Lots of questions you have, CarpeDiem :) This is by no means a matter of few posts and not something what can be made clear in short time. Frankly, I'm not clear on these matters either. I'll begin however and we shall see where it goes.
CarpeDiem said:
How accurate /biased is his political portrait in wiki?
To begin with, we can compare first paragraphs describing Andrzej Lepper (regarded by western world as "populist") and ex-president of Poland - Aleksander Kwasniewski (regarded by western world as usual statesman and politician)..
Wikipedia said:
Andrzej Zbigniew Lepper (born June 13, 1954 in Stowięcino, Poland) is a Polish politician, the leader of Samoobrona RP (Self-Defense of the Republic of Poland) political party. He used to be the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development between May 5 and September 22 and again from October 16, 2006 to 9 July 2007 in the cabinet of Jarosław Kaczyński. Lepper's civil profession prior to entering politics was farming in the village of Zielnowo, Pomerania. He is a former member of the Poland's communist party, has been charged with numerous criminal offences, and has been implicated in loud scandals.
Wikipedia said:
Aleksander Kwaśniewski (born November 15, 1954) is a Polish politician who served as the President of Poland from 1995 to 2005. He was born in Białogard, and during the communist era he was active in the communist Socialist Union of Polish Students (Socjalistyczny Związek Studentów Polskich) and was sports minister in the communist government in 1980s. He was a former leader of the left-wing Social Democracy of the Republic of Poland, successor to the former ruling Polish United Workers Party, and later of the Democratic Left Alliance.
Kwaśniewski was elected president in 1995, defeating the incumbent, Lech Wałęsa. He was re-elected to a second and final term as president in 2000 in a decisive first-round victory. His term ended on December 23, 2005, when he handed over power to his elected successor, conservative Lech Kaczyński.
In 1979 he married lawyer Jolanta Kwaśniewska (née Konty). Together they have one daughter, Aleksandra Kwaśniewska, who was born in 1981.
Some of the English-language press reports that Kwaśniewski has sometimes identified himself as an atheist although in the Polish-language press he identifies himself as an agnostic.
1) Although both politicians were members of Poland's communist party their membership is described differently. In case of Lepper Wiki provides short note about "communist party" which immediately brings negative connotations. In case of Kwasniewski Wiki provides broader, imho 'watered down' context, which implies he was just "leftist student" and someone who in communist Poland handled...sport, area of public life which most people regard as pretty neutral thing.
2) Wiki states that Lepper was charged with
numerous criminal offences, and has been
implicated in loud scandals.
-Numerous means
many – but all I can say is Lepper was charged
few times.
-Being charged does not mean convicted, but general public often fails to notice the difference.
-Both politicians were implicated in loud scandals, however Wiki provides this information in manipulative way - again. In case of Lepper scandals are mentioned in opening paragraph, (thus influencing reader’s initial reaction) while in case of Kwasniewski they are not.
Such subtle and not so subtle “details" just go on and on, when I compare those two Wiki entries, so you have pretty much good picture.
Wikipedia said:
Early years and education
Lepper was born in the village of Stowięcino, a tiny hamlet of roughly 200 which has suffered greatly since Poland's transformation to a market-based economy because of its previous reliance on the socialist agricultural system. He is a farmer by trade, with no formal higher education. During the period of economic transformation his farm fell into debt and he was on the verge of bankruptcy.
In school Lepper was known for his extraordinary kickboxing abilities, as demonstrated on his fellow pupils. Lepper did not complete his secondary education at the State Agricultural Technical School in Sypniewo and has no formal higher education.
Lepper’s education thing - is it a mistake, mishandled, sloppy entry? Or is it
brain washing by repetition?
He trained box and wrestiling – he admits that he had more succes with the latter. But was he a bully in school? I don’t know, but for now we can assume he behaved like most boys who train martial arts – few fights now and then at the school yard, few bruises received and inflicted.
Is anyone here familiar with boxing? Is Lepper
doing any good? :D
Wikipedia said:
Political career
From 1977-1980 he was a member of PZPR, Poland's communist party. In 1992 Lepper formed a new political party, an organisation of struggling farmers like himself, naming it "Samoobrona" (Self defence).His first task was to displace and eliminate his rival Stanislaw Tyminski as a competitor. For this purpose Lepper adopted entire political program of Stanisław Tymiński as his own. Lepper organized anti-government demonstrations and other actions, especially against the Suchocka and Buzek governments, against what he saw as growing injustice, especially against farmers. As party president he challenged Aleksander Kwaśniewski in the run for Presidency in 1995 (1.3% votes). In the year 2000 Samoobrona organized a campaign of blocking major roads in order to bring media attention to the hard-pressed situation of the Polish agricultural industry. Lepper gained 3.05% votes in the 2000 presidential elections. In Polish legislative election, 2001, Lepper's party managed to enter the lower chamber of the Polish Parliament (Sejm) and formed an important fraction of it. Lepper was elected from Koszalin constituency. In the Polish presidential election, 2005 he gained 15.1% of votes, coming third.
Again, we have the communist party membership staring us right in the eyes. It’s worth mentioning that Lepper was not a member of this party during martial law period (1981-1983), while ex-president Aleksander Kwasniewski remained active member in years 1977-1990 eg. until final dissolution of communist party. So, Lepper didn’t even belong to PZPR during one of the darkest periods of recent polish history, but his membership is somewhat highlited comparing with Kwasniewski, who was
editor-in-chief of a newspaper in years when worst crimes were perpetrated by psychopatic regime.
To be continued…
