-- BARTŁOMIEJ SIENKIEWICZ RESPONDS TO THE QUESTION OF WHETHER HE COULD HAVE BEEN PRIME MINISTER WITHOUT THE TAPES SCANDAL, tells WP.pl about Kaczyński and Tusk, who are electrifying public opinion, and the prospect of a joint government of PO and SLD. https://opinie.wp.pl/kto-nami-rzadzi-sienkiewicz-rosjanie-rozpetali-cos-w-rodzaju-iii-wojny-swiatowej-6242790112962689v

-- COMPARISON OF CONSTITUTIONAL TRIBUNAL SALARIES - SIMILAR AMOUNTS, HIGHEST IN 2013 AND 2014, WHO IS THE PIS CANDIDATE IN WARSAW: https://300polityka.pl/live/2018/04/19/

-- GOWIN LOOKS AFTER HIS OWN - GW LEAD STORY: “Grants worth hundreds of thousands from the 'Dialogue' program of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education are going to people associated with the Agreement party of Deputy Prime Minister and head of the ministry, Jarosław Gowin. An institute, whose vice-president is the head of the 'Dialogue' council, also received half a million zlotys. http://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,23289237,gowin-daje-swoim-wielotysieczne-granty-dostaja-ludzie-zwiazani.html

-- JACEK KARNOWSKI ON THE GRADUAL DEMOLITION OF THE GOOD CHANGE: “If this operation succeeds, there will be others. The contours of a salami strategy are visible: since the Good Change cannot be overthrown by a direct attack, it must be demolished piece by piece, ruthlessly destroying some with the full force of fire, while temporarily sparing others, or even rewarding them in various ways. For reasons, likely not without basis, it was decided that in the current context, this method might prove successful.”

-- KARNOWSKI ON A COORDINATED ACTION: “What can be done about this? Today, unfortunately, very little. The media system can and should be corrected, but if it wasn't possible to do so immediately after the elections, the chances today are practically zero. However, the awareness itself that seemingly innocent, or even bizarre, publications do not appear out of nowhere is important: they are the result of a thought-out and coordinated strategy. And this is not just about a media strategy.” https://wpolityce.pl/m/polityka/390875-medialne-salami-czyli-skoro-dobrej-zmiany-nie-da-sie-obalic-wprost-to-nalezy-ja-zdemolowac-kawalek-po-kawalku-teraz-celem-jest-prezes-przylebska

-- AGNIESZKA WIŚNIEWSKA, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF KRYTYKA POLITYCZNA, ON BIEDROŃ: HE IS NOT RUSHING, VOTERS MAY BECOME IMPATIENT: “Waiting for Biedroń, voters who place him on the podium in presidential polls might become a bit impatient. However, they don't really have anyone to redirect their 'poll' support to for now. The parliamentary opposition has still not woken up from its winter slumber, and before the local elections, a hundred flowers are blooming on the left, but each in a separate pot. Biedroń sees this and probably therefore is not in a great hurry. However, he is increasingly preparing for his return to the capital, and not just to appear on TVN and Onet.”

-- YOU CAN'T TAKE AWAY BIEDROŃ'S PASSION AND FAITH IN SUCCESS - Wiśniewska continues: “While waiting for Biedroń, some voters may become impatient. But this wait is filled with the constant stoking of hope, which is sorely lacking in politics today. 'The left has stopped believing in the possibility of realizing its ideals, it has lost its radicalism and vision of a bright future,' wrote Kinga Dunin yesterday, reconstructing Utopia for Realists by Rutger Bregman. One can disagree with Robert Biedroń (although I don't suspect most readers do – and I hope so), but one cannot take away his passion, energy, and faith in success.” http://krytykapolityczna.pl/felietony/agnieszka-wisniewska/czekajac-na-biedronia/

-- GRZEGORZ SCHETYNA ON MORAWIECKI'S DECEPTION - tells Jacek Nizinkiewicz in Rzeczpospolita: “Yesterday Morawiecki promised electric cars and a plan for trillion-zloty investments, and today he promises the 'Morawiecki's Five'. This is all deception. This is not a government of change, but a government of survival. The only program they will genuinely want to implement is the hunt for the opposition.”

