-- JOACHIM BRUDZIŃSKI CUTS SPECULATION ABOUT JK'S HEALTH: Kaczyński indeed has a knee problem. Eminent orthopedists are working on it, but he's not planning to retire from politics https://300polityka.pl/live/2018/05/23/#post-387417

-- LOCAL ELECTIONS IN SPRING? - as Paweł Wroński writes in Gazeta Wyborcza: “The election code needs to be amended quickly, or the autumn local elections need to be moved to spring,” claims Andrzej Maciejewski, head of the Sejm committee on local government. The National Electoral Commission (PKW) admits that changes to the law are necessary. (...) – Local government officials constantly call me, observing the growing chaos in election organization with horror – Andrzej Maciejewski (Kukiz'15) tells “Wyborcza”. – They ask on what basis they should provide rooms and equipment to election officials and how they are supposed to gather two commissions when there were no volunteers for one in the last elections.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,23438397,wybory-dopiero-wiosna.html

-- PRIME MINISTER JAN OLSZEWSKI ON WAŁĘSA'S INTELLECTUAL AND MORAL DEGENERATION: “Yes. The press writes about it because it's funny and makes an impression on the audience, admittedly rather in a humorous vein. It's really not worth paying so much attention to it. It's sad that despite everything, this man once played, perhaps unwittingly, but an important role in our history and is part of the life story of Poles involved in ‘Solidarity’. It's sad that today we are witnessing his intellectual and moral degeneration.”

-- JAN OLSZEWSKI ON WAŁĘSA'S 1980s REMINISCENCES: “Well… I assess Wałęsa's entire speech as typical of his style. He clearly came to the conclusion that it would be loud and have a general echo. And he wasn't mistaken. To tell the truth, it looked quite pathetic. Telling people that miners should support them is some kind of reminiscence from the 80s…” https://wpolityce.pl/polityka/395395-nasz-wywiad-jan-olszewski-odpowiada-lechowi-walesie-to-smutne-ze-dzis-ogladamy-jego-degrengolade-myslowa-i-moralna

-- ŁUKASZ PAWŁOWSKI FROM KULTURA LIBERALNA ASKS WHERE IS THE SHADOW MINISTER OF SOCIAL AFFAIRS FROM PO'S CABINET: “Therefore, instead of forcefully fitting the protesters into the fight for democracy, opposition parties should do something they have usually failed to do so far – propose a transparent, simple package of solutions for disabled people, which they will implement after regaining power. A package that includes not only a 500 PLN supplement, but also other demands voiced by disabled people and their caregivers for years – for example, abolishing the complete ban on work for parents receiving care benefits or expanding access to day care for people with disabilities. This should be presented by, among others, the minister of family, labor, and social policy in PO's shadow cabinet. This role is held by Senator Jarosław Duda – has anyone heard this name in the context of the Sejm protest?” https://kulturaliberalna.pl/2018/05/22/niepelnosprawni-sejm-protest-opozycja-populizm-pawlowski/

-- WE HAVE A FATAL SYSTEM FOR DETERMINING DISABILITY - Adam Bodnar in conversation with Kultura Liberalna: “Firstly, political no pasaran, because we don't know the further consequences of potential concessions. Secondly, it's difficult to calculate the costs of implementing the first demand (i.e., 500 PLN for every disabled person who is not capable of independent existence). Why? Because we have a fatal system for determining disability – for pension and non-pension purposes. Therefore, the disability determination system should be reformed quickly. This is possible, and there are relevant draft solutions prepared by non-governmental organizations. But this would also disrupt the current system and could cause further difficulties. However, I have the impression that without a political decision on this very reform of disability determination, it will not be possible to move forward.”

-- IF A PROBLEM HAS A FACE, THERE IS NO GOING BACK FROM CHANGES - Bodnar continues in KL: “When you listen to all these stories, you see the helplessness of the state, then it's harder to be surprised by the radicalism of people who have decided on such a form of protest, and at the same time their sacrifices for the rights of others in similar situations. The stance of the protesters earns my deep respect, because the problem – unnoticed by political elites until now – now has the face of Mrs. Iwona, Mr. Adrian, Mr. Kuba, and other protesters. They have become symbols of the fight for their own rights and dignity. And history shows that when a problem has a face, there is no going back from changes.” https://kulturaliberalna.pl/2018/05/22/wywiad-bodnar-osoby-z-niepelnosprawnosciami/

