 | League of Polish Families: Encyclopedia II - League of Polish Families - Political agenda
League of Polish Families - Political agenda
The political agenda is Christian left. However, recently the party has begun to emphasize populism, patriotism and far right social values. The party combines social conservatism with isolationism and left-wing economic policies, based upon its own interpretation of Catholic social teaching. The party is Eurosceptic.
Although it was the only significant political force in Poland that unconditionally opposed Polish membership in the European Union, believing that a union formed by social liberals from the ground up could never be reformed, after the Polish accession the party participated in elections for the European Parliament in order to watch over and have an influence on decisions made towards Poland.
LPR opposes: selling land to foreigners, reinstituting capital punishment, abolishing the draft, legalizing "soft drugs", abortion and euthanasia, promotion of homosexualism. It demands maintaining publicly-funded medicine and public eduction, the withdrawal of Polish troops from Iraq and publicizing the complete archives of the communist secret police.
The party appeals to voters who are attracted to traditional social values, the Catholic faith, the concept of Polish national sovereignty, and oppose abortion and homosexuality. At the same time it also attracts voters who feel lost in the post-1989 political transformation in Poland.
Father Tadeusz Rydzyk, director of Radio Maryja (and alleged founder of LPR) is sometimes seen to be Nationalist and antisemitic. His relationship to the LPR is disputed.
Roman Giertych reactivated the "All-Polish Youth" (Młodzież Wszechpolska) organization in 1989, becoming its chairman; he remains honorary chairman until this day. For several years he was a member of the National-Democratic Party (Stronnictwo Narodowo-Demokratyczne) and the National Party (Stronnictwo Narodowe), which merged with several other organizations to form the League of Polish Families (Liga Polskich Rodzin, LPR) in 2001.
Stronnictwo Narodowe (National Party – SN), and the Endecja (the National Democratic movement have all been seen to be related parties.
League of Polish Families - Attitude towards the European Union
The party is fiercely anti-EU. Although it was the only significant political force in Poland that unconditionally opposed Polish membership in the European Union, believing that a union formed by social liberals from the ground up could never be reformed, after the Polish accession the party participated in elections for the European Parliament in order to watch over and have an influence on decisions made towards Poland. In 2004 during the affair with election and speech of Rocco Buttiglione, the conservative Italian nominee as European Commissioner for Justice, Freedom, and Security, LPR MEPs demanded the dissolution of the parliament because they felt it was under the influence of a homosexual lobby.
31 MEPs from the UK, Poland, Denmark and Sweden grouped together in the European Parliament to form a group named Independence and Democracy, formerly the group for Europe of Democracies and Diversities, which relaunched with its new name in 2004. The main goals of this group are rejection of any European Constitution and opposition to any plans for a federal Europe. The leaders are: Nigel Farage of the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP, 10 MEPs), Jens-Peter Bonde from Denmark, and Maciej Giertych from the League of Polish Families (10 MEPs).
League of Polish Families - Stance on Homosexuality
LPR speaks strongly against homosexuality, using aggressive rhetoric. Its youth organization called the All-Polish Youth, has on numerous occasions protested against demonstrations organized by by members of homosexual advocacy groups, chanting slogans such as degenerates, perverts, and paedophiles, believing that the next stage of this groups agenda will be legalisation and breaking of other sexual taboos such as paedophilia.
In 2004 during the affair with election and speech of Rocco Buttiglione, the conservative Italian nominee as European Commissioner for Justice, Freedom, and Security, LPR MEPs demanded the dissolution of the parliament because they felt it was under the influence of a homosexual lobby.
As mayor of Warsaw, PiS (The ruling Polish political party) leader Lech Kaczyński refused authorisation for the Equality Parade for gay rights on June 11, 2005 in Warsaw. The Parade took place in spite of this, and eggs, stones and bottles were thrown at participants by young people (nearly all men) from the All-Polish Youth (Młodzież Wszechpolska) youth organisation (a Youth group associated with the League of Polish Families), injuring at least two people, who were hospitalised. The organization claims its members merely sat on the street trying to prevent an illegal manifestation whilst the acting violently were simple soccer fans unrelated to LPR.
Other related archives1989, 2001, 2004 elections to the European Parliament, 2005, 2005 elections, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Antoni Macierewicz, Białystok, Bielsko-Biała, Bogdan Pęk, Bogusław Rogalski, Bydgoszcz, Catholic social teaching, Christian left, Chrzanów, Church, Dariusz Grabowski, Denmark, Dom Ojczysty, EU Politics, Endecja, Europe of Democracies and Diversities, European Commissioner, European Constitution, European Parliament, European Union, Eurosceptic, Filip Adwent, Gdynia, Germany, Gorzów Wielkopolski, Imperial Russia, Independence and Democracy, Iraq, Italian, Jan Olszewski, Jelenia Góra, Jens-Peter Bonde, June 11, Kalisz, Kielce, Konin, Kraków, Krosno, Lech Kaczyński, Legnica, Lublin, MEPs, Maciej Giertych, Mirosław Piotrowski, National Assembly, National Democracy, National Party, National-Democratic Party, Nationalist, Nigel Farage, Opole, PiS, Piła, Platforma Obywatelska, Poland, Polish, Polish Senate, Porozumienie Polskie, Poznań, Prawo i Sprawiedliwość, Radio Maryja, Rocco Buttiglione, Roman Giertych, Ruch Katolicko-Narodowy, Ruch Odbudowy Polski, Rzeszów, Samoobrona, Second Polish Republic, Sejm, Senate, Sojusz Lewicy Demokratycznej, Stronnictwo Narodowo-Demokratyczne, Sweden, Sylwester Chruszcz, Tadeusz Rydzyk, Toruń, UK, United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP, 10 MEPs), Urszula Krupa, Warsaw, Warszawa, Wałbrzych, Witold Tomczak, Wojciech Wierzejski, World War II, Wrocław, Youth group, Zielona Góra, abortion, anti-EU, antisemitic, capital punishment, communist, communist secret police, conservative, conservative-liberal, economic, elections in 2001, european war, euthanasia, far right, gay rights, homosexualism, homosexuality, isolationism, left-wing, nationalist, patriotism, populism, public eduction, publicly-funded medicine, social conservatism, social liberals, the draft, Łódź
 Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Political agenda", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki |
