Sroczyński: Editors Used to Yawn at the Word 'Disabled' During Meetings

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-- HOW JAKI IS OUTMANEUVERING TRZASKOWSKI - writes Ludwik Dorn on TVN: "Jaki is outmaneuvering Trzaskowski, Nowoczesna (Modern) is fighting for survival, SLD is reaching for Jaruzelska, Kukiz is embracing Jurek. Before the autumn elections, everyone is trying their best. All of this will be for nothing if PiS, instead of playing chess, decides to play 'dupaka' (a Polish card game) with its opponents."

-- DORN WRITES THAT JAKI HIT UPON A PROBLEM: "Patryk Jaki's greatest achievement in his Warsaw campaign so far has been stepping out of the sheriff's role and presenting himself as someone who understands the city's problems and attacks the PO (Civic Platform) government for not solving them. His most accurate shot was raising the issue of parking, which is the City Hall's Achilles' heel. In 2006, Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz promised 17 large underground parking lots: not a single one was built. The issue of personal transport is one of Warsaw's biggest pain points, and the City Hall has no achievements in this regard. Patryk Jaki has hit upon the problem, and Rafał Trzaskowski is running away from it because he would have to critically address the current mayor's tenure, which is difficult for him for internal party reasons. But it is known – and this is also a problem for PO nationwide – that there is no escape from the issues of the previous Civic Platform governments. It's best to grab the bull by the horns now, while it hasn't yet picked up speed." https://www.tvn24.pl/magazyn-tvn24/dorn-kampania-przed-wyborami-gramy-w-szachy-czy-w-dupaka,154,2692

-- PO'S SHADOW CABINET GROUNDED BY A FLIGHT IN GOLENIÓW: "According to reports, passengers were at the airport from around 8 PM, an hour before departure. Around 9 PM, when the plane should theoretically have been taking off from Goleniów, they learned there would be 'at least a two-hour delay.' Two hours later, however, the information came that the flight was cancelled, and passengers would be taken to the capital by bus. It was supposed to arrive by midnight. At 00:30, it turned out there would be no bus, but taxis instead. Parliamentarians tried to organize a bus themselves, but contacted carriers informed them they had no available vehicles or drivers. At 1 AM, a taxi appeared under the terminal. One. In this situation, PO MPs called taxis themselves. Some decided to drive to Warsaw, others returned to Szczecin. Meanwhile, the idea arose for the MPs to spend the night in Szczecin." http://szczecin.wyborcza.pl/szczecin/7,34939,23418297,samolot-nie-przylecial-czy-lot-porzucil-w-nocy-pasazerow-z.html?disableRedirects=true

-- KACPER PŁAŻYŃSKI CALLS ADAMOWICZ TO ACCOUNT OVER MOTŁAWA RIVER SEWAGE CONTAMINATION: "The discharge of sewage into the Motława River has ended, which we are happy about, but let's not forget that a failure occurred, and the question remains what's next? I have the impression that since the incident, Mayor Paweł Adamowicz has been evading answers to difficult questions that concern the public, not just in Gdańsk. His activity in this matter for the past three days has essentially been limited to social media posts," Kacper Płażyński said on Friday midday at another press conference near the Ołowianka pumping station. http://www.dziennikbaltycki.pl/wiadomosci/a/kacper-plazynski-wzywa-prezydenta-adamowicza-do-publicznego-zabrania-glosu-ws-awarii-przepompowni-na-olowiance,13187329/

-- INTERROGATING SOME, FLATTERING OTHERS - Piotr Zaremba on TVP: "When three opposition politicians left Michał Rachoń's program, which is theoretically a review of political party views, TVP Info authorities reacted with a statement: 'The times when the PO-PSL coalition set the topics and guests are over.' And that's true, only now the times have come when PiS does it. The way Rachoń asks questions (this time about an alleged escort service in Stanisław Gawłowski's apartment) has nothing to do with moderating a discussion. It's interrogating some and flattering others, in line with the ruling party's agenda."

