You might have heard that there is something wrong with Poland at the moment. This pretty big and important nation – the fifth-most populated and sixth-biggest economy in the EU, sat on NATO’s eastern frontier – used to be a poster child for European integration. But lately, for some mysterious reason, it has apparently gone crazy, becoming ‘anti-European’, ‘populist’ and even ‘autocratic’.

At least, that’s the story according to the western European media, who have turned Poland into something of a punching bag. But to explain how this happened we need to add one more character: Poland’s nextdoor neighbour and big brother, Germany – the most important European economy and the uncrowned monarch of the EU.

Things are tense right now between Poland and Germany. It used to be so different. After 1990, the freshly reunited Germany played a decisive role in introducing Poland into NATO and the European Union. Berlin likes to paint this story as a Biblical parable of a Good Samaritan helping his weak and wounded neighbour back on to his feet again. But it was always far more complicated than that.