Szułdrzyński: The Battle for Warsaw is Increasingly Resembling the Komorowski–Duda Showdown of 2015
Petru: A New Socio-Liberal Project is Needed

-- PARLIAMENT CHANGES SCHEDULE, JUNE SESSION CUT IN HALF - 300POLITYKA: https://300polityka.pl/news/2018/05/11/sejm-zmienia-terminarz-drugie-czerwcowe-posiedzenie-przesuniete-i-skrocone-o-polowe-2/

-- SCHMIDT WANTS A NEW PARTY WITH BIEDROŃ, TODAY A TWEETUP OF SORTS - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2018/05/11

-- JACEK KARNOWSKI SUGGESTS POLAND MAY RESORT TO A VETO IN THE EU COUNCIL: “Polish diplomats emphasize that the draft regulation on the rule of law was submitted together with the budget and is therefore linked to it. This makes Warsaw's position on this matter unambiguous, although not yet publicly articulated: without changing the regulation, Poland will not accept the budget. And the budget cannot be adopted without Poland's consent. “We must leave the negotiations with an agreement. The absence of a budget would be a failure for everyone,” one can hear in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but with the caveat that “Poland will never vote to put a noose around its own neck.” https://wpolityce.pl/m/polityka/393696-tylko-u-nas-czy-polska-siegnie-po-weto-jesli-rozporzadzenie-wiazace-budzet-z-praworzadnoscia-nie-zostanie-zmienione-na-to-wyglada

-- POLAND IN THE EU AS A THIRD-SPEED COUNTRY - Marek Beylin: “If, however, the European Commission loses this battle, and PiS remains in power for the next term, the Union will lose interest in Poland. It will find a way to integrate without Poland or other rogue states. We will be stuck in a third-speed Europe for a long time, distancing ourselves from the other two. We will remain in the EU only formally; in reality, we will find ourselves at the exit door. This will deprive us of development and security guarantees. In such a Poland, freedom, equality, and justice will easily wither, and authoritarian nationalism will find fertile ground. Only then will the obvious dawn on us: the Union can exist without Poland, but we cannot exist without the Union.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,23382216,w-unii-dwoch-predkosci-polska-spada-do-predkosci-trzeciej.html

-- ANDRZEJ HRECHOROWICZ PUBLISHES A PHOTO OF THE PRESIDENT CARRYING THE PRESIDENTIAL SPOUSE INTO THE PALACE: http://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/7,114884,23382148,fotografowal-dude-od-chwili-zaprzysiezenia-teraz-pokazal-wyjatkowe.html#Z_BoxNewsLink&a=66&c=96

-- THE BATTLE FOR WARSAW RESEMBLES THE KOMOROWSKI-DUDA SHOWDOWN, THE ESTABLISHMENT CANDIDATE HAS TROUBLE SHOWING WHY THEY SHOULD BE VOTED FOR - Michał Szułdrzyński in RZ: “This makes the battle for Warsaw all the more important, as it increasingly resembles the Komorowski–Duda showdown of 2015. On one side is the candidate supported by anti-PiS elites and the establishment, who nevertheless struggles to show why he deserves votes (beyond the slogan of preventing PiS from taking the capital), and on the other – the candidate of the right, who has nothing to lose and no shortage of ideas and determination. Therefore, for both PiS and the opposition, the clash between Rafał Trzaskowski and Patryk Jaki for Warsaw could prove to be a battle for everything.” http://www.rp.pl/Komentarze/305109846-Szuldrzynski-Krakow-nie-dla-prawicy-A-Warszawa.html

-- PETRU ON THE NEED FOR A NEW PROJECT - tells Jacek Nizinkiewicz in RZ: “I’ve done it before. The first time is the hardest. If there's an idea, people will follow it. I'm not creating a new party, but I know one thing, as it's hard not to notice, that a new socio-liberal project is needed.”

