Talented Politicians Research Articles

Świętosław Orzelski – XVI-wieczny działacz parlamentarny, mówca i historyk

Świętosław Orzelski (1549–1598), Starost of Radziejów, actively participated in the political life of the noblemen’s Republic of Poland as a parliamentary activist and Member of Parliament. As a deputy he participated in 13 sessions of Parliament, including 6 sessions during the rule of Stefan Batory and 7 ones in the reign of Sigismund III Vasa. He was a talented politician, continuing the best traditions of the execution faction. As one of the seniors of the Augsburg denomination, he belonged to the group of leaders in the fight for religious tolerance. His historical work under the title Acta interregni post obitum nimirum Sigismundi Augusti remained in the form of manuscript for many years. It was not published in the Polish translation until the 19th century by Włodzimierz Spasowicz, and in its original form by Edward Kuntze in 1917. At present, a new edition of the work by Świętosław Orzelski is being prepared. In the first place, an introductory volume will be published, containing Orzelski’s biography, his speeches and letters dedicated to public matters.

Tarkan Hatun (ok. 1055-1094). Cersei Lannister seldżuckiego dworu

Tarkan Khatun was definitely one of the most powerful figures at the Seljuk court by the end of the 11th century. Born in an eminent Karakhanid house, the Turkish princess got down in the history as a talented politician and a skillful manipulator. She gained major power, surrounded herself with talented and ambitious advisors and, furthermore, she challenged the mighty vizier Nizam Al-Mulk. Tarkan’s involvement in organizing the assassination of an old advisor of her husband sultan Malikshah still remains quite mysterious and questionable, however some sources connect her to this affair. Tarkan lost three of her four children. Her two sons, Dawud and Ahmad, died at a young age. Her daughter, Mahmalak, has wed the Abbasid Caliph Al Muqtadi but this unhappy marriage culminated in a premature death of the young princess. No wonder that later on Tarkan gave all of her attention and energy to ensure safety and succession of her youngest son, Mahmud,. Consequently, in 1092, after the mysterious death of her husband, she took part in “a game of thrones” of Great Seljuks which, as a result, plunged the whole Near East into chaos for the next three years. Her struggles, which were not always successful, caused Tarkan’s grief. Ambitious Karakhanid succumbed to illness - the same one that later took away her last son. However, Tarkan was ahead of her times. The status that she has gained in the misogynistic society of the Muslim East definitely deserves our respect and appreciation.

The 50th Anniversary of the Abortion Act.

The 1967 change in the law on abortion (therapeutic termination of pregnancy before viability, TOP) was driven both by the medical establishment and the Abortion Law Reform Association (ALRA). The doctors wanted confirmation that it was lawful for them to terminate a pregnancy that threatened the life of the woman or would result in grave injury to her health, and ALRA wanted a law that made safe termination by doctors so accessible that dangerous back-street TOPs would be eliminated. A new ‘Abortion Act’ would have to meet the aims of both. Happy chance led to the election to Parliament of David Steel at a time when several senior members of the Labour government were pro-choice, and ALRA, led by Vera Houghton, had an efficient lobby that had been actively supporting Lord Silkin's Abortion Reform Bill. Steel, a talented politician with a zeal for reform, agreed with ALRA that his legislation should aim to eliminate the need for women to seek help outside the law but realised that ALRA's proposals reflected the thinking of the 1930s: the incentive to seek clandestine TOP would be removed only if doctors were given discretion to provide TOPs when the women themselves considered it necessary. He realised that this would be possible if the object of his legislation was the protection of the future health of the women – Dugald Baird, Professor of Obstetrics & Gynaecology in Aberdeen, had convinced him of the close link between social circumstances, health and the need for TOP. This is why the Abortion Act 1967 requires ‘…two doctors, acting in good faith, to certify that the abortion is legal when a pregnancy of less than 24 weeks threatens the physical or mental health of the woman and her children, taking into account her actual or foreseeable environment’. The woman may be healthy at the time she is assessed – the indication for the TOP is ‘social factors threatening health’. Sadly, then as now, many MPs regard themselves as guardians of the morality of the Nation. Fearing that TOP would be used instead of contraception, they insisted on an onerous system of certification (with the signatures of two doctors required), together with statutory notification and the individual approval of clinics. Nonetheless, the Act was a success. Legal TOPs for women resident in England and Wales increased to about 110 000 in 1973 but rose no further until 1980. Deaths due to criminal abortion fell to 1 to 2 per decade and women no longer damaged their vision from quinine used as an abortifacient. Politicians and the media were horrified – ’women must be getting abortions far too liberally’. In fact, the number of legal TOPs was similar to estimates of those that would have occurred outside the law before the Act. Facilities that had been providing illegal TOP used the 6 months before the Act became effective to obtain approval from the Department of Health, and the charities, British Pregnancy Advisory Service and Pregnancy Advisory Service, opened their first clinics. Although women in the UK no longer had to seek help in the back-streets, and the Abortion Act has prevented thousands of deaths in the UK, sadly there are many countries globally where women still risk dying if they feel they cannot cope with an unwanted pregnancy. Modern medical methods of termination are so safe it seems criminal to deny them to women in countries where their reproductive rights are still not recognised. None declared. Completed disclosure of interests form available to view online as supporting information. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.

Julian Dunajewski jako polityk

Artykuł opisuje życie Juliana Dunajewskiego, jednego z najważniejszych polskich polityków drugiej połowy XIX w. Autor przedstawia skrócony życiorys profesora, jego karierę naukową i najważniejsze dzieła. Następnie skupia się na działalność Dunajewskiego jako ministra. Punkt ciężkości artykułu postawiony został bowiem na zaprezentowaniu kariery politycznej i jego dokonań. W związku z tym opisany został pokrótce stan finansów Monarchii Habsburgów w dniu objęcia funkcji ministra skarbu. Następnie przestawiony zostaje proces przeprowadzania reformy budżetowej, dzięki której udało się usunąć deficyt budżetowy. Autor prezentuje również myśl polityczną Dunajewskiego, jaka przyświecała mu w trakcie dokonywania reform. Dogłębnie opisana została austriacka myśl państwowa w rozumieniu Dunajewskiego. Opisane zostały także realnie podjęte działania profesora na rzecz Królestwa Galicji i Lodomerii oraz Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego w Krakowie. Spotykał się on bowiem z zarzutem braku realnych działań na rzecz swojego narodu i byciu bardziej austriackim niż polskim politykiem. Szczególnie wnikliwie autor przyjrzał się więc pracom Dunajewskiego, których celem była reforma opodatkowania wódki, a także umorzenia długu indemnizacyjnego. Ten ostatni obciążał budżet Galicji i uniemożliwiał jej prawidłowy rozwój. W pracy opisane również zostały zdolności oratorskie profesora, który uważany był za jednego z najwybitniejszych mówców w ówczesnej monarchii. Pracę podsumowują rozważania na temat roli, jaką Dunajewski odegrał w monarchii, m.in. po nim wielu Polaków piastowało zaszczytną funkcję ministra skarbu. Na zakończenie autor przywołał określenia, jakimi obdarzyli Dunajewskiego współcześni mu autorzy. Jego życiorys zasługuje na szczególną uwagę, gdyż był on wybitnym politykiem, który dokonał imponujących reform, a także pokazał, że pejoratywne określenie „Polnische Wirtschaf” było nie tylko krzywdzące, lecz także niesprawiedliwe i nieprawdziwe.