The Monocle Minute

Poland’s 2023 parliamentary elections, which took place a year ago today, marked a dramatic change of political direction for a country dogged by eight years of Law and Justice (PiS) party rule. The pro-EU alliance Civic Coalition party, led by former European Council president Donald Tusk, topped the poll with 37 per cent of the vote, promising to rapidly reverse its predecessor’s populist policies. A year later, however, change is yet to materialise and people are disappointed with the slow pace of reforms. Tusk and his coalition are being met with strong opposition from president Andrzej Duda – but they are clearly not trying hard enough.

After almost a decade of aggressive polarisation and divisive language in the media, the electorate had high hopes for the new government. Over the years, PiS packed courts with sympathetic judges and distributed public funds among its loyalists. But it was clear that there was an appetite for change: a record 74.4 per cent of voters went to the polls last year. That high turnout – and the success of pro-Western parties – was largely due to the increased mobilisation of previously disengaged groups, including young people and women. Yet now, according to reports, draft bills on crucial topics, such as the independence of courts and women’s rights, have yet to become law.

A year on, the initial excitement is a distant memory. Civic Coalition has clung on to power but internal disputes among the progressive New Left and conservative Polish People’s Party have stalled progress around abortion and same-sex marriage. When it comes to courts, judicial appointments are the president’s prerogative. Without Duda’s signature, no major reform can take place – and he will be in office for another year. The president will not be reasoned with but Tusk should push ahead with more progressive legislative proposals. That way, it will be clear that Duda is a barrier to progress. When next year’s presidential ballot comes around, voters will remember this.

Mateusz Mazzini is a journalist based in Poland. For more opinion, analysis and insight, subscribe to Monocle today.

There are three weeks to go until Americans head to the ballot box but, in some states, early voting has already begun. They include the so-called swing states of Michigan, Nevada and North Carolina. But Thomas Gift, associate professor of political science of the UCL Centre on US Politics, says that the key battleground to watch this year is Pennsylvania.

“According to recent analysis by statistician Nate Silver, if Kamala Harris wins Pennsylvania, her odds of taking the White House could reach 91 per cent,” Gift told ‘The Briefing’ on Monocle Radio. “If Trump wins the state, his odds of becoming president can skyrocket to 96 per cent. But given what we saw in 2020, both sides’ lawyers will be anticipating the loser asking for recounts and challenges to the electoral process. It could be a long process and it’s very likely that we won’t know the winner of the election on the night of 5 November; it will probably be a few days or even weeks afterwards.”

For more on early voting in the US election, tune in to Monday’s edition of‘The Briefing’, on Monocle Radio.

Forecasters tempted to write off wind-powered vessels might find that the latest invention from a French shipping company jolts them firmly back on course. The Anemos from TOWT (TransOceanic Wind Transport) is the world’s largest cargo sailboat. Its two towering masts lend it the ability to carry more than 1,000 tonnes of cargo. Following the ship’s maiden voyage in September, TOWT has secured more than $200m (€185m) of contracts and plans to deploy a fleet of 200 similar boats by 2035.

Though the ship only has a fraction of the capacity of conventional cargo vessels, it took the Anemos just 18 days to deliver its payload (champagne, cognac and jam) to New York Harbour from Le Havre. While most container ships often wait days to unload at a select few ports, TOWT’s vessels are equipped with cranes that allow them to unload at any dock. And, of course, the environmental impact is negligible: the company has raised the necessary funds to commission a fleet of cost-competitive, wind-powered cargo ships that would be responsible for just 10 per cent of the emissions of conventional rivals.

For more unlikely finds, insights and ideas from our global network of reporters, buy a copy of theOctober issue of Monocle, which is out now.

German fans of South Korean music are in luck: the country is getting its first-ever K-pop radio programme on Berlin-based station Radio Fritz. Best Music K-Pop, which was created in collaboration with the Korean Cultural Centre in Berlin, hit the airwaves yesterday evening. The show is scheduled to air every fortnight from 20.00 to 22.00 and promises to play songs by popular South Korean bands such as BTS, Blackpink and Oneus, as well as emerging artists.

It will also air conversations about the country’s culture. In recent years, the popularity of South Korean music and film has surged across the globe. The addition of a programme such as Best Music K-Pop to Western airwaves shows that the nation’s culture is an exceptionally effective soft-power tool. Hallyu is here to stay.

Montpellier-born musician Kazy Lambist is making a name for himself thanks to a slew of catchy, upbeat singles. Here, he tells us about his latest album, Moda, the inspirations he drew from the Turkish music scene and Italian culture, and how jazz and techno are making comebacks in France.

What’s the significance of the title ‘Moda’?
Turkey inspired this album. I was living in Rome at the time but visiting Istanbul often. I fell in love with the city after playing there and connecting with the crowd. At the time, Turkey was a country that I didn’t know much about. It is a shame that there isn’t a lot of cultural exchange between France and Turkey in general, since it has such a bright and beautiful scene. Moda comes from Kadıköy-Moda, a creative neighbourhood in Istanbul. There are many music shops there and I met a lot of artists and musicians in the area. It made sense to call my album ‘Moda’ because it features Turkish singers but it is also an Italian word. Given that I was living in Rome, it became an obvious choice.

Do you get musical inspiration when you travel to other countries?
It depends. When I travel, I usually try to go to concerts and meet locals. If I’m playing a gig in a new city, I try to stay for a few days after the show. To be honest, I didn’t feel inspired by the music in Italy; I was more inspired by its art, cinema and poetry. In the album’s interlude, I have a poem by Pier Paolo Pasolini read by Italian actress Fotinì Peluso. But in Turkey I really discovered a whole world of instruments and another way of making music. They have a really good instinct for pop.

What about the French music scene today?
Honestly, the Olympics truly represented the French scene. It was a good illustration of all the techno and electronic music in France. In Paris right now, underground techno is making a big comeback, with many subgenres being played at parties. And because Paris is a multicultural place, jazz is also making a comeback. For this album, I collaborated with a French Jazz band called Emil Londonien and Haitian-Canadian saxophonist Jowee Omicil.

For our full interview with Kazy Lambist, tune in to the latest edition of ‘The Monocle Weekly’ on Monocle Radio.

We venture from Monocle’s Marylebone HQ to London’s Dalston to learn about an organisation looking east. Asymmetry is an unusual, forward-thinking organisation dedicated to developing cultural knowledge in and about Asia. Plus: we head to Copenhagen to find out about Danish festival Heartland’s takeover of famed restaurant Noma.