-- DEFEATS STRENGTHEN – SAYS PETRU: “Most politicians who have achieved something before have gone through defeats. Tusk and Kaczyński lost many times before they started achieving spectacular victories. The next elections will verify me. Defeats strengthen me and teach me a lot.” http://www.rp.pl/Nowoczesna/305109833-Petru-Potrzebny-jest-nowy-projekt-spoleczno-liberalny.html

-- MEDIA EPHEMERA DOOMED TO FAILURE - Marcin Fijołek on Nowoczesna: “Both Ryszard Petru and the most prominent politicians of Nowoczesna wanted results immediately, right now. Every lost vote on the plenary floor and in committee meetings, every poor poll, every critical opinion from influential figures on the “Third Polish Republic” side only increased the frustration of Petru’s gang. Hence the nervous moves, changes of leader, departures, and infighting. This is palpable to the voter, even one strongly opposed to the “good change,” and combined with almost zero engagement “on the ground,” it had to result in a total failure.

-- FIJOŁEK ON ATTEMPTS TO CREATE SOMETHING ON THE RIGHT BASED ON FACEBOOK REACH: “And this should serve as a warning to those who are now looking for a great alternative in Robert Biedroń’s nascent movement (mercilessly pumped up by the media) or – on the other hand – to attempts to create something new on the right based on Facebook reach. Does this mean that the political ring of PO-PiS is cemented forever? Probably not, but working to break it requires more patience, a more solid foundation, and – above all – at least minimal anchoring in society, its needs, and emotions. A couch session on TVN and a march organized once every six months will simply not be enough for this.” https://wpolityce.pl/m/polityka/393726-upadek-nowoczesnej-to-dowod-na-to-ze-efemerydy-kanapowo-medialne-mimo-pompowania-sa-skazane-na-porazke

-- NITRAS TO TERLECKI IN THE SEJM: YOU DIDN'T SAY BACK THEN THAT THIS LAW DOESN'T CONCERN YOU, YOU ARE THE LEADER OF THIS CREW, BUT WHAT KIND OF LEADER ARE YOU, CUTTING PEOPLE'S PAY AND KEEPING IT FOR YOURSELF AND MS. MAZUREK: https://www.facebook.com/SlawomirNitras/videos/1628181467300111/

-- THE PRIME MINISTER'S ADVISER TOO LENIENT ACCORDING TO NOWOGRODZKA - GW's front page: “According to our information, Krawczyk had good relations with the Prime Minister, discussing international affairs with him almost daily, and regularly met with Konrad Szymański, the minister for European affairs. In early spring, he traveled to Berlin for a week for confidential talks with German diplomats and journalists. He made a good impression there. One of the results of his work was Chancellor Angela Merkel's visit to Warsaw at the end of March. Two weeks later, he was dismissed. Why? Krawczyk refused to speak to „Wyborcza.”

-- PRZYŁĘBSKI HAD A HAND IN THE RESIGNATION - continues GW: “Ambassador to Berlin, Andrzej Przyłębski, husband of the PiS-appointed President of the Constitutional Tribunal, had a hand in the advisor’s resignation. Krawczyk came into conflict with the ambassador. Not only because he communicated with German officials independently of the ambassador, but also because in 2016 he criticized Przyłębski on an internet portal for his remarks directed at Professor Andreas Voßkuhle, president of the German Constitutional Court. Przyłębski claimed that Voßkuhle had no right to comment on the situation in Poland and accused him of being “resistant to knowledge.” According to Krawczyk, the ambassador acted against Polish interests.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75399,23382714,doradca-premiera-postulowal-by-polska-ustapila-w-sprawie-krytykowanej.html

