Polish MEP lashes out at “undemocratic” European Parliament

The European Parliament is turning its back on millions of people. It is becoming “a machine” to realise a left-wing ideological project. That is at least what Polish MEP Ryszard Legutko thinks. He said so in a speech during the Parliament’s 70th-anniversary commemoration.

Immediately upon taking to the podium and in front of a packed chamber, the chief of the European Conservatives and Reformists Group did not mince his words, writes the European Conservative.: “Two minutes of truth, of bitter truth. And the bitter truth is the European Parliament has done a lot of damage in Europe. It has been sending a false message that it represents the European demos. There isn’t, and there won’t be any European demos. The Parliament infected Europe with shameless partisanship. The infection has become so contagious that it spread to other institutions such as the European Commission.”

According to Legutko, the European legislature was not representative of European nations and has become dominated by left-wing parties and infected the European Commission with that party politicisation. According to Legutko, the European Parliament has ceased representing the people and become a “machine for the realisation of an ideological project.” This reports the news portal Remix.

Contrast

Legutko’s remarks contrasted sharply with speeches by more liberal leaders, including Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, and French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, who lauded the chamber and underscored its importance for Europe.

The statements of Legutko were well-received among right-wing and conservative politicians. However, in his home country, Legutko was attacked by several opposition members. According to Bartosz Arłukowicz, an MEP and former Minister of Health, the speech was an "embarrassment for Poland". The Deputy Speaker of the Polish Parliament, Piotr Zgorzelski, suggested that Legutko should boycott the “Brussels occupier” and relinquish his privileges as an MEP.

Christianity

The views of Mr Legutko are not new. In August, he said similar things in an interview with the Catholic News Agency. According to MEP Legutko, the conservative essence of the Polish and Hungarian governments and their refusal to join “the EU mainstream” motivates many of the accusations against them. “When Slovenia had a conservative government, it was also attacked,” he pointed out.

The parliamentarian added that the leaders of these institutions mainly targeted the Christian foundations of these conservative governments.

“Despite the weakening of Christianity in Europe, hostility towards the Christian religion is growing among the European institutions; there is nothing paradoxical about it,” he said. “Christianity is still perceived as a force that resists the moral revolution conducted by the Left, like abortion, same-sex marriage, gender ideology and the green revolution.”