Poland is having its own ‘Dominic Cummings moment’

Kazik Staszewski, a grizzled 57-year-old, does not look like the kind of singer who would top the charts. Nor does his recent accordion-heavy song ‘Your Pain Is Better Than Mine’ sound like the kind of song that sells. Nonetheless, the song took Poland by storm, topping the Radio Three charts and racking up millions of views on YouTube. Why? The lyrics launched a stinging attack on Jarosław Kaczyński, the most polarising man in Polish politics – and another high-profile figure to be accused, like Dominic Cummings, of breaching lockdown rules.

Kaczyński leads Law and Justice, the largest party in the Polish parliament, and serves as its kingmaker and ideological backbone. The party was founded by Kaczyński and his twin brother, Lech, with whom he went from being angelic child actors in the film The Two Who Stole the Moon to being the most formidable tag team in Polish politics. Lech was the president of Poland from 2005 to 2010 before his tragic death in the Smolensk air disaster.