-- SASIN ON PAYMENTS AT PGE UNDER TUSK AND WHETHER IT MAKES SENSE TO RETURN TO DEGRADATION - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2018/04/05

-- ASTONISHING PASSIVITY OF PiS - JACEK KARNOWSKI: “The passivity of Law and Justice (PiS) regarding what is happening is astonishing. There are no energetic attempts to show the issue in its real context. There are no attempts to close the case. There are no attempts to initiate a discussion about other matters. It's astonishing paralysis. The wave, so intensely animated by the opposition, tabloids, all opposition forces, and a large part of the right, encounters no resistance. Days and weeks pass, and a distorted inversion is being hammered into Poles' heads: PiS is to be greedy and ruthless, while Civic Platform (PO) is modest, concerned about the fate of ordinary citizens. If you don't fight, you will lose. If you don't fight for the truth, lies will prevail. If you wait, trivialities will become as important as billion-złoty scandals.”

-- KARNOWSKI ON THE THREAT OF REPEATING THE 2007 CAMPAIGN: “An effective propaganda campaign reversed meanings, obscured true vectors. A government that boosted the economy to levels unknown in the Third Polish Republic was overthrown in the name of an 'economic miracle.' A government that began rebuilding Poland towards a state serving all citizens was overthrown under the banner of egalitarianism. Are we not approaching a repeat? Does the current witch hunt related to the bonuses and awards of the PiS ruling elite not bring us closer to a similar inversion? To a situation where several thousand zlotys in supplements (monthly) will overshadow record low deficits – while financing social programs, including 500+, at the level of 70 billion zlotys monthly?”

-- KARNOWSKI RECALLS THE 2007 PO CAMPAIGN: “So, there was supposed to be paradise, and we all remember how it was. An effective propaganda campaign reversed meanings, obscured true vectors. A government that boosted the economy to levels unknown in the Third Polish Republic was overthrown in the name of an 'economic miracle.' A government that began rebuilding Poland towards a state serving all citizens was overthrown under the banner of egalitarianism.” https://wpolityce.pl/polityka/388879-zdumiewa-biernosc-obozu-rzadzacego-wobec-tego-co-sie-dzieje-a-przeciez-juz-raz-iii-rp-wmowila-polakom-ze-biale-jest-czarne-a-czarne-biale

-- A MEETING AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL SHOULD TAKE PLACE SO THAT WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT DOMINATES - KRZYSZTOF SZCZERSKI IN AN INTERVIEW WITH DGP (Michał Potocki, Zbigniew Parafianowicz, Grzegorz Osiecki): “The second plane, however, is Poland's current media image and its influence on political sentiment. Here, we can speak of a negative change in connection with the difference of opinion regarding the Act on the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN). When we refer to Polish-American meetings at the highest level, it's worth asking whether, if they were to be organized now, their real content, which is the Polish-American alliance, would not be dominated in the media by the temporary issue of the evaluation of this act. We must also consider such a context when setting the presidents' schedules. That is why we say today that we are looking for a convenient date for the meeting. It is worth finding one so that what is important dominates the public debate between our countries, namely the summary of the Duda-Trump agreements from the meeting in Warsaw in July 2017 and plans for the future. In this sense, the debate about the act certainly has some significance for the meeting schedule.”

-- A KIND OF SELF-CORRECTION IS VISIBLE ON THE GOVERNMENT'S SIDE - SZCZERSKI IN DGP ON THE IPN ACT: “Since the act is before the Constitutional Tribunal, and the President is the initiator, I will refrain from commenting. However, a kind of self-correction is already visible on the government's side. For instance, in the Prosecutor General's opinion for the Constitutional Tribunal.”

-- AMERICANS WERE SURPRISED BY THE RAPID PASSAGE OF THE ACT THROUGH THE SENATE - SZCZERSKI CONTINUES: “In my opinion, if something truly surprised Americans, it was the rapid passage of the act through the Senate. The fact that it was adopted at night, and the Senate did not want to listen to the already strong signals about potential problems. I know this because, on behalf of the president, I was in constant working contact with the State Department at the time.”

