Piece of Plane Becomes Holy Relic

Holy Piece of Tupolev Tu-154

If anyone had previously believed Poland was a secular state there is no doubt now that the opposite is true following the tragic Smolensk air crash. In some ways it was comforting to see the very public outpouring of grief after the disaster but what was striking were the religious overtones that accompanied the grief. Mourners spoke of the “need” to join in grief and the “duty” of every “real Polish, Catholic patriot” to say goodbye to the President. What was even more striking were the mourners who queued for up to eighteen hours to kneel and make the sign of the cross before the coffins of President Lech Kaczyński and Maria Kaczyński. To outsiders looking in, it would appear that tens of thousands of Polish people were saying farewell to a holy man, a saint perhaps.

The Virgin Mary's New Clothes

Now it seems that a piece of the Tupolev Tu-154 has taken on Holy Relic status. Inhabitants of Smolensk found a small piece of the plane and gifted it to Poland. Father Roman Majewski of the Jasna Góra Monastery, Poland’s most famous holy sanctuary, has said that this relic will become “a testament to the tragedy and a symbol of our love for our nation”. The tiny piece of the Tupolev Tu-154 will adorn the new ‘robes and crown’ of the Black Madonna of Częstochowa, Poland’s holiest relic. As well as the piece of the Tupolev, the Virgin Mary’s new robes, designed by Mariusz Drapikowski, will also contain fragments of meteorites found on the Moon, Mars and Mercury.

Katyń Returns to Haunt Poland

Lech & Maria Kaczyńska R.I.P.

Poland’s list of tragedies keeps on growing. The 10th April will live long in the memory of Poles around the world. On this day, 70 years ago, the cream of Poland’s political, cultural and intellectual elite were massacred in the forests of Katyń by Soviet officers on orders from Joseph Stalin. On the 10th April 2010, in one fatal, tragic swoop, Poland lost its President, Lech Kaczyński; Ryszard Kaczorowski, Poland’s last President-in-exile, Jerzy Szmajdziński, deputy Speaker of the House and presidential candidate, as well as a host of other political, church and military dignitaries. In fact, Poland lost its entire military command who were also on the tragic flight to Katyń. As former President Aleksander Kwaśniewski said, “Katyń is an accursed place for the Polish nation”.

Tupolev Tu-154 Crashes

Conditions were poor over Smolensk airport. Thick fog ominously swirled about the airport and forests around Smolensk. The Polish Presidential Tupolev Tu-154 circled the airport. It was obvious that there were problems. The tower recommended that the plane land elsewhere. However, the pilot attempted to land the plane four times. Each time without success. On its final attempt, not more than 1 km from the runway, the Tupolev Tu-154 caught the treetops with its left wing, crashed and exploded in a ball of flames engulfing all 96 passengers and members of the crew. Even though they arrived within minutes, the emergency services realised that all they could do was put out the flames. There were no survivors.

Among the tragic dead were:

Kaczorowski, President-in-exile

President and Personnel
Lech Kaczyński, President of the Republic of Poland
Maria Kaczyńska, First Lady of the Republic of Poland
Mariusz Handzlik, Deputy Secretary of State in the Office of the President of the Republic of Poland
Ryszard Kaczorowski, last President of the Polish government-in-exile
Andrzej Kremer, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs
Sławomir Skrzypek, President of the National Bank of Poland
Władysław Stasiak, Chief of the Office of the President of the Republic of Poland
Aleksander Szczygło, Head of the National Security Bureau
Paweł Wypych, Secretary of State in the Office of the President of the Republic of Poland

Szmajdziński, Left Wing Leader

Members of Parliament
Krystyna Bochenek, Deputy Speaker of the Senate
Leszek Deptuła, member of the Sejm
Grzegorz Dolniak, member of the Sejm
Janina Fetlińska, member of the Senate
Grażyna Gęsicka, member of the Sejm
Przemysław Gosiewski, member of the Sejm
Izabela Jaruga-Nowacka, member of the Sejm
Sebastian Karpiniuk, member of the Sejm
Aleksandra Natalli-Świat, member of the Sejm
Krzysztof Putra, Deputy Speaker of the Sejm
Arkadiusz Rybicki, member of the Sejm
Jerzy Szmajdziński, Deputy Speaker of the Sejm
Jolanta Szymanek-Deresz, member of the Sejm
Zbigniew Wassermann, member of the Sejm
Wiesław Woda, member of the Sejm
Edward Wojtas, member of the Sejm
Stanisław Zając, member of the Senate

