This week, in a reversal of roles, Notes from Poland editor-at-large Stanley Bill is in the podcast hot seat, speaking about the life and politics of Lech and Jarosław Kaczyński in an interview with Tom Leeman, a researcher based in London. This conversation was recorded jointly with Leeman’s podcast, The Hated and the Dead, which features discussions of the most influential contemporary political figures from across the world. Recent episodes cover Angela Merkel, Viktor Orban, Xi Jinping, and Mikhail Gorbachev, among many others. In this episode, we explore the success and significance of the Kaczyńskis and their politics. Also check out our recent interview with Poland's deputy foreign minister Arkadiusz Mularczyk on the Polish government’s war reparations claims of approximately $1.3 trillion against Germany. Producer: Sebastian Leśniewski Support the show

This week, Notes from Poland editor-at-large Stanley Bill talks about the Polish government's war reparations claims of approximately $1.3 trillion against Germany with Arkadiusz Mularczyk, an MP from ruling party PiS and chair of the Parliamentary Group for the Estimation of the Amount of Compensation due to Poland from Germany for Damage Caused during the Second World War. They discuss the substance and politics of the compensation claims, Germany’s response, controversy over Jewish victims, and what next steps Poland might take. Producer: Sebastian Leśniewski Support the show

This week, Notes from Poland editor-at-large Stanley Bill talks with Paweł Jabłoński, Poland's deputy foreign minister, about Russia's war on Ukraine and its ramifications for Poland. They discuss what Poland is currently doing to help Ukraine, a new proposal to send NATO peacekeepers into the embattled country, energy sanctions, and the unfolding refugee crisis. Also take a look at our previous interview with the deputy foreign minister on the conflict between Poland and the EU over rule of law. Producer: Sebastian Leśniewski Support the show

This week, in a special episode, Notes from Poland editor-at-large Stanley Bill talks to internationally-acclaimed film director and screenwriter Agnieszka Holland. They discuss the role of art in times of crisis, the burdens of history and politics, and Holland's cosmopolitan experience working in different countries and languages. The conversation originally took place as a live online event as part of the XV Congress of Polish Student Societies in the UK, of which Notes from Poland is a media partner. You can also watch a film of the full conversation at notesfrompoland.com. Producer: Sebastian Leśniewski Support the show

This week, Notes from Poland editor-at-large Stanley Bill talks with John Scott-Railton, senior researcher at Toronto-based Citizen Lab, whose work has recently uncovered the use of spyware to hack the phones of individuals connected with Poland’s opposition. They discuss the details of Citizen Lab's key findings, how the team does its work, and what it might mean for Polish democracy and the fairness of elections. Also check out our previous podcast about the migrant crisis on Poland's border with Belarus. Producer: Sebastian Leśniewski Support the show

This week, Notes from Poland editor-at-large Stanley Bill talks with Mateusz Wodziński, a Polish citizen reporting on the current migration crisis from his home inside the restricted zone on Poland’s border with Belarus. They discuss what the crisis looks like on the ground, the challenges faced by migrants in the forest, the state of emergency declared by Poland's government, and the danger of a humanitarian disaster. Mateusz Wodziński, known on social media as Exen, is a wildlife photographer in the area of the Białowieża Forest. He has published some of his photographs with Notes from Poland. Also check out our previous podcast about the latest developments in Polish politics. Producer: Sebastian Leśniewski Support the show

This week, Notes from Poland editor-at-large Stanley Bill talks with journalist and political commentator Marcin Makowski about the latest developments in Polish politics. They discuss Poland’s continuing confrontation with the European Union over rule of law, the internal machinations of the ruling coalition, and Donald Tusk’s effect on the opposition. Marcin Makowski is a journalist and opinion writer for Wirtualna Polska, and a commentator appearing regularly on TVN24 and other outlets in Poland. Also check out our previous podcast on rule of law and the spectre of Polexit . Producer: Sebastian Leśniewski Support the show

This week, Notes from Poland editor-at-large Stanley Bill talks with legal expert Anna Wójcik about Poland’s ongoing conflict with the European Union. They discuss the latest controversies over rule of law in Poland, the possibility of punitive action from the European Commission, and the chances of Polexit. Anna Wójcik is a researcher at the Institute of Legal Studies of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw, and also a co-founder and editor of the website “ruleoflaw.pl”. Also check out our previous podcast on the sources of PiS's success. Producer: Sebastian Leśniewski Support the show

This week, in a reversal of roles, Notes from Poland editor-at-large Stanley Bill is in the podcast hot seat, giving a range of his own perspectives on Polish politics in an interview with Fabian Eiden, based in Heidelberg, Germany. The conversation was recorded for the Committee on Constitutional affairs of the 93rd International Session of the European Youth Parliament, taking place this July in Warsaw. Stanley Bill agreed to give his views for the delegates on the state of Polish democracy, the reasons for PiS’s electoral success, the campaign against LGBT communities, the role of the European Union, and the problems of the Polish opposition. Fabian Eiden is one of the organisers of the European Youth Parliament and a PhD candidate at Heidelberg University. Also check out our previous interview with Barbara Nowacka on the crisis of Poland's opposition. Producer: Sebastian Leśniewski Support the show

This week, Notes from Poland editor-at-large Stanley Bill talks with Barbara Nowacka, one of the leaders of Poland’s largest opposition grouping, Civic Coalition, about the current crisis of the opposition parties. They discuss the troubles of the Civic Coalition, conflict with the Left, the government’s post-pandemic recovery plan, and the fate of the Women’s Strike. Also check out our previous interview with deputy foreign minister Paweł Jabłoński on rule of law. Producer: Sebastian Leśniewski Support the show

