Polish Beer-Lovers' Party
Encyclopedia
The Polish Beer-Lovers' Party (PPPP; ) was a satirical Polish political party that was founded in 1990 by satirist Janusz Rewiński. Originally, the party's goal was to promote cultural beer
-drinking in English-style pubs instead of vodka
and thus fight alcoholism
.
The humorous name and disillusionment with Poland's political transformation led some Poles to vote for the party. The nature of the party's appeal to its supporters was reflected in frequently-heard remarks that maybe with the PPPP at the helm "it wouldn't be better but for sure it would be funnier."
Although it may have started as a prank, with time, its members developed a serious platform. Moreover, the idea of a political discussion in establishments that served quality beer became a symbol of freedom of association and expression, intellectual tolerance, and a higher standard of living. Its humorous name probably helped the party win votes from a politically disenchanted populace in the 1991 parliamentary elections.
In the 1991 parliamentary elections
the PPPP won 16 seats in the Sejm
capturing 2.97% of the vote. The party soon split into Large Beer and Small Beer factions, despite Rewiński's claims that "beer is neither light nor dark, it is tasty." Eventually the PPPP was dissolved.
The Large Beer faction assumed the name "Polish Economic Program." Losing its image of quirkiness, the Polish Economic Program became associated with the Democratic Union (Poland)
(UD) and the Liberal Democratic Congress
(KLD) in the Little Coalition of liberal promarket parties and supported the candidacy of Hanna Suchocka
as prime minister.
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
-drinking in English-style pubs instead of vodka
Vodka
Vodka , is a distilled beverage. It is composed primarily of water and ethanol with traces of impurities and flavorings. Vodka is made by the distillation of fermented substances such as grains, potatoes, or sometimes fruits....
and thus fight alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
.
The humorous name and disillusionment with Poland's political transformation led some Poles to vote for the party. The nature of the party's appeal to its supporters was reflected in frequently-heard remarks that maybe with the PPPP at the helm "it wouldn't be better but for sure it would be funnier."
Although it may have started as a prank, with time, its members developed a serious platform. Moreover, the idea of a political discussion in establishments that served quality beer became a symbol of freedom of association and expression, intellectual tolerance, and a higher standard of living. Its humorous name probably helped the party win votes from a politically disenchanted populace in the 1991 parliamentary elections.
In the 1991 parliamentary elections
Polish parliamentary election, 1991
The Polish parliamentary election in 1991 to the Sejm and the Senate of Poland was held on October 27. In the Sejm elections, 27,517,280 citizens were eligible to vote, 11,887,949 of them cast their votes, 11,218,602 of those were counted as valid. In the Senate elections, 43.2% of citizens cast...
the PPPP won 16 seats in the Sejm
Sejm
The Sejm is the lower house of the Polish parliament. The Sejm is made up of 460 deputies, or Poseł in Polish . It is elected by universal ballot and is presided over by a speaker called the Marshal of the Sejm ....
capturing 2.97% of the vote. The party soon split into Large Beer and Small Beer factions, despite Rewiński's claims that "beer is neither light nor dark, it is tasty." Eventually the PPPP was dissolved.
The Large Beer faction assumed the name "Polish Economic Program." Losing its image of quirkiness, the Polish Economic Program became associated with the Democratic Union (Poland)
Democratic Union (Poland)
The Democratic Union was a Liberal Christian-democratic party in Poland. The party was founded in 1990 by Prime Minister, Christian democrat Tadeusz Mazowiecki as a merger of the Citizens' Movement for Democratic Action and the Forum of Right Democrats .The party had a market-socialist...
(UD) and the Liberal Democratic Congress
Liberal Democratic Congress
The Liberal Democratic Congress was a centrist-conservative, liberal-Catholic party in Poland. The party, led by Donald Tusk, had roots in the Solidarity movement...
(KLD) in the Little Coalition of liberal promarket parties and supported the candidacy of Hanna Suchocka
Hanna Suchocka
Hanna Suchocka is a Polish political figure. She served as the prime minister of Poland between 11 July 1992 and 26 October 1993 under the presidency of Lech Wałęsa. She is the first woman to hold this post in Poland and 19th in the world.Suchocka is a specialist in Constitutional Law...
as prime minister.