The article EU referendum: Is Brexit bad news for Poland? by Adam Easton for BBC News Europe describes the possible consequences of Brexit’s events, which could affect the whole of Europe. Specifically, this paper describes the implications that may be important for the future of Poland, which is a member of the European Union at the moment. The analysis of the article will include the use of critical discourse analysis, which will help to investigate the strategies used by the author in modeling his assumptions. The research will consist of consideration of discursive practices, representations, and discursive developments that are present in the article. The study uses strategies such as presenting Brexit as a threat to the Polish economy and security, depicting Poland as a victim, and the EU as a powerful political actor.
A discursive analysis of the article focuses on how the language and structures used in the text were chosen. One of the strategies used by the author is to present Brexit as a threat to the Polish economy, which could significantly worsen her condition. Poland has become an important export market for Great Britain, so the restrictions imposed by the latter’s withdrawal from the European Union could reduce trade between these countries. The PwC report suggests that Brexit may reduce Poland’s GDP by 0.7%, which is a significant blow to the country’s economy (Easton, 2016). By portraying Britain as a threat, the author seeks to create uncertainty about the outcome of events in the readers’ minds, and he succeeds.
Another strategy of the author, which he uses in his path, concerns the presentation of Brexit as a threat to the internal security of Poland. The referendum results are a challenge to the Polish government, which is forced to pursue its own country’s interests worldwide but must remain loyal to its Western partners (Osiatynski, 2018). Easton writes that Brexit could be the first step towards weakening the EU and making resisting Russia’s aggressive policies more challenging. The author presents the UK referendum as a threat to Polish security, which could theoretically increase nationalist sentiment among the Polish population.
The following strategy, which is used by the author in the article and is worthy of analysis, is the representation of Poland as the passive victim of Brexit. In addition to the political factors and the GDP decline mentioned above, the referendum will also affect Polish exporters, who may face additional customs and border crossing problems (Musiał-Karg, 2020). Thus, Poland is represented as a country that is totally dependent on the EU and British authorities and their political decisions. This way of depicting the problem allows the author to arouse the readers’ sympathy for Poland and awaken the feeling of empathy for the future of the country.
The article also mentions the fact that the EU is a powerful actor that can protect Poland from the consequences of Brexit. It is emphasized that this country is the largest recipient of structural funds from the European Union; therefore, the EU is the primary source of investment in Poland. However, it is believed that Brexit has identified problems that are based on the contradictions between the implementation of democratic norms and the rule of law (Siemiatkowski & Michalski, 2020). The problem is present in Poland and has been particularly visible since the British referendum. Thus, the Polish government should consider the interests of the EU to support and accelerate its economic development with its help. He is a powerful actor who can protect and help Poland develop, so the author tries to promote pro-European sentiment among readers.
The article considers a wide range of social and political factors, so the discursive dimension of analysis focuses more on them. An essential fact in this situation is the consideration of the role of nationalist sentiments that are present in Poland and influence its policies. In addition to public opinion, the balance of power in Europe may also be altered, providing opportunities and challenges for Poland’s security system (Tichy & Niemczyk, 2021). The country is undoubtedly attached to the European Union, but nationalist sentiment within the government continues to grow at a rapid pace. Poles no longer see the EU as the only possible environment in which their country can fully develop. By demonstrating the characteristics of the Polish population on this side, the author allows readers to consider the potential consequences of Brexit for Poland and the extent of the need for cooperation with neighboring countries.
In conclusion, the article EU referendum: Is Brexit bad news for Poland? by Adam Easton for BBC News Europe reveals the possible consequences of the referendum for Poland’s future. The author uses various discursive strategies to construct a logical chain to analyze an event’s impact on a country’s structure. One of the strategies used is to portray Brexit as a threat to the Polish security and economic system and Poland as a passive victim of the referendum. This comparison creates a significant contrast that helps to arouse nationalist sentiment among readers, as it shows Poland as a state that needs protection and support. The European Union is established in this situation as a powerful actor in international relations, able to stand up for the protection of the member states, so Poland’s policy regarding it is cautious. The author uses all the mentioned strategies for a comprehensive analysis of the impact of the event on the domestic and foreign policy of the country, which in the future will make it possible to draw conclusions about the extent of Brexit’s effects.
References
Easton, A. (2016). EU referendum: Is Brexit bad news for Poland?BBC. Web.
Musiał-Karg, M. (2020). Brexit: Impact on the Polish economy. Comparative Economic Research, 23(2), 23–42. Web.
Osiatynski, W. (2018). Poland after Brexit: Geopolitical balancing act. Central European Journal of International and Security Studies, 12(1), 129–148. Web.
Thomas, A. (2020). Shaping Parliamentary Democracy: Collected Memories from the European Parliament, edited by A.De Feo and M.Shackleton (London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2019, ISBN 9783030272128). Journal of Common Market Studies, 58(3), 780–781. Web.
Tichy, L., & Niemczyk, A. (2021). The implications of Brexit for the security policy of Poland. Politické Vedy, 24(2), 37–54. Web.