-- TRZASKOWSKI'S MEETING WITH VAN ROMPUY AND WITH RESIDENTS OF POZNAŃ AS MEETINGS WITH WARSAW RESIDENTS - TVN WARSAW: “I have already held nearly 80 meetings with Warsaw residents and I know exactly what concerns them – said Rafał Trzaskowski on TVN24 on April 26. Five days later, also on our channel, the Civic Platform politician again spoke about his meetings with Warsaw residents, emphasizing that he had held “over a hundred” of them. Where did this number come from? Why did it change so quickly? This issue interested us to such an extent that we asked the candidate's campaign for details. We requested a list of meetings with residents, setting April 30 as the deadline. The list we received shows that there were actually only 76. The first two were to take place on January 10, the last – on March 3. The list indeed includes at least one open meeting with residents from each district. In Śródmieście and Praga Południe, there were even three, and in Targówek and Żoliborz – two each. However, it is surprising how broadly “meeting with Warsaw residents” can be interpreted. The list includes items such as “meeting with the journalistic community,” “public debate with Herman van Rompuy,” “meeting with a representative of Magazyn Miasta,” “debate on women's rights,” and even a meeting with residents of… Poznań.” https://tvnwarszawa.tvn24.pl/informacje,news,prekampania-plus-jaki-ma-komisje-brtrzaskowski-wsparcie-burmistrzow,260783.html

-- SE ON POSSIBLE RECONSTRUCTION: “Minister of Energy Krzysztof Tchórzewski (68), head of the Ministry of Education Anna Zalewska (53), Minister of Agriculture Krzysztof Jurgiel (65), and coordinator of special services Mariusz Kamiński (53) – Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki (50) is to demand the resignation of these ministers from Jarosław Kaczyński (69). Will the PiS leader sacrifice the mentioned politicians?” http://www.se.pl/wiadomosci/polityka/morawiecki-robi-porzadki-w-rzadzie_1055396.html

-- ORLEN MANAGEMENT BOARD MEMBER ZBIGNIEW LESZCZYŃSKI ON THE GOVERNMENT'S POLICY (according to SE): “From the perspective of fuel supply security, it is a better solution when a transport company is owned by PKN Orlen. Therefore, it is difficult for me to positively assess the management board's decisions from the PO-PSL era to divest it. It is very good that the sale of the railway company KolTrans has been halted. We are also introducing other changes. We are increasing the sale of Polish products at Orlen stations.”

-- ON POLONIZATION OF PRODUCTS AVAILABLE AT ORLEN: “Since President Daniel Obajtek took over the management of Orlen, the polonization of the offer at stations has accelerated. During the PO-PSL government, it was less than 20% of products. Now we have managed to reach 50%. The target is around 80%.” http://www.se.pl/wiadomosci/opinie/zbigniew-leszczynski-za-rzadow-po-nie-byo-woli-by-likwidowac-szara-strefe_1055408.html

-- BOYCOTT OF TVP IS A MISTAKE - Dominika Wielowieyska in Gazeta Wyborcza: “We must not concede this fight by walkover, and a boycott is exactly that. It is time for opposition politicians to fight together to restore at least a shadow of rationality and decency to TVP. And their united action can be effective. The alternative is arguments within the opposition, which will confirm Jacek Kurski's belief that he has divided the opposition and achieved success.”

-- WIELOWIEYSKA ON RACHOŃ: “Michał Rachoń, formally a former PiS activist and former spokesperson for this party in Sopot, and unofficially still an activist of this party, cannot be called a journalist. Therefore, the decision to boycott his program is justified. Just as there are arguments for refusing to visit the ministry of propaganda.”

-- HOW MICHAŁ RACHOŃ CHANGED JOURNALISM - weekly Gazeta Polska: “Michał Rachoń's journalistic style revolutionized Polish television journalism. Previously, a tendency dominated where the host avoided talking about what was most important, for fear of being accused of bias or lack of culture.” https://gpcodziennie.pl/90068-jakmichalrachonzmienilpolskiedziennikarstwo.html

-- MAREK BEYLIN ON PiS'S FEAR - writes in Gazeta Wyborcza: “Therefore, PiS is ruled today by fear, the master of political stupidity, and helplessness, the mother of vindictiveness. Stupid fear caused the Speaker of the Sejm to deny symbolic figures – Janina Ochojska and Wanda Traczyk-Stawska – the opportunity to meet with protesters. However, standing in front of the Sejm, they mobilize more sympathy for the protesters than if they had spoken with them inside the building.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,23438577,prawo-i-sprawiedliwosc-zaczelo-trzasc-portkami-ze-strachu.html

-- JAKI AND GUZIAŁ SAVE THE NIGHT MARKET - Gazeta Wyborcza: “The organizers and councilor Piotr Guział approached me with a request for help, so I decided to act – said Patryk Jaki, PiS candidate for mayor of Warsaw, announcing that it was after his intervention that the deputy minister of infrastructure ordered the railway workers to allow the Night Market to be organized for another year at the Warszawa Główna station.” http://warszawa.wyborcza.pl/warszawa/7,54420,23437210,kto-wskrzesil-nocny-market-piotr-guzial-i-patryk-jaki-twierdza.html

-- BIRTHDAYS: Adam Hofman, Michał Samul, Dorota Janowicz, Marek Wikiński, Marta Kielczyk, Grzegorz Sztolcman, Jarosław Sulikowski, Hanna Foltyn-Kubicka.