Can the eagle soar?
Poland’s election result offers the chance of much-needed change in the European Union’s biggest ex-communist country FROM afar, the Polish eagle is an impressive sight: a strong ally to its western friends, particularly America, and an inspiration to its eastern neighbours in places like Ukraine where economies are sagging and democracy wobbly. The media, from serious magazines to zingy tabloids, are truly eagle-eyed, and the envy of other post-communist countries. The eagle is brainy too: since the collapse of communism in 1989, the number of students has risen fivefold, to 2m; never before have Poles been so well educated. In short, Poland has never been so democratic, so secure and so prosperous. Yet from close up, the Polish eagle looks tatty,…
