-- ILLEGAL DUMP IN THE CITY CENTER - Front Page of Gazeta Stołeczna: “1,500 tons of garbage lie at an illegal dump 2 km from the Old Town. The owner is not deterred by million-zloty fines, and the city hall is wondering who will clean up this mess.” http://warszawa.wyborcza.pl/warszawa/7,54420,23717396,1-5-tys-ton-smieci-na-nielegalnym-wysypisku-w-srodku-miasta.html

-- RIFT IN THE PIS CLUB PREVENTED INCREASED FINES FOR MPS - 300POLITYKA: “Last week, at the final session before the summer break, PiS proposed changes leading to a radical tightening of the Sejm's rules. However, the amendments ultimately did not pass because 22 MPs defected from the PiS club – including Henryk Kowalczyk and Janusz Śniadek – who voted against, alongside the opposition.” https://300polityka.pl/news/2018/07/26/rozlam-w-sejmowym-klubie-pis-zablokowal-zaostrzenie-kar-dla-poslow/

-- 300LIVE: BUDKA: PIS SHOWED PAD WHERE HE BELONGS: https://300polityka.pl/live/2018/07/26/

-- TOUGHER POLICE ACTION WOULD BE SUICIDAL FOR PIS - JACEK KARNOWSKI: “Any tougher police action would, however, be extremely dangerous, even outright suicidal, from the perspective of the ruling camp. In Polish conditions, whether we like it or not, almost every major commotion is debited to the government. Regardless of who is actually at fault, who is the aggressor. This is how the vast majority of voters perceive it. Added to this is the feeling that daily life's peace is being disturbed again, and that the public also blames the government for this. Because they are not managing, because they are clearly doing something wrong. In public perception, these are images sketched with a very thick line.”

-- EVERY ESCALATION AND INCIDENT SERVES THE OPPOSITION - KARNOWSKI'S CONCLUSION: “What conclusions should the ruling camp draw? Firstly, law enforcement should continue to behave with restraint. Every escalation, every incident, serves the opposition. Secondly, from the government's perspective, the sooner the justice system reform is completed, the better. In this case, haste is more than justified.” https://wpolityce.pl/polityka/405316-policja-powinna-dzialac-ostrzej-to-kurs-na-samobojstwo-pis

-- JAKI MADE A GOOD IMPRESSION FROM THE START - Newsweek reports on Jaki's meeting with voters: “Jaki made a good impression from the start. When the district councilor of Wilanów, Anna Drewniak, announced that questions to the minister would only be allowed to be asked on paper, Patryk Jaki reacted quickly: – Ladies and gentlemen, of course, no paper is needed. Let's talk directly – he encouraged.”

-- JAKI TALKS ABOUT DEVELOPER GOVERNMENTS AT MEETINGS: “– Do you know how many apartments are built annually by the city of Warsaw? – Jaki asked the residents. – 280! Why so few? What's going on here? Is it because there's a shortage of architects in Warsaw? – he flooded the audience with questions. Finally, he explained: – To answer this question, we need to ask another: whose interest is it for the city not to build apartments? The audience answered in one voice: – The developers!”

-- JAKI ON THE CITY GUARD: “– Do you know how much of your tax money goes to the City Guard annually? – the deputy minister inquired. – 130 million PLN! – he announced. And he stated that if he wins the duel with Rafał Trzaskowski, city guardsmen will focus on patrolling parks, streets, schools, and kindergartens. – The City Guard must start ensuring safety, not chasing drivers who can't park their cars anyway – Jaki said.” http://m.newsweek.pl/polska/polityka/patryk-jaki-kampania-wyborcza-na-prezydenta-warszawy,artykuly,430512,1.html

-- TVN WARSZAWA ANALYZES JAKI'S PROPOSALS FOR METRO EXPANSION: THE CENTER MAKES SENSE, FURTHER OUT LESS SO:https://tvnwarszawa.tvn24.pl/informacje,news,metro-wedlug-jakiego-centrum-brz-sensem-dalej-troche-mniej,267512.html