General Franciszek Gągor

Military figures
Lieutenant General Andrzej Błasik, Chief of the Polish Air Force
Major General Tadeusz Buk, Commander of the Polish Land Forces
General Franciszek Gągor, Chief of the Polish Army General Staff
Vice Admiral Andrzej Karweta, Commander-in-chief of the Polish Navy
General Włodzimierz Potasiński, Commander-in-chief of the Polish Special Forces

Religious figures
Archbishop Miron Chodakowski, Orthodox Ordinary of the Polish Army
Tadeusz Płoski, bishop of the Military Ordinariate of the Polish Army
Ryszard Rumianek, Rector of the Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University

Katyń, Accursed Forest

Others
Janusz Kochanowski, Polish Ombudsman for Citizen Rights
Janusz Kurtyka, President of the Institute of National Remembrance and historian
Piotr Nurowski, President of the Polish Olympic Committee
Maciej Płażyński, President of the Polish Community Association and co-founder of Civic Platform (PO)
Andrzej Przewoźnik, Secretary-General of the Council for the Protection of Struggle and Martyrdom Sites
Anna Walentynowicz, free trade union activist, member of Solidarity
Janusz Zakrzeński, actor

May they all rest in peace. Those here and those left unmentioned.
Let us end with the words of Zbigniew Herbert (from “Guziki”):

…a bird flew by, a cloud floats along
a leaf falls, a plant sprouts
and silence on high
and the mist steams over Katyń forest…

No Polish, Please

European Film Awards

The European Film Academy Awards certainly don’t aspire to be anything like the Oscars. And they certainly aren’t. Once again, I had the pleasure of taking part in the event, this time in the Rhineland city of Bochum in the industrial settings of the Jahrhunderthalle. Although this post is not about my adventures swanking about with European film’s nobs and toffs, it does nicely set the scene for something which not only irked me but downright riled me.

Beautiful Düsseldorf

I arrived in Germany on Friday afternoon and left Düsseldorf’s shiny new airport by a science-fiction-like shuttle service which looks something like a cross between an amusement park ride and a whizzing Star Trek space pod. Düsseldorf is a modern city slap bang in the centre of the sprawling Ruhr metropolis. The shuttle took me to the station and from there I caught the train to Bochum.

Multicultural Germany

One of the many things that always strikes me about Germany is its ethnic mix, the cultural crucible that is so apparent in all of its urban centres. Waiting for the train I heard Turkish, Greek, a Slav language (perhaps Serbian?) and Arabic, to name but a few. As much as I strained my ears, however, not once did I hear Polish, although I could have sworn that many of the Rhineland denizens looked decidedly Pole-like.

No Poland

I got to the the hotel. I smiled at the young blonde at the desk, the letters on her name tag shouted back at me: “Walczak”. “Are you Polish?” I enquired. “Half-Polish,” she said. She spoke a little Polish, had even been to Poland and Warsaw but conceded that Poland just wasn’t her cup of tea. It seemed a strange answer as it sounded more like an excuse.

Cleaning Away Language

A little later that day I heard the hotel cleaning ladies happily chirping away in Polish as I left my room for a wander. They were thrilled to hear me speak Polish and just as excited to talk to me about my adventures with the European Film Academy. We took the lift together down to the reception but no sooner did they spot reception than they reverted to a thickly-accented German. “Odd,” I thought.

Unwanted Gastarbeiter

This pattern kept repeating itself with Polish names and Polish people seemingly everywhere, yet every time they used Polish it seemed limited, stunted or somehow ‘not right’. The only real explanation seems to be the German attitude to the use of Polish. To my mind, Germany’s approach to the native tongues of ‘Gastarbeiter’, especially Polish ones, is nigh on fascist, with no real sense of European solidarity, something which the Germans, allegedly, pride themselves on.

Looking From Afar

This fact seemed all the more ironic when I stood, wine glass in hand (looking extremely suave in my dinner jacket), watching Europe’s top filmmakers, producers and actors, most of them German (due to the location of the event), clap, cheer and ‘bravo’ Andrzej Wajda, Krystyna Janda, Maciej Stuhr and Marcel Lozinski during the film awards ceremony. Is pluralism really only an elitist idea or is it an elistist cover-up?

