, I never could stand those cold Polish winters!
April 5th, 2008 at 03:40
Hi K!
Hope all is well with you, N and baby A. It seems you’ve attracted some ignorant nutters with this post! If we’re veeeeery quiet, perhaps they’ll go away!
By the way, my e-mail address has changed since Jezblog disappeared. I imagine you can probably see the new one next to this comment.
Cheers,
Jez
April 6th, 2008 at 07:11
Jez!
*lol*
Thanks for your comment and the new email address. Still sad that you’re not blogging regularly (or blogging at all, for that matter), though. :(