-- OSKAR HEJKA ON AN ATOMIC COPY FOR WARSAW IF JAKI WINS:https://twitter.com/wpolscepl/status/1022176548445675521?s=12

-- ŚPIEWAK POSITIVELY SURPRISED - JAROSŁAW OSOWSKI IN STOŁECZNA:“For a change, Jan Śpiewak positively surprised yesterday as the first politician who rightly noted that 'Warsaw residents don't live by the metro alone.' The candidate for the left-wing coalition Wygra Warszawa, formed with Partia Razem, Inicjatywa Polska by Barbara Nowacka, and Zieloni, announced in front of Galeria Mokotów that he would present proposals for new tram routes in subsequent districts.” http://warszawa.wyborcza.pl/warszawa/7,54420,23717456,festiwal-obietnic-wyborczych-spiewka-o-metrze-i-tramwajach.html

-- THE LIBERAL CENTER IS LEARNING WHAT IT MEANS TO BE POWERLESS - JAKUB MAJMUREK in KP: “Part of the liberal public opinion seems genuinely surprised and horrified that in a democratic state, the police treat peaceful demonstrators in this manner. Unfortunately, such police behavior is nothing new in the Third Republic. The brutality of uniformed officers did not begin or even escalate significantly after Mariusz Błaszczak, and later Joachim Brudziński, took charge of the Ministry of Interior. The fact that the Polish police are not always 'Caring Bears' providing citizens with help and security has long been known to many groups in Poland: anarchists blocking evictions; trade unionists against whom forces armed with smoothbore weapons were sent; people from lower social classes who fall victim to violence and torture at police stations.”

-- THE INTELLIGENTSIA DENIED THE BRUTALITY OF THE POLICE FROM THEIR CONSCIOUSNESS BECAUSE IT AFFECTED WEAKER GROUPS - MAJMUREK continues: “The liberal intelligentsia could have denied awareness of all these events for a simple reason: they affected people outside their social world. Young men from the lumpenproletariat were beaten at police stations, often factually connected to the criminal underworld to varying degrees; the police brutally handled, at times, genuinely aggressive demonstrations of heavy industry workers or farmers – groups that were for a long time portrayed as 'entitled,' 'anachronistic,' and standing in the way of modernization. When only such groups were victims, it was easy to rationalize and deny the corresponding violence, as something that doesn't concern us and never will.”

-- FOR MANY, THE BARRICADES, THOUGH INVISIBLE, HAVE BEEN IN FRONT OF THE SEJM FOR A LONG TIME - MAJMUREK'S CONCLUSION: “Thanks to Kaczyński and his allies, today everyone – except for the hard PiS electorate – has realized the barriers, guards, and barbed wire in front of the Sejm, the entire machinery separating power from the voice of citizens. For many of our compatriots, these barriers, though invisible to us, have been in front of the Sejm for a long time. Either we will now collectively think about how to remove all barriers from in front of the Sejm – including those previously invisible to the liberal public opinion – or those erected by PiS will remain there for a long time.” http://krytykapolityczna.pl/kraj/liberalne-centrum-uczy-sie-co-znaczy-byc-bezsilnym/

-- THE LOUDER THE LEGAL ELITE PROTESTS, THE MORE CREDIBILITY THEY GIVE TO THE "PiS REFORM" - LESZEK JAŻDŻEWSKI: “I fear that in a situation where protesting judges are placed on one side, and radical change on the other, people may support the change, even if it means politicians interfering in the judiciary. People's sympathy is not with the judges or the bar. I suspect that the louder the legal elite protests, the more credibility they lend to the PiS 'reform.' 'Finally, someone has dealt with them' – this thinking is gaining supporters even among people with moderate views. Perhaps not regarding the Supreme Court, but for example, the reprivatization in Warsaw has done a lot to discredit those involved in it. Not only politicians and officials, but also lawyers and judges who issued rulings in this case.” https://jazdzewski.blog.polityka.pl/2018/07/25/dlaczego-nie-udalo-sie-obronic-sadow/

