-- PATRYK JAKI HANDED A CHAIR TO A MAN DISRUPTING HIS OPEN MEETING: https://twitter.com/DariuszSmo/status/1004599777424826370

-- WILL YOU SUPPORT 500+ OR WILL YOU RESTORE THE PREVIOUS RETIREMENT AGE - FRAGMENT OF PMM'S SPEECH: https://twitter.com/pikus_pol/status/1004393619443331072?s=12

-- POLISH DIASPORA STUDENTS AT THE PRESIDENTIAL PALACE: http://www.prezydent.pl/pierwsza-dama/aktywnosc/art,423,polonijni-uczniowie-z-usa-u-agaty-kornhauser-dudy.html

-- GOVERNMENT TO ADD TO PENSIONERS' POCKETS - FRONT PAGE OF GW: “Even before the autumn local government elections, the government wants to give seniors more money. We are talking about a thirteenth pension or additional payments ranging from PLN 100 to PLN 500. PiS is also considering exempting pensioners from PIT.” http://wyborcza.biz/biznes/7,147880,23497215,rzad-sypnie-emerytom-do-kieszeni-specjalne-dodatki-jeszcze.html

-- THE MEASURE OF LIBERAL DEMOCRACY IS NOT THE INDEPENDENCE OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL TRIBUNAL BUT THE ABILITY TO CARE FOR THE WEAKEST MINORITY - BARTŁOMIEJ SIENKIEWICZ IN TYGODNIK POWSZECHNY: “And here the narrative collapses, that liberal democracies are those that care for minorities and the weaker even against the majority, and therefore have various institutions independent of power. The liberal-democratic system understood in this way has not arrived on the Vistula. The measure of this system, I dare say, is not the issue of the Constitutional Tribunal's independence, but the majority's ability to care for the minority, and specifically the minority of the weakest. This is not just an accusation within one's own backyard. This type of politics, where after winning elections there is only room for goals that support the ruling party, has been consistently built by both the right and the left, and the liberals.”

-- LECH WAŁĘSA - A PICTURE OF THE FALL OF OUR HEROES - SIENKIEWICZ ALSO SPEAKS ABOUT DISAPPOINTMENT WITH THE EPISCOPATE: “One of the bishops, invariably kind to the right, considered it a political matter from the outset, another took the trouble to visit the site, only to finally assure that he would recommend prayer for the disabled to a contemplative monastery in Warsaw. As if there were no stronger plea for prayer in the world than a mother's for her child's health and life. A hundred convents are not worth one such prayer. Congratulations to the bishop for his empathy. In the end, there was also Lech Wałęsa, like a picture of the fall of our heroes, a sad testament to a mixture of egoism and helplessness.”

-- SOMEONE MUST FINALLY TRY TO BREAK THE CLENCH OF TOTAL OPPOSITION AND GOOD CHANGE OVER DEAD BODIES - SIENKIEWICZ'S CONCLUSION: “Someone must finally try to break this clinch of 'total opposition' and 'good change over dead bodies.' If they continue, they will destroy the best things we received from previous generations and what we have developed over the last three decades. I write this with full awareness of my own involvement, my own presence in politics. I will not pretend to be an unengaged observer, I have my own sins. But precisely because of this, having participated, I do not agree to the continuation of what is bad and indifference to what is even worse. If we do not believe that 'there are more people of goodwill,' as Niemen sang, we will never escape this vicious circle. And I am ready to accept any mockery, accusations of naivety, or simple hate, as long as I find like-minded and like-feeling people.” https://www.tygodnikpowszechny.pl/nieludzka-polityka-153294

-- LESS "MAN FROM EXCEL" AND MORE "FULL-BLOODED POLITICIAN" - Marcin Fijołek: “Wednesday's debate on the no-confidence vote against Deputy Prime Minister Beata Szydło, and above all, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki's speech, is further proof that the head of government is gaining political flair. There is less and less of the 'man from Excel' and 'man of algorithms,' as he was maliciously called, and more and more of a full-blooded politician, who is becoming a strong asset for United Right.”

-- MORAWIECKI COULD PROVE TO BE A BULLSEYE - FIJOŁEK'S CONCLUSION: “However, the real test of Mateusz Morawiecki's political skills and capabilities will be election campaigns – both in terms of meetings with voters (including those unfavorable) and during television studio debates, and in creating a political narrative around which the political game will revolve. The Prime Minister's recent speeches show that the potential within this politician is quite good. If the aforementioned evolution continues, Mateusz Morawiecki could prove to be Jarosław Kaczyński's political bullseye.” https://wpolityce.pl/m/polityka/397525-w-premierze-morawieckim-coraz-mniej-czlowieka-z-excela-a-coraz-wiecej-pelnokrwistego-polityka-to-ciekawa-ewolucja