In the sixth part of our Brief History of Poland series, Notes from Poland editor-at-large Stanley Bill looks at the eighteenth-century decline and fall of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, covering the period between 1697 and 1795. He examines the Saxon kings, the descent into political disorder, the Enlightenment and reform, Hasidic Judaism, the Constitution of the Third of May, and the three partitions that wiped the Commonwealth from the map of Europe. The Brief History of Poland series covers over a thousand years of Polish political and cultural history, from 966 until today. Check out the previous episode in our Brief History of Poland series. Producer: Sebastian Leśniewski Support the show

In the fifth part of our Brief History of Poland series, Notes from Poland editor-at-large Stanley Bill looks at the war-torn seventeenth century and the beginnings of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth’s decline, covering the period between 1582 and 1699. He examines the Polish occupation of the Moscow Kremlin, the Counter-Reformation and the Baroque, Sarmatian culture, Ukraine and the Khmelnytsky Uprising, conflict with the Ottoman Turks, and the Battle of Vienna. The Brief History of Poland series will cover over a thousand years of Polish political and cultural history, from 966 until today. Producer: Sebastian Leśniewski Check out the previous episode in our Brief History of Poland series. Support the show

This week, Notes from Poland editor-at-large Stanley Bill talks with Poland’s former finance minister, and key author of post-1989 free market reforms, Leszek Balcerowicz, about Poland's economy and politics under the current government in the shadow of coronavirus. They discuss PiS's social spending programs and economic policy, its handling of the epidemic, rule of law, and the opposition’s best strategies for electoral success. Also check out our previous interview on rule of law with Poland's deputy foreign minister. Producer: Sebastian Leśniewski Support the show

In the fourth part of our Brief History of Poland series, Notes from Poland editor-at-large Stanley Bill looks at the "golden age" of Poland-Lithuania in the sixteenth century, covering the period between 1505 and 1572. He examines the reign of the last two Jagiellonian kings; the establishment of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth; religious tolerance and conflict; the great cultural achievements of the Polish Renaissance; and the beginning of the free royal elections. The Brief History of Poland series will cover over a thousand years of Polish political and cultural history, from 966 until today. Producer: Sebastian Leśniewski Support the show

This week, Notes from Poland editor-at-large Stanley Bill talks with Poland's deputy foreign minister Paweł Jabłoński about controversies over rule of law in Poland and the ongoing conflict over the EU budget. They discuss the multiple changes Poland's PiS-led ruling coalition has made to the judiciary, including the constitutional court and the judiciary council, as well as the proposal to tie rule of law conditionality to the EU budget and Poland's ensuing veto of the budget. NOTE: In the discussion, reference is made to a PiS motion to the Constitutional Tribunal of 23 October 2015. Click here to download the document (in Polish). Producer: Sebastian Leśniewski Support the show

This week, Notes from Poland editor-at-large Stanley Bill talks with women's rights activist and academic Agnieszka Graff about the mass protests against the recent abortion ruling in Poland. They discuss the motivations of the protests, their striking use of vulgar language, the reaction against the church, the political background to the court ruling, and what might happen next. Graff talks about her own experience of the protests, including the organisation of a street blockade. Agnieszka Graff is an activist and a professor at the American Studies Centre of the University of Warsaw. Also check out our previous episode on the recent crisis in Poland’s ruling coalition and the reshuffle of the government. Producer: Sebastian Leśniewski Support the show

This week, Notes from Poland editor-at-large Stanley Bill is back with Ben Stanley, a political scientist at SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Warsaw, to talk about the recent crisis in Poland's ruling coalition and the reshuffle of the government. They discuss the conflict between Law and Justice (PiS) and the United Poland (Solidarna Polska) party of justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro; the background to the government reshuffle; Jarosław Kaczyński's new position; the appointment of an MP known for anti-LGBT comments as education minister; and political scenarios for the future. Producer: Sebastian Leśniewski Support the show

This week, Notes from Poland editor-at-large Stanley Bill talks to Agnieszka Romaszewska-Guzy, director of Belsat television, a Polish service broadcasting into Belarus in Belarusian and Russian languages. They discuss the background to the current mass protests in Belarus, Poland’s broader interest in its eastern neighbours, the muted international response, and the threat of Russian intervention. Producer: Sebastian Leśniewski Support the show

In the third part of our Brief History of Poland series, Notes from Poland editor-at-large Stanley Bill looks at the establishment and development of the Jagiellonian dynasty - covering the period between 1370 and 1505. He examines the beginnings of the Polish-Lithuanian union, the addition of Royal Prussia and the Baltic port of Danzig, the growing freedoms of the nobility, and the evolving political culture of tolerance and its limitations. The Brief History of Poland series will cover over a thousand years of Polish political and cultural history, from 966 until today. Producer: Sebastian Leśniewski. Support the show

This week, Notes from Poland editor-at-large Stanley Bill is back with Ben Stanley, a political scientist at SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Warsaw, to talk about the upcoming presidential run-off between incumbent Andrzej Duda and opposition candidate Rafał Trzaskowski. They discuss the candidates' prospects, their potential paths to victory, the controversies of the campaign, and scenarios for what might happen after the election. Also check out our previous episode on the first round of the elections, featuring the battles over “LGBT ideology”, Donald Trump’s apparent intervention, media bias, and the minor candidates of the left and far right. Producer: Sebastian Leśniewski Support the show