-- SZCZERSKI ON DGP'S QUESTION WHETHER POLAND HAS THE SUPPORT OF 6 STATES -- THE CONSEQUENCES OF VOTING IN THE COUNCIL COULD BE UNPREDICTABLE - SAYS SZCZERSKI: “I will say this: no one can be sure of the outcome of the vote. That is the delicacy of the situation. No one is sure of the outcome, so it is better not to push for a vote. Such a situation favors compromise. However, if a vote does occur, the consequences could be unpredictable.

-- Do you mean Polexit?

No. Poland is as far from that as possible. It's about an increase in uncontrolled tension within the EU. One cannot simply move on from a situation where we sit at the same table with 28 states and vote against each other. Nothing like that has ever happened in the EU. http://www.gazetaprawna.pl/artykuly/1115369,wywiad-krzysztofem-szczerskim-o-przyszlosci-unii-europejskiej.html

-- A VISIT EVEN MORE IMPORTANT THAN TRUMP'S - JĘDRZEJ BIELECKI IN RZ ON JUNCKER IN WARSAW: “Such a gesture could be the visit of the head of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, to Poland. Apart from the NATO summit in Warsaw in July 2016, the Luxembourger has not been to Poland even once since he took over the EU executive three and a half years ago. During this time, the presidents of the USA, the chancellor of Germany, and even Pope Francis have visited our country several times. This is a bizarre situation, especially since Poland is one of the six (soon to be five) heavyweights of the EU. - We have prepared Juncker's visit to Warsaw 'on dry run' several times, but the conditions were never right. He does not want to be the face of a conflict, but on the contrary, he believes that a trip to Poland should be the culmination of resolving the dispute with Poles – one can hear in the Luxembourger's circle.” http://www.rp.pl/Polityka/304049932-Wizyta-wazniejsza-nawet-niz-Trumpa.html&template=restricted

-- PiS's ELECTORAL COMPROMISE WITH BRUSSELS - RZ front page. http://www.rp.pl/Dyplomacja/304049906-Wyborczy-kompromis-PiS-z-Bruksela.html&template=restricted

-- WHO CONVINCED THE PiS CHAIRMAN - Michał Szułdrzyński in Rz: “Contrary to what PiS has claimed in recent years, it is not the one who bangs their shoe and shouts the loudest in the European Union who has the most say, but the one who can build alliances, make compromises, in other words – conduct real European policy, not just a policy of gestures for internal use. For Poland, a change in PiS's rhetoric is therefore good news. And whoever managed to convince Jarosław Kaczyński to this change has truly achieved something important.” http://www.rp.pl/Komentarze/304049908-Szuldrzynski-Kto-przekonal-prezesa-PiS.html

-- PAWEŁ SUSKI, PO MP, HEAD OF THE ANIMAL WELFARE TEAM, ON JACEK NIZINKIEWICZ'S QUESTION ABOUT HIS CONNECTION WITH JAROSŁAW KACZYŃSKI - in Rz: “Colleagues from the Civic Platform (PO) club joke that the chairman has some attention for me. Sometimes I even receive congratulations that something has been achieved across political divides. I think we have similar views and a common goal, stemming from a high level of empathy towards animals. Indeed, on several occasions in the plenary hall, the chairman reacted to my words.”

-- SUSKI ON CONSENSUS ACROSS DIVIDES REGARDING THE BAN ON KILLING FOR FUR: “We have preliminary assurances that there will be no party discipline in both clubs. I think the project will be adopted as one of the few that transcends political divisions, although in a slightly modified form. The fur industry clearly does not want a compromise. And it could be a ban on raising canids, i.e., foxes and raccoon dogs. In addition, the industry presents unbelievable data regarding the scale of production, employment, and budget revenues.”