-- YOU CAN'T TURN TURBOLIBERALS INTO SOLIDARISTS IN A FEW WEEKS - JACEK KARNOWSKI: “But the Sejm has already been painted, and the ruling camp has pulled itself together a bit and started doing what it should have been doing from the beginning. That is, it started to counter-attack, focusing mainly on the opposition's lack of credibility in the social sphere. Because this credibility is truly zero, and perhaps even negative. Of course, the memory of any government eventually fades from people's minds, and parties eventually get a chance for a new start, but when it comes to fundamental issues like social sensitivity and pro-family policy, you can't turn turbo-liberals into solidarists within a few months. It takes at least two, and perhaps even three terms, for Civic Platform to credibly raise the banner of pro-social policy.” https://wpolityce.pl/m/polityka/397548-premier-powiedzial-dzis-opozycji-dobitnie-i-jasno-na-polu-wrazliwosci-spolecznej-z-rzadem-pis-jeszcze-dlugo-nie-wygracie

-- PROTEST AT UW IS AN ATTEMPT TO STOP NECESSARY CHANGES - TOMASZ KAMIŃSKI IN LIBERTE DEFENDS GOWIN'S REFORM: “I cannot sympathize with the strike organized at the University of Warsaw against Jarosław Gowin's reform of science. In the protest, I see a desire to stop necessary changes at Polish universities. First and foremost, the introduction of mechanisms for greater competition between universities and scholars. And it's not about turning universities into corporations or about places in rankings, but about ensuring their participation in world science.”

-- KAMIŃSKI IN LIBERTE USING THE EXAMPLE OF KLEMENTYNA SUCHANOW'S SCIENTIFIC WORKS: “The strangest thing is that among the protest leaders are also outstanding scholars, such as Klementyna Suchanow, the author of a monumental, brilliantly written and documented biography of Witold Gombrowicz. She defends a system where three average scientific articles written in a few days could give their author more 'points' than her work, which is the result of many years of research. Perhaps she simply belongs to that, probably not small, group of people who distrust the current government so much that they are against all its proposals by default?” https://liberte.pl/protest-uw/

-- STANISZKIS REGRETS MACIEREWICZ'S DEPARTURE - IN AN INTERVIEW WITH WP: “I don't know anything about that. But I myself regret Antoni Macierewicz's resignation. He was – contrary to rumors – an independent, patriotic man. He expressed this by acting in opposition. There are few people in Law and Justice who have such merits. Possibly someone from that generation was in some third rank. That's why he was sidelined, because he was independent, in some sense outstanding. PiS lacks such people. And it lacks competent people.”

-- A BAD OMEN IF KACZYŃSKI LEFT POLITICS - STANISZKIS: “The younger generation is not a generation of competent people, but of sycophants. This is a bad omen for me. If Jarosław were to be ill for longer or go into retirement – because he is internally worn out, this politics must be tiring him – I don't know what the future of PiS would be.” https://wiadomosci.wp.pl/pis-bez-prezesa-jadwiga-staniszkis-dla-wp-odejscie-jaroslawa-kaczynskiego-z-polityki-byloby-ulga-6259532526798977a

-- ONET ON WOJCIECHOWICZ'S PRE-CAMPAIGN - WHAT'S WITH THE MYSTERIOUS BILLBOARDS: “It turns out that the question 'What do you know about Bankowy?' refers to… Plac Bankowy, the location of the city hall in Warsaw. As we have unofficially established, the billboards are the beginning of the promotion of a book by Jacek Wojciechowicz, former deputy mayor of Warsaw, now a candidate for mayor. The publication will be released in July. The book is to be titled 'Ask Wojciechowicz – Behind the Scenes of Warsaw City Hall.' According to our information, the former deputy mayor intends to discuss what happened in the office, not shying away from spicy details. He will also reveal the full truth about his dismissal.” https://warszawa.onet.pl/co-wy-wiecie-o-bankowym-tajemnicze-billboardy-w-stolicy/8vqfg91

-- EWA SIEDLECKA ON THE SIGNIFICANCE OF PUBLISHING CONSTITUTIONAL TRIBUNAL RULINGS: “The political and legal significance of the publication of these three latest rulings of the Tribunal from 2016 may be that if Prime Ministers Szydło and Morawiecki ever stand before the State Tribunal, it will be more difficult for them to successfully face the charge of not publishing the rulings of the Constitutional Tribunal. From the perspective of the constitutional responsibility of President Andrzej Duda, the two rulings of the Constitutional Tribunal concerning substitutes, published at the beginning of 2016, are crucial: they imposed an obligation on the president to swear in properly elected judges, which he has not yet fulfilled.” https://www.polityka.pl/tygodnikpolityka/kraj/1751432,1,zwyciestwo-obroncow-praworzadnosci-czy-fakt-bez-znaczenia.read

