tvn24 in IFA

Social Stability or Economic Growth? 

tvn24 visited IFA, UAM, on February 28, their visit coinciding with that of Irish premier Bertie Ahern to the Polish capital. Speaking to Diarmuid Johnson of the Department of Celtic Languages and Literature, tvn24 asked the visiting professor whether in his view, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk was on solid ground when he remarked that Poland can hope to emulate Ireland's economic success. Reasons cited for Tusk's remarks to be treated with levity included: an absence of the requisite entrepreneurial spirit in Polish society; a relative lack of self-confidence and national pride among Poles; demographic differences to the tune of over thirty million people. When asked whether Poland would do well to take a page from the Irish copybook, Prof. Johnson replied that Poland might set the bar of ambition higher and strive, not for short-term econnomic growth, but for long-term social stability.