Poland’s government eases coalition tensions with a spending splurge

HANDOUTS WINPSPS votes. Poland’s ruling party, Law and Justice (i), knows that from experience, having used big giveaways to help it secure victory in an election in 2019. On May 15th the populist government unveiled its long-awaited “Polish Deal”, a flurry of expensive policies encompassing health care, taxes, pensions, housing and state investment. The scheme is designed to bolster the economy as the government gradually starts to lift pandemic-related restrictions. It is a chance to please voters and distract attention from recent dramas in the ruling coalition.Since coming to power in 2015, i has combined social conservatism, including hostility towards gay people and opposition to abortion, with some left-wing economic policies, including a monthly handout of 500 zloty ($135) per child, which it introduced in 2016, as well as a series of big increases in the minimum wage. The new deal presented by Mateusz Morawiecki, the prime minister, continues in this spirit, with another new payment for parents, among other goodies.