The Polish President "The Disgrace of Europe".

The Polish President Lech Kaczynski is again in the news this week for his out-dated, nationalistic and deeply offensive opinions. Last August, as on quite a few occasions, at a meeting in Dublin in front of the Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern, the Polish President Lech Kaczynski shocked a large audience with his homophobic remarks. This ignorant little man and his party are no surprise as Poland is well known for its appalling record in terms of human rights. They still have anti-semitic broadcasts on some of their radio stations and they are virulently xenophobic and homophobic. In 2006, Poland's Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski (the President's twin brother) was summoned to Brussels and reprimanded strongly by the European Union for his homophobic attitudes and extreme right-wing views. While he was Major of Warsaw all Gay Parades were banned and homosexual 'encouragement' was illegal with teachers and other professionals facing prison.

The 60 year old Kaczynski twins have obstinately vowed to fight for "national interests" and have blocked foreign takeovers of Polish companies. Speaking to reporters in Paris lately, Lech Kaczynski said "Certain things that are fashionable elsewhere in Europe are just not acceptable to the majority of Poles." And he might have added, vice versa.

According to one Western journalist who has met them, the identical twins are "both small, not very bright, mean-minded and resemble provincial solicitors - which Lech used to be." Jaroslaw has never married and lives with his formidable mother and her cats. Recently he revealed that he had no bank account and deposited his money with his mother. "I don't want a situation in which someone pays some money into my account without my knowledge," he said bizarrely. Mercifully, this great visionary was replaced last October by the more liberal Donald Tusk who will hopefully inch Poland slightly nearer to the 21st Century. But the President, Lech Kaczynski remains.

All this despite the fact that Poland is the largest recipient of EU aid, receiving 40 billion pounds over a six year period. It begs the question - was Poland fit to enter the EU? Was there an adequate test of its human rights provisions? I am very aware of the fear under which Polish gay people live and the abuse that they suffer daily. I also have several foreign friends who have been very seriously beaten up simply because they were not Polish. One Canadian friend, a student at the film school here, nearly lost his sight from being so violently attacked, and spent three months in hospital being straw fed with his whole head and neck wired up. Another English friend lost half his teeth and suffered a broken nose and burst ear-drum for just dressing a little different. As the graffiti everywhere proclaims... POLAND FOR POLES! Paradoxically, close to three million Poles are now living and working abroad with hundreds still leaving every single day in search of a better life. A lot of them proudly proclaim that they will return but that remains to be seen. Somehow I doubt it.