5, 10, 20 years ago I'd say: sure, things aren't great but still better than ever. Now in the last 5 years top courts have been overtaken completely by the ruli

5, 10, 20 years ago I'd say: sure, things aren't great but still better than ever. Now in the last 5 years top courts have been overtaken completely by the ruling party, district attorneys are on political leashes shorter than ever in the last 30 years, state companies are buying up property solely to increase the ruling party's power and give its zealots comfy places to receive inordinate salaries for nothing (like the recent massive newspaper publisher acquisition by the state oil company), all top state officials are openly devoted to pushing the Catholic Church's agenda and to providing the clergy with money and influence, LGBT Poles are demonized by the government just to convince people to vote for the party that will "protect the families" or whatever bullshit, and – the engine behind much of this – the state media apparatus is truly on par with the communist government one's in outright propaganda (it's incredible how similar the language is – Russia Today is subtlety in comparison). It's not outright authoritarian, but we're well on the way. Also, Poland is certainly not the 2nd democracy, nowhere near that. It was very early to the concept of constitutions, but that didn't even last a few years until the country was taken apart completely by neighbors for over a century.