-- ZAREMBA ON TVP SURPASSING THE 'STO LAT' SINGING FOR TUSK: "It's worth recalling the starting point. A friend recently reminded me on Facebook about a spectacle on TVP, then run by Civic Platform. Tomasz Lis hosts Prime Minister Donald Tusk, gives him a gift, and a suitably chosen audience sings 'Sto lat' (Happy Birthday). That television didn't hide its affiliations and didn't shy away from sycophancy. However, it must be admitted that in one area, the current Wiadomości (News) or TVP Info have surpassed it. In aggressiveness, in the constant denigration of enemies. In commentary, mixed up with news, they constantly recall the transgressions, real, imagined, and exaggerated, of the government and the PO-PSL coalition."

-- ZAREMBA PRAISES TVP FOR THEATRE TV AND HISTORY: "This does not change my much more nuanced assessment of Kurski's entire TVP. It also does a lot to tell stories about Polish history and culture in a better, more interesting, and more pluralistic way than under the PO government. Its Teatr Telewizji (TV Theatre) has prepared several productions that will go down in history, and recently they have even started experimenting with a cabaret program that doesn't necessarily show Polish issues according to the simple order of the right ('La la Poland')."

-- ZAREMBA ON GAWRYLUK BEING MORE TRANSPARENT THAN MANY OF HER COLLEAGUES, WHICH WAS ENOUGH TO QUALIFY HER AS "RIGHT-WING": "Does Gawryluk want to turn Polsat into another TVP, as Wielowieyska warns? One only needs to observe all the segments under her supervision today to notice that she is rather introducing more balance into news and commentary. She herself always conducted her programs in a way that asked the most important questions to all sides. She was much more transparent than many of her colleagues, a phenomenon similar to Bogdan Rymanowski at TVN. This was enough to classify her as 'right-wing' in the liberal-left journalistic world."

-- TVP WAS ON PAR WITH TVN AS ONE OF PO'S CAMPAIGN HEADQUARTERS - ZAREMBA: "Is this a fight for media independence? I don't think so. Indeed, the liberal left, with 'Wyborcza' at its head, warns against the government taking over the media market in the Hungarian style. I also wouldn't want such a scenario where political monopoly mixes with economic monopoly. But I remind you: we were close to such a model between 2010 and 2015. In the latter year, TVP was one of PO's election campaign headquarters, on par with TVN."

-- SOLORZ WAS STRIKING DEALS WITH THE PLATFORM, AND THIS DID NOT CAUSE THE SLIGHTEST CONCERN IN GW: "I readily believe that PiS will be satisfied with the neutralization of Polsat. And that Zygmunt Solorz, as a businessman, may indeed be guided by business reasons. He wants to sell the Pątnów Adamów Konin power plant. He has just obtained a favorable verdict from UOKiK (Office of Competition and Consumer Protection) regarding the acquisition of Netia. However, that Poland is a country of political capitalism is not a discovery of the day. Solorz also readily did business with previous administrations. For eight years, he was striking deals with Platforma. This did not cause the slightest concern in 'Gazeta Wyborcza'."

-- LONG-TERM ADVOCATES AND BENEFICIARIES OF MONOPOLY ARE PLAYING THE ROLE OF OPPRESSED DEFENDERS OF MEDIA FREEDOM - ZAREMBA'S CONCLUSION: "I don't want anyone's monopoly and I prefer makeshift solutions based on a shaky balance. But a situation where long-term advocates and beneficiaries of monopoly play the role of oppressed defenders of media freedom against only one threat strikes me as a comedy. Let's beware of such shadow theaters." http://www.polskatimes.pl/opinie/komentarze/a/piotr-zaremba-telewizje-mniej-i-bardziej-zaprzyjaznione,13186332/3/

-- IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE THAT PO SUDDENLY CARES ABOUT THE DISABLED, WHOM THEY PREVIOUSLY IGNORED, AND EDITORS YAWNED IN MEETINGS - GRZEGORZ SROCZYŃSKI: "It's hard to believe that PO suddenly cares about the fate of a group they ignored during their time in power. It's equally hard to believe that editors of weeklies and newspapers, who used to yawn at the word 'disabled' during editorial meetings and dismiss it as uninteresting to anyone, have suddenly experienced some kind of Christ-like conversion to empathy. Yes, unfortunately, the right wing is absolutely right that our interest in the protest in the Sejm stems mainly from the fact that disabled children can be used to hit Kaczyński over the head. The public, meanwhile, has bought popcorn and is waiting to see who wins."

