As I write, the trial of four Polish policemen for the murder of Father Jerzy Popieluszko is just ending. This curious trial, unique as far as I am aware in the annals of the collectivist world, was seen by some commentators as a sign of the supposed “softening” of the Soviet-installed Jaruzelski regime. It would be more realistic to see it as a subtle if desperate attempt by the Polish premier to hang on to his office.
Contrary to the impression derived from press and other media coverage, the situation in Poland, and indeed in Eastern Europe as a whole, is highly volatile and unstable.
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