Round Table Anniversary

Foreground (l-r): Tadeusz Mazowiecki, Lech Wałęsa. Background (l-r): Kuroń, Geremek, Kwaśniewski.

Today is a wonderful day. The 6th February 2009 is the 20th anniversary of one of the most important moments in European history. On the 6th February 1989, twenty years ago, the so-called ‘Round Table’ talks kicked off in Warsaw and so began the dismantling of the totalitarian regime in Poland.

Good vs. Evil
The Round Table talks were pretty amazing as they saw the communist government invite representatives of Solidarity (the anti-government, anti-communist, pro-democratic semi-legal opposition) as well as members of the Catholic Church (sworn enemies of communism) to the table in order to discuss the future. The very fact that all of these people were able, and wanted, to sit down and together discuss the future of their country was unprecedented on a European, and perhaps even global, scale.

Forces of Good
The members of the Solidarity opposition who sat at the Round Table (and in later years became key figures in Polish politics) included: Lech Wałęsa (leader of Solidarity), Bronisław Geremek (chief consultant to Lech Wałęsa), Tadeusz Mazowiecki (editor-in-chief of the weekly Solidarność), Jacek Kuroń (Solidarity advisor and founder of the Workers’ Defence Committee), Adam Michnik (Solidarity advisor and Workers’ Defence Committee member) and Lech Kaczyński (Solidarity advisor).

Forces of Evil
The governmental side at the Round Table included: General Czesław Kiszczak (member of the Politbiuro and Minister of Internal Affairs), Leszek Miller (member of the Central Committee of the Party) and Aleksander Kwaśniewski (Minister for Young People).  The infamous General Kiszczak is said to have played a fundamentally positive role in the talks. Leszek Miller and Aleksander Kwaśniewski, perhaps not huge players at the time, were set for dazzling careers in Polish politics in the years to come.

Wałęsa at the Table

Repercussions
The talks were pivotal in the fact that they saw the bitterest of enemies sit down and constructively discuss the future of a nation on the brink of economic and social collapse. As a result, Solidarity gained a tangible foothold in Eastern European politics and led to the disintegration of communism throughout Europe. The Round Table not only began the erosion of communism within Europe, but the participants (including the much-maligned communists) actively worked towards the dismantling of a totalitarian regime that they realised no longer had a future.

Round Table Careers
The political legacy of the talks can still be felt today. Beginning with the Solidarity side, Lech Wałęsa went on to become President of Poland, Bronisław Geremek was Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tadeusz Mazowiecki was Poland’s first post-war democratically-elected Prime Minister, Jacek Kuroń became Minister of Labour and Social Policy, Adam Michnik founded Poland’s first post-war free newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza and Lech Kaczyński is currently President of Poland. As for the communists, Leszek Miller became Polish Prime Minster whereas Aleksander Kwaśniewski was President of Poland. Three Presidents, two Prime Ministers and a host of ministers is quite a legacy.

Federal Republic of Poland

A few years ago I had an enthralling discussion with an historian, a proponent of a federal model of national administration. In time, I have come round to this view of thinking. Obviously, the federal system does not work for all countries and states but there is much to be said for this system in the case of Poland.

Why a Federal Poland?

Poland desperately suffers from chronic centralisation. Poland’s current provinces lack the political clout to force through decisions that might have a direct influence on the situation within that area. The divisions put forward here are based on the historical regions of Poland which have been superimposed on the current provinces. The larger województwa or prowincje most importantly divide the population of the country into five roughly equal parts in terms of population. The future federal divisions would look something like this:

Pomorze (The Province of Pomerania)

Area: 65,397 km2
Population: 5,313,876

The new Province of Pomerania would include województwo zachodniopomorskie (West Pomeranian Province), pomorskie (Pomeranian Province) which is a logical step, but additionally it would be expanded by warmińsko-mazurskie (Warmian-Masurian Province) in order to bring money to this area.

Wielkopolska (The Province of Greater Poland)

Area: 61,780 km2
Population: 6,449,345

The new Province of Greater Poland would include most of the historical Wielkopolska covered by województwo wielkopolskie (Province of Greater Poland), lubuskie (Lubusz Province) and kujawsko-pomorskie (Kuyavian-Pomeranian Province).