-- SUSKI ON THE FACT THAT THANKS TO CLOSE COOPERATION WITH PiS MPS, CHAIRMAN KACZYŃSKI IS NOTIFIED QUICKLY AND CAN REACT: “We are basing this on a project from the previous term, which came from the Parliamentary Team of Friends of Animals. I don't want to say I am the main author, because politicians of many affiliations work in the team – animal suffering knows no political colors. I am pleased with the cooperation with Krzysztof Czabański from PiS. In previous terms, Marek Suski was exceptionally active from this party. Even if the team doesn't meet, the most active group stays in close contact. This has a tangible effect, namely that the PiS chairman is notified quickly and can react.” http://www.rp.pl/Polityka/304049917-Pawel-Suski-Mam-wspolny-cel-z-prezesem-PiS.html&template=restricted

-- HENRYK KOWALCZYK SPEAKS ABOUT IT BEING KNOWN ON WHICH SIDE CHAIRMAN KACZYŃSKI STANDS REGARDING HUNTERS - in an interview with GW: “It is known which side Chairman Kaczyński is on, but hunting law divides MPs regardless of political affiliation. We have taken into account the proposals of MPs who are animal lovers, but we could not accept all of them.”

-- RELATIONS WITH THE EU WOULD BE MUCH BETTER - SAYS KOWALCZYK: “In February, I met with Commissioner Karmenu Vella and we agreed that all actions in the Forest should have been communicated earlier. I am not sure if, had we informed the European Commission about our plans beforehand, we would have received a positive opinion, but certainly, there would not have been a request to the Tribunal to punish us, and relations with the EU would be much better today. I am a proponent of dialogue and striving for compromise, which is likely one of the reasons the Prime Minister appointed me Minister of Environment.”

-- KOWALCZYK ON TRANSITIONING TO RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES: “This is happening everywhere, and we cannot avoid it. But it must be a gradual process, otherwise, there will be a lack of electricity. We will replace coal with other types of energy, from renewable sources. We have many of them, but I will say straight away that I am against wind turbines. They are unstable. The future lies in photovoltaics (solar panels), biogas plants, and hydropower.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,23227009,minister-srodowiska-z-pis-przyznaje-w-wyborczej-trzeba-bylo.html

-- UJAZDOWSKI'S LONELINESS - headline in GW: “Ujazdowski's loneliness in Wrocław: Nowoczesna, Dutkiewicz, and city movements will not support him. But he performed well in the poll.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,23226950,samotnosc-ujazdowskiego-we-wroclawiu-nie-popra-go-nowoczesna.html

-- THIS ARRANGEMENT LACKS CREDIBILITY - MICHAŁ KARNOWSKI ON UJAZDOWSKI FROM PO: “This leads us to talk about a political arrangement of very high risk, in which the most important element is missing: credibility. It is difficult to find a credible explanation – beyond short-term benefits – for PO accepting a former PiS member, and for Ujazdowski accepting the entire baggage of a formation that has ruled Poland for eight years, which were highly destructive to the national community and identity. The suspicion of cynicism remains, and experience teaches us that this always ends badly. Of course, if Ujazdowski becomes the mayor of Wrocław, the risk will pay off for both politicians, and the bad taste will probably be forgotten. However, I have a feeling that the path to this success will be bumpy, painful, and that there are still many traps ahead for the participants of this arrangement.” https://wpolityce.pl/polityka/388834-ujazdowski-przy-platformie-to-relacja-wysokiego-ryzyka-brakuje-w-niej-najwazniejszego-wiarygodnosci

-- WOJCIECH ENGELKING ON THE FACT THAT PiS VOTERS SUPPORT IT WHEN IT IS STRONG IN POLLS: “What explains the recent poll dip, i.e., PiS losing 12% support? The fact that the ruling party began to withdraw from the specific deal it made with Poles. That is, it stopped having support. Such a tautological paradox.” https://opinie.wp.pl/pis-to-dobrze-rozumie-twardym-trzeba-byc-nie-miekkim-6237518043698817a

-- THE STORM TROOPERS DON'T WANT UKRAINIANS - GW: “‘Pole! Pole! Find out who is taking your job!’ – such posters were illegally displayed in Żyrardów by members of the nationalist organization Szturmowcy. They called for a boycott of one of the local companies that employs workers from the East.” http://warszawa.wyborcza.pl/warszawa/7,54420,23227028,zyrardow-kolejny-atak-szturmowcow-oblepili-miasto-plakatami.html

-- BIRTHDAYS: Teresa Bogucka, Edyta Mydłowska-Krawcewicz, Magda Dobrzańska-Frasyniuk, Michał Kabaciński, Maciej Krzysztoszek.