-- THE DISABLED HAVE MELTED LIBERALISM - continues Sroczyński: "Opposition politicians are beginning to sense this change in the wind. They see that the issue of the welfare state can stir social emotions no less than the courts or the issue of ministerial bonuses. It may change some people's views, air out party programs, and make liberalism on the Vistula more modern. Whoever succeeds in removing PiS from power, neither the liquidation of the 500+ child benefit program, nor sweeping the problem of a lack of geriatric beds in hospitals under the rug, nor – I hope – the liquidation of PKS bus companies and train connections in small towns (which is still ongoing under the 'good change') will be possible. It's worth starting to figure out now where the opposition will get the money for this better welfare state – one that pays 500+, provides decent support for the disabled, and at the same time respects the constitution and the courts." http://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/7,161770,23398417,sroczynski-niepelnosprawni-nie-skruszyli-pis-u-ale-za-to-skruszyli.html

-- KRZYSZTOF WOŁODŹKO ON THE MEDIA'S SUDDEN INTEREST IN THE FATE OF THE DISABLED: "The media game surrounding the issues of disabled people is significant because it influences the public perception of the parliamentary protest. To be clear: in this conflict, I will always side with the caregivers of the disabled and the disabled people themselves – regardless of who is in power. That is why I am glad that for the first time perhaps since the 1990s, the public is hearing so much about these people's problems. For the first time in a very long time, and not incidentally during collections for major media foundations, in programs with high viewership, someone is talking so much about the life, social, and economic barriers faced by disabled people." http://m.niezalezna.pl/225581-polityka-nakolkach

-- LET'S TALK ABOUT WORKING HOURS, NOT ABOUT KACZYŃSKI-THE-DICTATOR - Jakub Majmurek: "The civic initiative to shorten working hours is an opportunity to open a serious discussion about work in Poland, which, I feel, we have never had in earnest since '89. That is why I will sign the Razem party's bill, and I encourage you to do the same. Even if you have doubts about the details, it's worth forcing the Sejm, after thousands of hours of debating nothing, calling each other 'scum' and 'Kaczyński-dictators,' to finally engage in strategic reflection on something truly important for the future of us all."

-- MAJMUREK ON THE LIBERALS' LATEST THESES: "The British were warned that a ban on child labor would lead the economy to ruin. And it took off. Today, we are warned in the same way that shortening the workday to seven hours will plunge the world into crisis. It will be the opposite." https://opinie.wp.pl/lepiej-zeby-poslowie-rozmawiali-o-skroceniu-tygodnia-pracy-niz-kaczorze-dyktatorze-6253095022184065a

-- MACIEJ GDULA ON SHOWING POLAND AFTER PIS - says GW: "They cannot imagine Poland after elections where Kaczyński loses. That's why we need to help them see it. But not by treating them as enemies, but as partners with different views. No one expects them to stick to their views for their entire lives." http://wyborcza.pl/magazyn/7,124059,23416261,pis-nie-wyobraza-sobie-polski-po-wyborach-w-ktorych.html

-- KOMOROWSKI ON PAD'S VISIT TO THE USA AS AN EXAMPLE OF "STANDING UP FROM ONE'S KNEES": "– We are now seeing the practical dimension of standing up from one's knees by observing President Duda's visit to the United States, during which his partners are the mayor of Jersey City and the governor of Illinois – says former president Bronisław Komorowski in an interview with 'Newsweek.' During the five-day visit of President Andrzej Duda to the USA, there will be no meeting with any significant American politician." http://m.newsweek.pl/polska/polityka/bronislaw-komorowski-dla-newsweeka-praktycznym-wyrazem-wstawania-z-kolan-jest-wizyta-dudy-w-usa,artykuly,427406,1.html#tw=nw

-- WE DIDN'T SEE THEM, WE DIDN'T HEAR THEM - Aleksandra Klich in GW: "The arrears are significant; the blame rests on all governments since 1989, including the last one. And it burdens our consciences, including ours, the journalists, who did not demand rights for the disabled patiently, effectively, and loudly enough. The end of relying solely on ourselves and on someone's good will. A state that has money for shooting ranges must find it for the weaker, lonely, and suffering. Throwing meager pennies, which are barely enough to survive, is simply cruel." http://www.wysokieobcasy.pl/wysokie-obcasy/7,100865,23419065,niepelnosprawni-wlasnie-wyszli-z-klatek-w-ktorych-ich-zamknelismy.html

