ABSTRACT
Balicki, the outgoing Deputy-Minister of Health, sipped Jameson in Jan and Krystyna's flat. That afternoon the new Minister of Health, Jacek Zochowski, a former communist and onetime physician to General Jaruzelski, had made a courtesy visit to the Health Ministry. His message to an expectant staff was somewhat terse: 'Do nothing until I come back on Thursday.' It is difficult to describe the atmosphere in that small flat, because nobody felt sure whether they were at a wake for the remains of all that Solidarity had fought for or whether Solidarity in defeat had nurtured a natural democratic process which had on this particular occasion brought victory to the former enemy. In reality there was but one question on everyone's mind: could the leopard be trusted to change his spots? It wasn't long before the balance of opinion began to shift towards a negative view after Jan heard by telephone that the new head of the Council of Ministers' office, Michal Strak (from the Peasants Party) had written to all the voivedships (local councils) telling them to stop the process of decentralization and administrative reform. 'And so it starts,' mused Krystyna as she pummelled the pastry for our pieroggi supper.
