The young people visited the chambers of the Sejm and Senate. The guide told them how the Sejm works, what the individual members of parliament do, and what the work of parliamentary committees involves. The tour also included the place where the notorious investigative committees hold their meetings. There, the participants could, if only for a moment, put themselves in the role of those conducting and undergoing questioning. “We wanted to show this place in Poland where decisions that are most important and have an enormous impact on our lives are made,” said Daniel Biernat, one of the trip’s organizers.
The next stage of the excursion was a meeting with MP Tadeusz Iwiński and Jerzy Szmajdziński, Chairman of the SLD Parliamentary Club, who answered questions about the country’s current affairs. Among other topics, he spoke about the missile shield and Poland’s participation in missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. Professor Tadeusz Iwiński focused on issues related to foreign policy.
The young people also visited the Palace of Culture and Science. A visit to the Warsaw Uprising Museum was also planned. However, this part of the program was abandoned in favor of the Tischner Debate, “The Future of the European Left,” held in the Auditorium Maximum of the University of Warsaw.
The debate on the future of the European left was attended by Aleksander Kwaśniewski, former President of the Republic of Poland; Jan Maria Rokita, a member of the Sejm representing the Civic Platform; Jadwiga Staniszkis, sociologist, political scientist and professor at the University of Warsaw; and Karol Modzelewski, historian. The debate’s special guest was Alfred Gusenbauer, Chancellor of Austria. The excursion participants began their return journey at around 10 p.m.
(information and photographs by Daniel Biernat/GA)