-- FORMER PARLIAMENTARIANS AGAINST THE SUPREME COURT AMENDMENT - EWA SIEDLECKA: “During the Senate debate on the new law, Jan Król, Krzysztof Król, Joanna Staręga-Piasek, and Henryk Wujec, along with PO senators, stood in the Senate corridor with a banner saying 'Constitution.' Andrzej Kostarczyk, Jan Lityński, and Jacek Szymanderski wanted to join them, but were not allowed in by the Marshal's Guard.” https://siedlecka.blog.polityka.pl/2018/07/25/byli-parlamentarzysci-polska-blizej-krajow-autorytarnych/

-- SIEDLECKA CRITICIZES THE COMPOSITION OF 3 SUPREME COURT JUDGES IN THE KAMIŃSKI CASE: “A trio of Supreme Court judges deserted the defense of this symbol a year ago by suspending proceedings. Now, symbolically, they have done so for the second time. The judges did not act unlawfully. They cannot be accused of violating any regulations. They simply acted opportunistically, avoiding the problem. For what reasons? Only they know. Perhaps they were afraid? Perhaps they decided the game wasn't worth the candle, as PiS would push it through anyway? Perhaps they thought it was necessary? But they will go down in history as those who could have resisted – even just symbolically – lawlessness, but did not.” https://siedlecka.blog.polityka.pl/2018/07/25/sedziowie-nie-stawili-oporu-bezprawiu/

-- ZUZANNA DĄBROWSKA ON THE DECLINE OF THE PRESIDENT'S POWER LIKE THE END OF AN EMPIRE - writes in RZ: “Formally, everything is handled during regular meetings of the party presidium, but negotiations with individual politicians and factions are taking up more and more time. And this is not the end of the troubles, because Zbigniew Ziobro, the Minister of Justice and leader of Solidarna Polska, is still showing great ambition. The president must also reckon with him, if only because of his relations with Father Rydzyk. – This situation is reminiscent of the decline of power of a great emperor, for example, Julius Caesar – believes one PiS politician close to the marshals' faction. – Everyone still feels respect, but they are already being lobbied in smaller groups – he adds.” http://www.rp.pl/Prawo-i-Sprawiedliwosc/307259908-Dabrowska-Schylek-wladzy-prezesa-jak-koniec-imperium.html&template=restricted

-- A NIP TUCK FOR THE PRESIDENT - headline in GW.

-- REFERENDUM KILLED IN THE SENATE - headline in DGP.

-- DUDA HUMILIATED, PAYS FOR PURSUING FRIVOLOUS POLITICS - Michał Szułdrzyński in RZ: “Duda has thus paid for pursuing frivolous politics. For not building a sensible political base. For not being able to decide whether he wanted to be a president liked by Poles or by Jarosław Kaczyński. At times, he tried to please the citizens, at other times the party leader, but in the long run, it was an attempt to mix water and fire. At times, he provoked PiS by vetoing laws, at other times he meekly signed even the most controversial regulations. As a result, his actions became increasingly unclear. Opponents of PiS already disliked him, and potential supporters had more and more complaints.” http://www.rp.pl/Komentarze/180729678-Szuldrzynski-PiS-upokarza-Dude-ratujac-mu-skore.html

-- AN EXAMPLE OF THE PRESIDENT'S INEFFECTIVENESS - MARCIN FIJOŁEK: “The president's referendum idea was a stark example of his political ineffectiveness. What, at least in theory, looked like an obvious opportunity to strengthen his position on the Polish political scene, brought the opposite of the expected effect. And the constitutional changes themselves? From the beginning, it was clear that the path to them would be winding, difficult, and bumpy. Because, of course, there's the draft of changes, the appropriate majority, etc. But that this idea would fail at the very first turn – the President certainly did not foresee this. And that is why he swallows a bitter pill today. Another thing is that PiS senators, with their decision, may have halted much more unfavorable trends for the entire United Right camp. Yet another matter is that we couldn't even find out if such trends would have occurred at all.” https://wpolityce.pl/m/polityka/405340-pomysl-na-referendum-byl-od-poczatku-gra-na-pozycji-spalonej