-- JANINA OCHOJSKA ON NOT TAKING SIDES - says GW: "And what was she supposed to be afraid of? I have never done anything wrong to any government. I am not taking sides. My concern is the good of Poland and society. It so happens that a part of it is not treated fairly. I couldn't remain indifferent. I am a public figure; it is expected of me to speak out on matters I know about. After all, disability is also my experience." http://www.wysokieobcasy.pl/wysokie-obcasy/7,115167,23418022,janina-ochojska-mialam-drewniane-kule-gorset-zelazny.html

-- RAFAŁ DUDKIEWICZ ON THE PILGRIMAGE FROM OVIEDO TO SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA AND THE DECISION ABOUT THE FUTURE - says in an interview with KL: "For several very important reasons, I am extending the moment when I will reflect on this. The most important of these is that I want to dedicate myself to the matters of the city as much as possible until the end of October. And the second reason is that I want to see what opportunities life will bring. I have the experience that whenever I made a similar change, interesting offers appeared. But in the summer, my wife and I will walk from Oviedo to Santiago de Compostela. We have decided that during this march, we will decide what's next. For now, however, Wrocław is dominant." https://kulturaliberalna.pl/2018/05/18/rafal-dutkiewicz-wywiad-wroclaw-polityka-przyszlosc/

-- FAKT ON JAROSŁAW KACZYŃSKI'S KNEE: "Earlier, it was said that Kaczyński, who has long suffered from knee pain, was awaiting arthroscopy. According to information from Fakt, a knee joint replacement is now being considered! And this is a serious operation, which – before it is performed – requires stabilizing the patient's health condition."

-- FAKT ON KACZYŃSKI'S HOSPITAL LEAVE: "Jarosław Kaczyński plans to use a leave of absence once more. – Everything, however, depends on the doctors' decision. This may happen any day now – we hear. Because for the party leader, health is health, but politics is the most important thing. Next Wednesday, a meeting of the PiS Political Committee is scheduled, which should approve candidates for local government elections. Will the leader preside over this meeting? Some in the party claim it is possible." https://www.fakt.pl/wydarzenia/polityka/prezesa-pis-czeka-powazna-operacja/h86vt92

-- SE ON JK'S KNEE INFECTION: "Why such a long hospital stay? As we have established, the leader is awaiting knee surgery, but in the meantime, he must also contend with a bacterial infection. – And these bacteria most likely caused the inflammation of the knee. The situation is serious, although everything is under control. The leader is awaiting surgery, which will restore him to health. Afterwards, he will also face rehabilitation, and in total, the leader may be out of normal functioning for up to six months – an informant tells us." http://www.se.pl/wiadomosci/polityka/wiemy-dlaczego-jaroslaw-kaczynski-trafil-do-szpitala-paskunda-choroba_1054873.html

-- THE PRESIDENT INVITED ADAM NAWAŁKA AND THE POLISH NATIONAL TEAM FOOTBALLERS TO HIS SUMMER RESIDENCE: https://www.przegladsportowy.pl/pilka-nozna/reprezentacja-polski/andrzej-duda-prezydent-rp-zaprosil-selekcjonera-adama-nawalke-i-pilkarzy/s69pynd

-- GPC ON ORLEN'S PRICING POLICY: "Throughout the year, Brent crude oil prices rose by as much as 61%, while at Orlen stations, gasoline prices increased by only 11%. This is thanks to the company's management doing everything to keep prices at the lowest possible level." https://gpcodziennie.pl/89857-ropadrozejebenzynarowniez.html

-- BIRTHDAYS: Krzysztof Tchórzewski, Marcin Król, Marta Fogler, Robert Tekieli, SUNDAY: Aleksander Hall, Katarzyna Mrzygłocka, Marzena Okła-Drewnowicz, Robert Smoleń, Magdalena Sobkowiak, Cezary Krysztopa.