Listen to the Poles

Poland deserves more attention in Britain – and not just because so many Polish people live and work in this country. Since David Cameron is seeking to change Britain’s EU membership, the balance of power and opinion in a significant member like Poland matters.

The victory of Poland’s Law and Justice Party is not an unqualified positive for Mr Cameron, since the party is strongly committed to EU rules that allow some of our Polish visitors to claim British benefits for children who have never set foot in this country, an unacceptable situation Mr Cameron has rightly promised to end.

But the wider message of the election is welcome, because of what it reveals about Poland’s attitude to the centralising European FrancoGerman “project”. The EU recently forced Poland to accept a quota of Syrian refugees, something firmly against the wishes of the Polish people, who have now dismissed the government which accepted that quota. Poles want a government driven by Poland’s national interest, not a supranational project designed in Paris, Berlin and Brussels. Law and Justice is also understandably cool on joining the euro and rightly concerned that eurozone nations should not dictate to those with the good sense to retain their own currencies.

Poland’s election has put another nail in the coffin of the misguided notion of an “ever-closer union” for all the EU’s members. It signals a growing appetite for a multi-speed Europe where members can participate in – or abstain from – the programmes and policies that suit them, without pressure to integrate. Such flexibility is surely required if Britain is to remain a member. The EU establishment should listen to the Poles.