A storm rages in the Sejm. Not for the first time, the opposition demands the dismissal of the finance minister-mostly because he's not coping well with the crisis. The coalition leaps to the minister's defense, while the prime minister, in a polemical fervor, goes so far as to present the following scene: There's a storm, everyone's struggling to keep the ship afloat, but a group is ransacking the passengers' bags. The opposition is outraged.

This is how the finance minister describes the opposition's motion for a vote of no confidence against him: The government is being chastised for a policy thanks to which the Polish economy is ranked among the top in Europe amid crisis.

Some observers say this policy is like traveling without a ticket. It's based on the following premises: a strong internal market, Polish entrepreneurs' flexibility and dynamism, great diversification in the economy and a healthy (because it's conservative) financial system. "Without a ticket" means in the hope that the efforts of our largest economic partners, primarily Germany, will produce positive results before Poland plunges into recession.

So far the economy is still growing. Unemployment has stopped rising for now. Some indices are poor, but others are better. The overall mood isn't bad. The coalition saved the finance minister.