The report is absolutely scathing. Some choice quotes:
But when the next crisis came, both the US and the governments of Europe fell back on old models of alliance leadership. Europe, as EU high representative for foreign affairs Josep Borrell loudly lamented prior to Russia’s invasion, is not really at the table when it comes to dealing with the Russia-Ukraine crisis. It has instead embarked on a process of vassalisation.
But “alone” had a very specific meaning for Scholz. He was unwilling to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine unless the US also sent its own main battle tank, the M1 Abrams. It was not enough that other partners would send tanks or that the US might send other weapons. Like a scared child in a room full of strangers, Germany felt alone if Uncle Sam was not holding its hand.
Europeans’ lack of agency in the Russia-Ukraine crisis stems from this growing power imbalance in the Western alliance. Under the Biden administration, the US has become ever more willing to exercise this growing influence.
Most referendums are done as a way to let politicians not have to take ownership of policies that may hurt themselves. Brexit pushed Britain’s membership off of the sitting PM, but it has also been used for marijuana legalization and the passage of new taxes in conservative states where the legislature can’t be seen to raise taxes. Poland joining NATO was never unpopular enough to force politicians to have to push joining to the public the same way that EU treaties are unpopular enough that several nations are forced to require a vote to approve EU treaties.
And has a party fallen from that? I know the legality is dubious, but were there actual consequences from participating?
We did had referendum for EU which was massively popular (75% voted “for”) but still there was serious fear that the frequention would make it invalid. It didn’t ultimately, 58% went to vote, but Poland generally have very low election participations because our political class is just like the USA, various wings of the neoliberal party. Which make this arguments of yours invalid. They didn’t asked about NATO because they feared it would fail, while joining the US empire was mandatory.
Of course not, it was uniform across all the wings of our neoliberal party, that’s how you can recognize it’s effectively just one party and the country is just an undemocratic vassal of USA since it can ignore its own law and nothing happens. Non govt circles pointed that out of course, only to be ignored. But the political opposition (another very telling symptom which happens all the time in Poland!) didn’t say anything - the original invaders was the socialdemocratic party, but then both liberals and conservatives supported it after both parties won the election. Which is yet another interesting thing - back then every major party got to rule in very short time one after another - when the voters seeked for any alternative - and never found it since their policies are nearly the same.