-- SCHETYNA RETURNS TO THE GREECE NARRATIVE: “Where are the draft laws? Where is the financing plan for the promises? These are just empty promises. PiS is offering Poles the 'Greece+' plan.”

-- SCHETYNA IN RZ ON DEFENDING THE SALARIES OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS: “We will not defend our own money, but the local government officials. They cannot be punished for the dishonesty of PiS politicians.” http://www.rp.pl/Platforma-Obywatelska/180419265-Grzegorz-Schetyna-Licze-na-powrot-Donalda-Tuska.html

-- RZECZPOSPOLITA PRAISES MORAWIECKI'S NEW MINISTERS, CRITICIZES SZYDŁO: “One hundred days after the government reconstruction, it is time to evaluate the new ministers. According to Rzeczpospolita journalists, the best among them are the heads of the health, finance, entrepreneurship and technology, development, and foreign affairs ministries. We rated their work on a scale of one to ten. The distinguished five managed numerous crises – from EU matters to the protest of resident doctors. We rated three others the worst: Beata Kempa, Marek Suski, and Deputy Prime Minister Beata Szydło. Two of these three remained in the government after the reconstruction, mainly for political reasons. Only in her speech at the United Right convention did Deputy Prime Minister Szydło set out an agenda from which she can be held accountable. Until now, it has been difficult to find a reason for her continued presence in the government.”

-- MICHAŁ SZUŁDRZYŃSKI ON MORAWIECKI FIGHTING FOR THE STATUS OF THE RIGHT-WING LEADER: “At Saturday's convention, Morawiecki fought for the status of the right-wing leader, whose task is not only to head the government but also to pilot economic projects that are supposed to improve Poles' lives. In this way, he is to implement the promise from his exposé of 'romanticism of goals and positivism of means.'”

-- HE MAY GO DOWN IN HISTORY AS THE ONE WHO SAVED PIS - Szułdrzyński continues in RZ: “If he emerges from this crisis unscathed, and additionally reaches an agreement with Brussels (the high rating in our ranking for head of diplomacy Jacek Czaputowicz is worth noting), he will go down in history as the one who saved PiS. If he fails, he will be accused of being the reason the party lost its chance.” http://www.rp.pl/Komentarze/180419281-Michal-Szuldrzynski-Dobre-oceny-nowych-ministrow-PiS.html&template=restricted

-- CHRABOTA ON THE NECESSITY OF JOINING THE EURO: “PiS's opposition to the euro stems from false economic diagnoses and outdated program assumptions from a time when PiS wanted to differentiate itself from the pro-euro Platform. Today, however, times have changed, and I am convinced that Prime Minister Morawiecki is aware that one must board this train, because standing at the station any longer is simply a waste of time and Poland's chance. It just remains to explain this to the electorate. And that's where the rub is.” http://www.rp.pl/Komentarze/180419280-Boguslaw-Chrabota-Zdechly-pies-krepuje-Morawieckiego.html&template=restricted

-- HE REMOVED DATA FROM ZUS, TODAY HE CO-MANAGES A NATIONAL FOUNDATION - Fakt: “He is less known than the other two members of the Polish National Foundation's management board, but no less important! Antoni Kolek (30) sits on the PFN board with Cezary Jurkiewicz (55) and Maciej Świrski (56) and distributes hundreds of millions of zlotys from state-owned companies for unsuccessful projects. As Fakt has established, the prosecutor's office is conducting an investigation in which Kolek may be suspected of stealing secret data from ZUS!” https://www.fakt.pl/wydarzenia/polityka/wynosil-dane-z-zus-wspolrzadzi-rzadowa-fundacja/xzczhpn