-- JOANNA SOLSKA ON HOW PIS SOCIAL POLICY DISCOURAGES PEOPLE FROM WORKING: “Why is the side effect of this policy discouraging families, especially women, from limiting their professional activity, while the economy is starting to falter from a lack of workers? Can a policy that discourages work be considered appropriate? And one whose consequence in the future will be starvation pensions for women?” https://www.polityka.pl/tygodnikpolityka/kraj/1751434,1,niespoleczna-polityka-pis.read

-- TIMMERMANS IS GOING TO POLAND AGAIN - Jędrzej Bielecki in RZ: “The Vice-President of the European Commission is visiting Poland in the coming weeks – 'Rzeczpospolita' has learned unofficially. He will discuss further possible concessions in the rule of law procedure conducted by the EC.” http://www.rp.pl/Unia-Europejska/306069928-Timmermans-znowu-odwiedzi-Warszawe.html

-- HOW THE RIGHT CO-OPTED THE LEFT - Piotr Wójcik in GPC: “Almost all recently triumphant right-wing parties and environments refer to traditional left-wing themes and postulates. PiS is no exception here, and the League and the Five Star Movement, forming the Italian government, are another example of this.”

-- APART FROM PIS, THE NEW RIGHT-WING WAVE IS PRO-RUSSIAN - WÓJCIK CONTINUES: “Apart from PiS, the vast majority of the new wave European right-wing is pro-Russian, e.g., Hungary's Fidesz. Thus, the triumphs of the new right-wing are not necessarily beneficial for Poland. However, despite these differences, a common feature is visible – all these circles successfully utilize some ideas and postulates of the traditional left.” https://gpcodziennie.pl/91159-jakprawicaprzechwycilalewice.html

-- POLITICAL CRITICISM IS PLAYING FOR TRZASKOWSKI, WHICH DISPLEASES HOUSING MOVEMENTS - Krzysztof Wołodźko in GPC: “'KP' also provides interesting examples of subtle but firm maneuvering for Rafał Trzaskowski, the Civic Platform's candidate for mayor of Warsaw, which do not escape the attention of the housing movement. In March 2018, a wave of indignation among people well-oriented in the realities of reprivatization was stirred by this politician's participation in the cyclical program 'Przy kawie o sprawie' (Over coffee about the matter), broadcast as part of 'KP's' online offering. The satirical program was intended by the editorial staff to promote and warm up Rafał Trzaskowski among left-leaning liberals and feminist circles. The host of the program was Agata Diduszko-Zyglewska, and the interviewees were: co-founder of 'KP' Agata Szczęśniak, Agnieszka Graff, a friend of this environment, sociologist Elżbieta Korolczuk, and columnist Paulina Młynarska. Mr. Rafał played the role of an intern in the program who hands a glass of water. As you can easily guess, Trzaskowski was not plucked from the street. It's product placement – unobtrusive, but a clear signal to the left-wing electorate who is actually 'one of us.'” https://gpcodziennie.pl/91160-trzaskowskiilewicaktozagranakandydatapo.html

-- BARSKI BEING PREPARED FOR HIGH POSITIONS, PERHAPS EVEN IN THE SUPREME COURT - Ewa Ivanowa in GW: “At the highest levels of the prosecution service, important personnel changes are quietly taking place. The influence of Łódź prosecutor Dariusz Barski and people associated with him is growing. It is said that Barski is being prepared for high positions, perhaps even in the Supreme Court.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,23503920,byl-swiadkiem-na-slubie-ziobry-teraz-jest-jego-doradca-dariusz.html

-- SAVED A QUARTER OF A MILLION IN A YEAR - FRONT PAGE OF FAKT ABOUT GERSDORF: “The past year was probably the last full one that Judge Prof. Małgorzata Gersdorf (66) would end in the rank of First President of the Supreme Court. It was a year of struggle with the executive branch regarding the independence of the judiciary, but also a year in which the judge's bank account was flourishing.” https://www.fakt.pl/wydarzenia/polityka/gersdorf-w-rok-odlozyla-cwierc-miliona/n6258pc

-- JANINA GOSS VISITS KACZYŃSKI - Fakt: https://www.fakt.pl/wydarzenia/polityka/janina-goss-odwiedzila-jaroslawa-kaczynskiego-w-szpitalu/7f6d5br

-- HALF A BILLION FOR THE REPOLONIZATION OF THE KASPROWY CABLE CAR - GW: “PLN 524 million – for this amount, the Luxembourg-based company Altura can sell Polish Cable Car Lines with wagons to Kasprowy Wierch. PiS is looking for this money to fulfill its election promise of returning the cable car to Polish hands.” http://krakow.wyborcza.pl/krakow/7,44425,23504638,tatry-pis-szuka-pol-miliarda-za-kolejke-na-kasprowy.html

-- BIRTHDAYS: Leszek Moczulski, Robert Tyszkiewicz, Lidia Staroń, Jan Rzymełka, Andrzej Melak, Wojciech Lamentowicz, Andrzej Grzyb, Jerzy Miller.