-- ANDRZEJ STANKIEWICZ: THE PRESIDENT IS RETURNING TO THE PIS FOLD: “The judicial laws, which once – after a brief rebellion – the president agreed to with Kaczyński, give the president decisive influence over the appointments to the Supreme Court. This creates the illusory impression that PiS needs Duda to take over this most important court in the country. The truth is, Duda needs PiS more. That is why he received the Senate vote with relief. And he will certainly not repeat the referendum proposal. The presidential elections are less than two years away. And Duda – apart from brandishing his saber during vetoes of judicial laws – has failed to build his own political environment for over half his term. Therefore, the closer it gets to the 2020 elections, the more dependent he will be on Kaczyński, PiS structures, and the party's purse.” https://wiadomosci.onet.pl/tylko-w-onecie/prezydent-wraca-na-lono-pis

-- RZ HEADLINE IN THE DAILY ON THE STATE TRIBUNAL BEING IN PLAY: “Taking over the position of chairman of the State Tribunal would certainly facilitate the possibility of eliminating designated politicians from public life. If this instrument is intentionally used against the opposition in the upcoming elections, the responsibility for this will also fall on Andrzej Duda. And history books will certainly not forget about it. Is he aware of this?” http://www.rp.pl/Komentarze/307259901-Chrabota-Trybunal-Stanu-w-grze.html

-- THE FALL OF PO WAS COMICAL, NOW IT'S BECOMING FRIGHTENING - JOANNA LICHOCKA in GPC: “PO's strategy of hate has already led to a political murder, when a former PO activist murdered an employee of the PiS office in Łódź. However, no one in the Platform has learned any lessons from this incident. Or perhaps the opposite – they have learned and are aiming to repeat it. PO's downfall is ceasing to be comical; it is becoming frightening.” https://gpcodziennie.pl/94799-strasznoniesmieszno.html

-- JAKUB MAJMUREK ON THE PATHOLOGICAL ELECTORAL LAW FOR THE EP: “I personally wish Kukiz’15 support below one permille; many of you may have similar feelings towards SLD or Razem. However, whatever our political sympathies and antipathies, it is difficult to argue that an electoral law that deprives even tens of percent of voters of representation is a pathological distortion of the principle of representation and proportional elections.” https://opinie.wp.pl/jakub-majmurek-pis-chce-wam-odebrac-glos-6277169885230721a

-- THE SLOW POLEXIT - Bartosz T. Wieliński in GW:“Poland's voice is not heard in discussions about the future of the European Union; we are not taken into account in creating common defense policy, although this is a key challenge in the face of US President Donald Trump's reluctance towards NATO and his gestures towards Vladimir Putin. Warsaw was not invited at all to the European defense initiative launched by France. There are no Poles on the list of newly appointed EU ambassadors. Due to the violation of the rule of law, we have been in the pillory for two years. This is also why we will receive less money in the future EU budget, and the reduced funds may even be frozen... When one adds to this the issue of EU law, the question of a creeping Polexit becomes quite reasonable.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,23715417,odpowiedz-trybunalu-sprawiedliwosci-ue-udzielona-irlandzkiej.html

-- MACIEJ GDULA ON MACRONISM: “It is difficult to think about transferring his ideas on a one-to-one scale between different countries. However, the main features of Macronism can be a source of inspiration for politicians who do not agree with the neo-authoritarian wave: one must confront problems, not avoid them. In Poland, for example, one must talk about refugees, women's rights, the Church, and social inequalities that make people feel that not everyone is subject to the same rules. In this way – as the ability to confront challenges – Macronism defines leadership by avoiding simple populism in criticizing elites, which feeds on the vision of sanitation possible if only bad and immoral people are removed. Finally, there is in Macronism the idea of a nation that does not confine itself within its borders and interests, but co-creates history as a process of emancipation uniting all people.” http://krytykapolityczna.pl/swiat/macronizm-czyli-nadzieja-plynie-z-mowienia-jak-jest/

-- BIRTHDAYS: Anna Godzwon.