Mazowsze (The Province of Mazovia)

Area: 73,996 km2
Population: 8,937,946

The new Province of Mazovia could be controversial bringing together województwo mazowieckie (Mazovian Province) and województwo łódzkie (Łódź Province). It would also include województwo podlaskie (Podlasie Province).

Śląsk (The Province of Silesia)

Area: 41,654 km2
Population: 8,658,881

The new Province of Silesia is not problematic from a historical point of view incorporating województwo dolnośląskie (Lower Silesian Province), śląskie (Silesian Province) and opolskie (Opole Province), however, local rivalries may make life difficult to begin with.

Małopolska (The Province of Lesser Poland)

Area: 69,857 km2
Population: 8,832,967

The new Province of Małopolska would incorporate województwo małopolskie (Province of Lesser Poland), świętokrzyskie (Świętokrzyskie Province), podkarpackie (Subcarpathian Province) and lubelskie (Lublin Province).

Equal Opportunities

The largest province in terms of area and population would be Mazowsze which includes Podlasie (in order to rejuvenate the area). The smallest province would be Silesia in terms of size and Pomorze in terms of population. The most important element in these new divisions would be the fact that poorer regions would be ‘tagged onto’ richer areas, for example, Podlasie joining Warsaw and Łódź, Warmia & Mazury would be attached to Pomorze and the Podkarpackie (Subcarpathian) and Lublin areas would adjoin Kraków.

Local Politics

Perhaps decentralisation would pull Polish politicians away from ‘big table’ politics and push them towards working directly with local authorities whose mandate would be fundamentally local. Poland has for many years suffered from fractious and fractured politics which have created a divisive political environment not conducive to cooperation and ironically, the spirit of solidarity.

New Battle Begins

A new battle begins. The forces and good and evil will be pitted against one another once again. But this time, it is the forces of good that have the upper hand.

Civic Platform (PO) – a.k.a. the Pussy Cat Dolls – will now bear the mantle of the forces of good, the beautiful-looking, sweet-smelling cherubs of success. Take a look at the characters we have in PO. Their leader Donald Tusk is a sleek, well-groomed tall man in the charater of a real European man of state. His fellow PO-ites are also usually well-groomed and well-spoken.

The job of Law and Justice (PiS) – a.k.a. Lordi – will now be to break through this shell of perfume and make-up and show the world the true face of ‘The Platform’. However, the collective maws of PiS make a sorry sight. The Kaczyński twins (aka ‘potato heads’) are known for their unkempt looks, out-sized suits and ability to break the sentence of any language.

Brain against brawn? Looks against charm? Parliament re-opens for service on Monday…

On the Eve of War

The countdown begins. Millions of Poles will be visiting polling stations around the country to cast their vote and decide who will take Poland forward for the next four years. Many political scientists have said that these will be the most important elections since 1989 with Poles being, at last, fully conscious of the burdens of democracy and the responsibility of choice.

Let Battle Commence
Turnout is what is most important in these elections. Only a large turnout will guarantee a genuine mandate for government for the political party that wins. A large turnout would also bring an end to the apathy and disenchantment surrounding Polish politics since 1989.

Knights in Shining Armour
As a commentator it would be irresponsible and unfair of me to pinpoint a candidate or a party who I prefer or like. Yes, I criticise Law and Justice (PiS) but the job of commentators and journalists is to keep the government on its toes, whoever it is. Let’s briefly look at the four parties that, I believe, really matter.

PO
Most people believe Civic Platform (PO) is the only powerful and viable alternative to PiS. Their strength lies in the fact that they have a positive approach to free enterprise, social relations, freedom of thought and most of the core values of democracy. Their members are generally centre-right and come from intellectual, academic or business backgrounds. In his recent mano-a-mano debate with the Prime Minister, PO leader Donald Tusk proved to be a tough and witty adversary outclassing the PM with concrete and elegant ripostes.

PiS
The ruling party has not made many friends in the international or domestic world during their two years in government. It began with the dismissal of charismatic PM Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz by party leader Kaczyński who later took over the PM mantle. Without doubt their greatest sin was forming a coalition with populist Self-Defence (Samoobrona) and right-wing, extremist League of Polish Families (LPR). Both minnows were later ejected by the PM which, in effect, caused the destabilisation of government and the need for new elections.

