Civic Platform Party (PO) partisans and Law and Justice (PiS) partisans. Meanders of two political identity narratives. Empirical study

Abstract

For over ten years, the political life in Poland has been significantly affected by the dispute between two parties: Civic Platform (PO) and Law and Justice (PiS). For a long period of time the controversy has been something more than a struggle between two different sets of opinions concerning political issues expressed inside and outside the Parliament. These are two different narratives that concern almost every problem or situation that can be a subject to political interpretation. Important events such as Smolensk air crash or Warsaw Uprising, famous people both living and already deceased, including Lech Wałęsa or Major Zygmunt Szendzielarz “Łupaszka,” symptomatic words such as for example, Poland exists only in theory, or Nobody is going to be deprived of their life by this man ever again, are only a few of many striking examples of politicised subjects of dispute that for the recent ten years have become occasions for a confrontation of attitudes and opinions, going far beyond the strictly political problems (...).