The Consensus Machine Buzzes. The Euro-Skeptic Battle Cry of the East Gets Quieter

The election of national conservative Lech Kaczynski as Polish President appeared to be the end of the honeymoon between the EU & its new members from the communist east & a signal that the backlash to the Europe euphoria of 2004 was underway, not only in Poland, but also in Slovakia, Hungary, & other states in the region. However, not only have new members connected surprisingly smoothly to the European mainstream despite the radical rhetoric, showing a marked effort toward compromise, Poland has also proved a catalyst for further EU advancement in multiple central areas. Although populist national conservatives have used the swing back to God, Fatherland, & Euro-skepticism as a trampoline to power & seek to extend this over other nations, Poland has grasped that in many core areas, the national interests will not be achieved if they do not rapidly interest themselves in Europe. L. Reed