-- PFN HOLIER THAN THE POPE - Agata Kondzińska and Iwona Szpala in GW: “The Polish National Foundation continues its promotional offensive: this time it is publicizing Poland’s name in the world with an album about John Paul II. However, it did not find funds for the “Happy birthday Israel” project prepared in the Prime Minister’s Chancellery. The “Happy birthday Israel” project was intended to mitigate the crisis in Polish-Israeli relations caused by the amendment to the Act on the Institute of National Remembrance. The idea was simple. Israelis were to hear from Poles in Hebrew: we like your food, we like your beaches, we like flying to you. In addition, wishes of “Happy birthday Israel,” as the meeting was to take place on the occasion of Israel’s 70th anniversary. According to the project, films were to be broadcast on Israeli television in April. The cost of the campaign was estimated at around one million PLN. The Polish National Foundation was to finance it.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,23382995,polska-fundacja-narodowa-nie-wsparla-projektu-ktory-mial-lagodzic.html

-- THE MOST SCANDALOUS PARLIAMENT - MONIKA OLEJNIK in GW: “This is perhaps the most scandalous Sejm of the Republic of Poland. It has caused much harm on the international stage by introducing the stupid Act on the Institute of National Remembrance, which was supposed to defend the honor of Poles. Master Ziobro contributed to their adoption. Professor Michał Królikowski, advisor to the president and deputy minister of justice during Jarosław Gowin’s time in Donald Tusk’s government, warned against them. Królikowski defended the Supreme Court judges, saying they were not UB agents, but people with achievements. And what happened to him? He was arrested and accused of links to the fuel mafia.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,23382490,oblezona-twierdza-goscinne-wystepy-w-piatek-olejnik.html

-- A VISIT TO THE FORMER SECRETARY GENERAL OF PO - Tomasz Duklanowski in GPC: “MP Stanisław Gawłowski has adapted well to the conditions of isolation in the detention center in Szczecin – says Major Sebastian Matyszczak, spokesperson for the director of the regional Prison Service in Szczecin. – He participates in socio-cultural activities and also avails himself of religious services.” https://gpcodziennie.pl/89242-zwizytaubylegosekretarzageneralnegopo.html

-- PRIMATE HLOND AND THE CANDIDATE FOR HIS SUCCESSOR MAY HAVE BEEN MURDERED BY THE COMMUNISTS - Tomasz Krzyżak in RZ: “The Primate was admitted to the hospital in mid-October 1948. He complained of severe stomach pains. On October 14, he underwent surgery. After that, inflammation developed in his left lung. On October 20, the surgical wound opened, requiring another operation. Due to his extreme weakness, it was performed without anesthesia, causing additional suffering. He died two days later. Immediately after his death, suggestions emerged that the security services contributed to it. Now, IPN investigators will verify this, having initiated preparatory proceedings, and an investigation will also begin soon.” http://www.rp.pl/Kosciol/305109840-Prymas-Hlond--i-kandydat-na-jego-nastepce-mogli-zostac-zgladzeni.html

-- MORAWIECKI AND ZIOBRO VISITED KACZYŃSKI IN HOSPITAL: “The doors of this hospital room do not close. More government politicians visited Jarosław Kaczyński (69). Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki (50) first appeared at the military hospital, followed by Minister of Justice Zbigniew Ziobro (47).” http://www.se.pl/wiadomosci/polityka/premier-morawiecki-i-zbigniew-ziobro-odwiedzili-kaczynskiego-w-szpitalu-zdjecia_1053608.html

-- REDUCED ZUS CONTRIBUTION ONLY FOR 10% - A FACADE - as Leszek Kostrzewski writes in GW: “And right at the beginning of the justification for the draft, the ministry admits outright that only a maximum of... 173,000 companies will be able to benefit from the new solution. – This is just about 10% of all individuals running businesses – says Łukasz Kozłowski, an expert at the Polish Employers. – This shows that the Prime Minister’s grand promise at the convention was more hype than real help.” http://wyborcza.biz/biznes/7,147584,23379696,miala-byc-wielka-obnizka-skladek-na-zus-dla-przedsiebiorcow.htm

-- BIRTHDAYS: Patryk Jaki, Joanna Górska, Anna Streżyńska, Anna Komorowska, Jan Ołdakowski, Maciej Duda.