LiD
The Left and Democrats (LiD) were initially supposed to be a party of unification and dialogue bringing together people from the centre-right and centre-left, however, they appear leader-less and weak. Leader Wojciech Olejniczak is leader in name only and their figure-head, former President Aleksander Kwaśniewski, rather than boost the party’s popularity (which he initially did) has rambled slovenly from one media blunder to another. Kwaśniewski recently appeared drunk in public on two occasions and is known for his penchant for the hard stuff.

PSL
The dark horse of these elections is without doubt the Polish Peasant Party (known also as the Polish People’s Party) headed by Waldemar Pawlak. Unbeknown to many, PSL is actually Poland’s oldest political party with traditions dating back to the parliament of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. PSL has over the past few years evolved into a party of quiet intelligence avoiding controversy and commentating only on those issues that require discussion. It is the only party to actively search for dialogue and cooperation. Through the recent acquisition of young entrepreneur and Gadu Gadu founder Łukasz Foltyn, PSL has shown it will also be a force for business and innovation.

And the Winner is…
Four parties with four different approaches to politics and four different visions of Poland’s future in Europe and the world. PO and PiS will be fighting head-to-head for the largest slice of the pie but what is of additional interest is how much of the pie will be given to LiD and PSL. Will LiD become Poland’s ‘third’ power? Will PSL be able to win the rural vote and spread into the towns and cities? Zero hour is Sunday.

In Praise of “Meritum”

There is a great word in Polish which is popular amongst politicians. Politics abounds in highfalutin language and exaggeration which is part of the reason why I so love this word. “Meritum” can be roughly translated as “the heart of the matter”, “crux” or “substance” and it’s both the sword and shield of every self-respecting politician in Poland.

Of Sword and Shield
When wanting to go on the attack, a politician will use the “meritum” sword to tell the nation that their party is a party of action and not words, they will not bandy around the problem but stick to the “meritum”. When attacked by another, the politician will employ the “meritum” shield claiming the opponent is unwilling to talk about the ‘real’ issues (the “meritum”) but is once again using empty slogans. Welcome to Polish politics.

Substance-free Politics
For all their waffle it seems there is absolutely no “meritum” there. You may all say that this is common to politics in every state in the world. Perhaps. But Poland is in a current, dangerous state of policy-free politics. According to a few observers and several historians, the reason for this particularly worrying state of affairs lies in the resolution of the Round Table Talks of 1989.

Knights of the Round Table
The round table set a precedent for the whole of the communist bloc and for many other countries around the world – here a road-map was created that allowed for peaceful power-sharing. The Communists sat down with Solidarność and agreed to formulate a plan for the common good and future of Poland. What, I ask, could be more noble than that? However, the Round Table Talks were more than just a European and world precedent, they were a historical precedent for Poland. And it is this fact, this peaceful transition and transferral of power, that is at the core of Poland’s current problems.

In Search of an Enemy
Poland’s long history has been full of victories, defeats, revolts and uprisings. Each and every change of power brought with it a bloody upheaval. Every time. However, when the Communists decided to cede power to Solidarność, not one drop of blood was shed. This was a peaceful revolution in the true sense of the word. However, it also meant that the enemy was now an ally, a colleague, someone to work with. What Poland was lacking was an enemy…

Enemy Found
Ever since the Round Table Talks, Poland has been blindly searching for an enemy, someone it can vent its anger at for fifty years of communist oppression and the savagery of two world wars that were largely enacted on its front lawn. Despite the wise words of Tadeusz Mazowiecki and his “thick line“, divisions were created. It began with the so-called “War Upstairs” in 1990 which saw the splintering of Solidarność. An enemy was found but no real substance, no “meritum” was behind it.

Continual Search
This incessant search for an enemy continues today. Polish politics is no longer divided into clear demarcations – “Commies” and “Solidaries”, nor is it divided by ideology and substance. Several former Communists are members of ruling PiS (the self-declared successors of the Solidarność legacy), PO (who also hail from Solidarność), like PiS, also seem to have no clear policies and to all intents and purposes are a more liberal faction of PiS, LiD is an odd amalgam of former Communists and Liberals which, for all its hot air, has no real manifesto, Self-Defence will take anyone that will join, and finally (far) right-wing LPR have recently teamed up with UPR, a party known for supporting the legalisation of drugs, prostitution and euthanasia.