-- ZUZANNA DĄBROWSKA RESPONDS TO GLINSKI: “In my opinion, you did not ensure adequate security for the sum that was transferred to the account of the Czartoryski Foundation. If it were otherwise, the money would not have been transferred to Liechtenstein. The reason I suggested for this oversight was that perhaps you are too susceptible to the magic of noble titles. Perhaps there is some other reason, but you have never publicly stated it, and as a publicist, I have a duty to seek the truth and the reasons why various events occur. Simply put: I do not think you took money for this decision, but I think you got your hands dirty with it. Perhaps with ink.” http://www.rp.pl/Komentarze/180419296-Zuzanna-Dabrowska-odpowiada-wicepremierowi-Glinskiemu.html

-- BORYS BUDKA ADMITS THAT PIS IS SUCCESSFUL IN FIGHTING CRIMINALS: “The Polish state is constantly trying to catch up with white-collar criminals. I must admit that PiS has done a lot in this regard. I am capable of saying this. It comes out of my mouth, unlike the opposition. However, I emphasize again. The government is using our solutions.” http://www.se.pl/wiadomosci/opinie/borys-budka-jestem-w-stanie-powiedziec-ze-pis-zrobi-wiele_1050352.html

-- THE MORE HE STRUGGLES, THE MORE HE SINKS - Jakub Bierzyński on PiS's situation: “All power is based on reason and force. With the decision to return the bonuses, Jarosław Kaczyński undermined both foundations of his rule. After a series of mistakes, he has found himself in the position of someone sinking in a swamp: the more he struggles, the faster he sinks. He may pay for this with the loss of power.” http://newsweek.pl/polska/spoleczenstwo/kaczynski-kazal-zwrocic-premie-i-nagrody-ministrow-czy-to-bedzie-jego-koniec-,artykuly,426197,1.html#tw=nw

-- JOANNA KLUZIK-ROSTKOWSKA ON PIS FOLLOWING GENERAL GERASIMOV'S DOCTRINE - tells Interia: “it is an unintentional implementer of the doctrine of Russian General Gerasimov. This doctrine assumes that in modern warfare, it is not about being better than the opponent, but about weakening them to your level. A quarrelsome, divided society, legal chaos, the destruction of, for example, the judiciary – these are grist to the Kremlin's mill. It is hard to comprehend that they do not see this.”

-- KLUZIK ON THE GREAT INTEREST IN PRIVATE SCHOOLS: “It is high time to look at all the family policy instruments we have at our disposal, check their effectiveness, and see not only the moment of a child's birth but also what will be the parents' problem later. The great boom in expensive non-public education shows that something has clearly gone wrong with the education reform introduced by PiS, and the 300 zloty baby wyprawka will not compensate for it.” http://fakty.interia.pl/autor/aleksandra-gieracka-krystyna-opozda/news-kluzik-rostkowska-kaczynski-postanowil-sobie-zrobic-nowy-198,nId,2568753

-- EXTREME RIGHT-WING MOBILIZATION AS A CONSEQUENCE OF NEOLIBERALISM - EDWIN BENDYK writes in Krytyka: “Is the next stage a neofascist correction for a system for which, as Margaret Thatcher famously argued, there is no alternative? (...) From this perspective, however blasphemous it may sound, the nationalists in the BHP Hall of the Gdańsk Shipyard are not an expression of cruel paradox and the malice of history, but its logical culmination – the completion of the Solidarity revolution, which in 1989 did not follow, as participants of the First Congress still wanted in 1981, the path of socializing the economy, but initiated the neoliberal transformation of Poland. Incidentally, another excellent performance by Paweł Wodziński – Solidarity. Reconstruction – reminds us of this forgotten thread of Solidarity's history.” http://krytykapolityczna.pl/kraj/bendyk-atlas-planetarnej-przemocy/

-- THE PRIME MINISTER VISITED HIS 88-YEAR-OLD MOTHER: https://www.fakt.pl/wydarzenia/polityka/premier-mateusz-morawiecki-odwiedzil-mame-jadwige/4ybsdmf

-- BIRTHDAYS: Barbara Labuda, Małgorzata Sekuła-Szmajdzińska, Jan Szyszko, Bożena Henczyca, Sławomir Najnigier, Iwona Kutyna.