Policies? What Policies!
It seems the one thing that all these parties have in common is a blatant lack of substance. Even little PSL is no longer the Peasant’s Party it was once so proud to be. We are witnessing a complete erosion of policy. Parties do not wage war against each other holding their sword of substance in one hand and their shield of consistence in the other. The battle-cry has simply become “attack” regardless of the fact that you are actually attacking someone who shares your views. A good example here is Stefan Niesiołowski (now of PO) and Marek Jurek (now of newly-formed LPR) who were founder members of the National Christian Union. PO is labelled as a liberal party whereas LPR is right-wing.

In Praise of Substance
Personal animosity and the hunger for power is now far more important than historical background, ideological legacy or political beliefs. Poland is in desperate need of a political debate of substance where all parties are obliged to publish their manifestoes, their programmes for the future and their core ideologies. Yes, the average Polish person may be interested in the drunken antics of former President Aleksander Kwaśniewski or the waffling of Nelly Rokita but neither of these facts are more important than the concrete manifestoes of their respective parties.

Moose on the Loose

It’s amazing what a week’s holiday can do for the mind, body and soul. Not to mention one’s perspective on the things that are happening in the world at large. After spending a week away from Poland the first piece of Polish news I hear (or rather, the first piece of news that is anywhere remotely interesting) was the astonishing fact that a moose had spent much of Monday (yesterday) morning running around the streets of Warsaw. Apparently, the poor fellow had been frightened out of Kampinos forest by herds of weekend tourists wanting to breathe in the fresh forest air.

Anesthetised Public
The reason why this piece of news made the headlines is two-fold. First of all, we’re in the media silly season where all manner of rubbish hits the headlines due to the simple fact that there’s nothing much else going on. However there is a lot going on at the moment in Polish politics. Too much. This leads me to believe that the Polish media (and almost certainly Joe Public, i.e. ‘Jan Kowalski’) has become ambivalent, desensitised and downright fed up with the ever-growing chaotic maelstrom of Polish politics.

Biggest Megaphone
Poland’s political elite class has degenerated into a bickering gaggle of washerwomen content only on out-shouting each other. Water-tight argumentation, mental dexterity and lexical prowess have been replaced by public slanging matches, coalition in-fighting and below-the-belt calumny. It’s ugly, it’s petty and a complete waste of time. The news that Law and Justice (PiS) has been using state departments (and underhand techniques) to dredge up ‘dirt’ on opposition politicians no longer comes as a surprise to anyone anymore. The era of the Moose is upon us…

Happy Birthday

Pictures of Angela Merkel and the Kaczyński twins have been raising eyebrows on both sides of the Oder River, but that isn’t the big story of the week. Poland’s political movers and shakers gathered together this week in Lech Wałęsa’s back garden to celebrate his name day.

The event has become somewhat of a tradition and first hit the headlines several years ago when Wałęsa invited his arch-enemy, politcal foe and usurper Aleksander Kwaśniewski to join him for his name day festivities and bury the proverbial hatchet. In a move that many believed to be a milestone in Polish politics – Wałęsa had once said he would never shake Kwaśniewski’s hand, nor even his foot (!) - the pair were reconciled and have since been seen on several occasions milking the applause and posing for photos to show the healing power of political rapprochement.

In successive years, Wałęsa has not become less bold in his choice of guest and has used the name day party as a platform for bringing people together. This year was no different. 500 guests including members of the opposition Civic Platform (PO), Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) and the Left and Demorats (LiD) coalition decided to make the trip to Wałęsa’s estate to hob-nob and mingle with other political heavyweights and the Polish glitterati.

Wałęsa decided also to do a little something to repair the rotting and festering wound that was the relationship between himself and his former employees, the Kaczyński twins. He invited both the President and the PM to the event. That in itself was a news-worthy gesture but what sparked the major controversy of the week was the reaction of President Lech Kaczyński upon receiving the invite – something on the lines of “How dare he! The cheek of the man!”

Unfortunately, the politician’s ego is a wholly obnoxious ailment and pumped-up pride a sad, petty characteristic. Add to this a man with an acute Napoleon complex with the inability to compromise or to smile and we see before us a weak, waddling, short, fat man who does not have the good manners or common courtesy to shake another man’s hand.